Riley Moore bill would expand Shenandoah battlefield district

What the bill would do

Rep. Riley Moore introduced legislation Thursday to expand the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District into three Eastern Panhandle counties and part of Virginia.

The Shenandoah Valley Access, Legacy, and Outdoor Recreation Act, known as the Shenandoah VALOR Act, would add Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties in West Virginia and Rockbridge County, Virginia, to the district.

Moore said the expansion would help preserve Civil War sites that are not under federal protection, including the Shepherdstown battlefield and Hoke Run in Berkeley County. The Shepherdstown site is associated with the Confederate retreat involving Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The Battle of Hoke Run occurred in 1861, when Jackson was a colonel.

Land and tourism

The bill would authorize federal grants that could be used to purchase land from owners who choose to sell. It would not require landowners to sell their property, Moore said.

Moore also presented the measure as a way to support heritage tourism in the Eastern Panhandle. He cited a past study that estimated protected Civil War battlefields produce about in annual tourism revenue and pointed to Harpers Ferry as an example of tourism growth following historic designation.

What happens next

The legislation has support from members of both parties in the West Virginia and Virginia congressional delegations. Sen. Jim Justice is leading a companion measure in the Senate, with Sen. Mark Warner among its co-sponsors.

Moore said he wants the House to consider the measure after the election under suspension of the rules, a faster procedure generally used for bills expected to receive support from more than two-thirds of voting members.