June 13 Garden Party at Historic Buckland Farm

by JT
(Fauquier County)

Buckland Farm

The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), a nationally accredited non-profit land trust that protects open space and natural and historic resources in Virginia, will host its twelfth annual “Garden Party to Save Virginia’s Countryside” at historic Buckland Farm in northeastern Fauquier County and western Prince William County on Sunday, June 13th, from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.



“Buckland Farm has been at the crossroads of history at several critical points in our nation’s history,” said LTV President Birge Watkins. “From the time when Samuel Love built Buckland Hall and bought the nearby mill on Broad Run in 1774, the property has been the economic engine of the nearby community of Buckland. By the mid-1830s, Buckland was a thriving agricultural and industrial community. Then the Civil War came. On some parts of the farm, it seems as if time stopped 150 years ago.”



The Battle of Buckland on October 19, 1963, was a decisive victory for the Confederate cavalry. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry was shielding the withdrawal of General Robert E. Lee’s army following the Battle of Bristoe Station when they were attacked by the Union cavalry. The Union cavalry, bent on pursuing Stuart’s cavalry along the Warrenton Turnpike, were ambushed by Stuart near Chestnut Hill and chased for nearly five miles in a running cavalry battle that Stuart later referred to as the “Buckland Races”.



Said Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart: “I am justified in declaring the rout of the enemy at Buckland the most single and complete that any cavalry has suffered during the war.”



Buckland Farm also is known for its horses, with a heritage dating back more than 225 years. Beginning in the 1780s, John and Samuel Love began importing Arabian and European horses to breed. The bloodlines of their stallions “Mahomet” and Spread Eagle” are listed among the origins of the modern thoroughbred.



The thoroughbred “Pleasant Colony,” bred under the Buckland Farm banner and retired to stud at Buckland Farm, won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 1981. David Blake, the current owner of Buckland Farm and chairman of the Buckland Preservation Society, continues to operate the 550-acre property as an established thoroughbred farm.



“We are delighted that David Blake is willing to host this year’s Garden Party at Buckland Farm, said LTV Chairman Turner T. Smith, Jr. “David has been an articulate and passionate spokesman for conservation of Buckland Farm and its surrounding landscape.”



According to LTV Executive Director Don Owen, “The Land Trust of Virginia has a remarkable success story to tell, and this year’s event promises to be one of the best parties ever. We will be presenting special awards to the LTV Landowner of the Year, the LTV Steward of the Year, and the LTV Conservationist of the Year. We hope everyone interested in conserving our open space and natural and historic resources can come join us to celebrate our recent achievements.”



To order ticket or obtain further information about the Land Trust of Virginia’s “Garden Party to Save Virginia’s Countryside,” please contact the Land Trust at 540-687-8441.