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[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

              BELLE GROVE PLANTATION LAND FUND CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize that on 
November 1, 2008, the Board of Directors of Belle Grove Plantation in 
Middletown, Virginia, celebrated the completion of a $1 million 
campaign to purchase 183 acres of adjacent land. I was pleased to join 
in the celebration of this milestone which is an important step toward 
preserving an essential part of this historic landscape for future 
generations. The master of ceremonies was Belle Grove Board Member 
Ambassador James E. Nolan, Jr. During the program, held on the 1797 
Manor House's front lawn, James R. Wilkins, Jr. presented the final 
$10,000 gift for the campaign to Belle Grove's executive director, 
Elizabeth McClung.
  The gift was a grant from the James R. Wilkins Foundation, which made 
the first major contribution to the campaign. The Wilkins family 
members are descendants of Jost Hite, the first recorded settler in the 
Shenandoah Valley. The land they helped preserve at Belle Grove was 
originally owned by Jost Hite in the 18th century. Major Isaac Hite, 
Jost's grandson, received this land in 1783 on his marriage to Nelly 
Madison, sister of President James Madison. Here they built their 
limestone Manor House in 1797, with design assistance from Thomas 
Jefferson. The plantation grew to 7,500 acres during Major Isaac Hite's 
lifetime. On October 19, 1864, Belle Grove was at the epicenter of the 
Civil War Battle of Belle Grove or Cedar Creek.
  The newly-purchased 183 acres reclaims a portion of the original 
plantation and Civil War battlefield, and nearly triples the size of 
the historic site which has been open to the public since 1967. Belle 
Grove Plantation is both a Virginia and National Historic Landmark, is 
owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and is the 
centerpiece of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical 
Park.
  The following major donors who made the land purchase possible were 
honored at the event, and a commemorative preservation plaque was 
dedicated: James R. Wilkins Foundation, Fred and Christine Andreae, 
Belle Grove, Inc., Byron and Kathleen Kanter Brill, County of 
Frederick, Virginia, Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Thompson, The Beirne Carter 
Foundation, David and Barbara Came, Martha Cook, Nancy Larrick Crosby, 
Bob and Betty Edwards, Mary C. Ewing, National Trust for Historic 
Preservation, Mary P. Robinson, Lilburn and Nancy St. Clair Talley, 
Kathryn Perry Werner, William and Elaine Brandt, Malcolm and Mildred 
Brumback, Mr. and Mrs. Harry F. Byrd, III, Chemstone Corporation, The 
Robert Claytor Family, William H. and Jean G. Clement, Joy Holler 
Costello, Pat and Warren B. French, Jr., The Hite Family Association, 
Suzanne W. McKown, Charles J. Reeder, Donald and Madeline Stewart, and 
William S. and Elizabeth W. Talley.

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