Guided Hike
Malvern Hill Farm
April 11, 2021
SOLD OUT
Email John@capitalregionland.org to join the waitlist.
Join us on Sunday, April 11th to learn about the natural and cultural landscape of Malvern Hill Farm. We are offering two different experiences on the property: a nature hike and a history walk. The nature hike and history walk will each be offered once in the morning and again in the afternoon so that participants can participate in both if space is available. The nature hike will be led by Dr. Rick Myers, Natural Areas Stewardship Manager for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The history walk will be led by Parker Agelasto, CRLC's Executive Director.
NOTE: ALL TICKETS HAVE SOLD OUT.
Please email john@capitalregionland.org to be placed on the waitlist.
ABOUT THE NATURE HIKE
10:00 am and 1:00 pm
The nature hike will explore the wooded northern portion of Malvern Hill Farm and Crewes Channel. We will walk through the woods listening and looking for spring ephemerals, take time for stopping and learning about the natural history of eastern Virginia’s landscape, and have fun finding things of interest and discussing them.Hikers should wear hiking shoes or boots and be prepared for walking in the woods without trails on uneven and possibly muddy terrain. Bring water and if interested in sighting birds, binoculars. Tick repellant on clothing is highly recommended. Hike will be approximately 1.5 - 2 miles.
ABOUT THE HISTORY WALK
The history walk will be an ambling tour on flat ground. We will share the complex history of Malvern Hill Farm dating well before the Civil War and discuss the future of the land's preservation. Participants will stay on the dirt lane so should be comfortable walking for approximately one mile.
ABOUT THE AREA
Malvern Hill Farm is historically one of the most important properties in the Richmond region. The Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places first listed Malvern Hill in 1969. Its historic ownership includes Thomas Cocke (1638-1696), who established the first Anglo-American residence of which the architecturally significant ruins remain intact today. The Ferguson family owned Malvern Hill Farm from 1939 until 2018 when it sold to the Capital Region Land Conservancy for $6.56 million.
Malvern Hill has played a significant role in Virginia and United States history dating to the 17th Century. The Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) encamped on the property in the summer of 1781 as he assembled troops and planned the siege of Yorktown. The Virginia Militia also made camp there during the War of 1812 as it was an important defensive position along the James River and New Market Road.
The name “Malvern Hill” however is best associated with a climactic moment in the American Civil War when the entire property lay behind the front infantry line of the Union army during the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. This deadly clash of armies ended with 5,650 Confederate and 2,100 Union casualties, bringing the Seven Days Battle and the Peninsula Campaign to a close prompting President Abraham Lincoln to draft the Emancipation Proclamation.
Despite its proximity to downtown Richmond and development pressures in the Varina district of Henrico County, the property has remained mostly unaltered in appearance since 1862. CRLC purchased the 871-acre property to protect it from future development as a residential subdivision with more than 500 homes. Since that time, approximately half of the property has transferred to Henrico County to become part of a future park for passive recreation and agricultural demonstration center and 12 acres south of Route 5 along Turkey Island Creek are now owned by the James River Association and feature a canoe-launch.
The remaining acres will be stewarded by CRLC with a sizable portion transferring to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion into the existing Richmond National Battlefield Park.
The NPS has long sought portions of Malvern Hill Farm for inclusion in the Richmond National Battlefield Park.
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS
To ensure everyone's safety, headcount for these hikes is limited to 10 participants per hike, not including our two guides. We will be observing strict social distancing norms throughout all portions of the hike. Even though will be outdoors, we request that participants have masks or face coverings on their person, since we will be hiking in a line for portions of the time.
DETAILS & TICKETS
Final details will be provided to participants once they have completed the liability waiver. The waiver will be emailed to participants after buying tickets, or you can access the waiver HERE.
Tickets must be purchased to participate in guided hikes. Non-members must purchase a ticket of $15 and members a ticket of $5. Members include all donors of the last twelve months to CRLC. To become a member, please visit our donation page below, or include a donation in your checkout process.
> DONATE to CRLC <
Non-members must purchase a ticket of $15 and members a ticket of $5. Members include all donors of the last twelve months to CRLC. To become a member, please visit our donation page here, or include a donation in your checkout process.
NOTE: If you are buying tickets for anyone other than yourself, please provide the email address(es) for those individuals in the comment section below, so that we may send them the liability waiver needed to participate.