Manassas National Battlefield Park

 

LOCATION: Prince William County, Virginia.

 

DIRECTIONS: From Washington, D.C., and points east of the park, travel west on Interstate 66 to Exit 47B, and take Route 234 north to the Henry Hill Visitor Center entrance on your right. For an alternate route, take I-66 west to Exit 52, travel west on Route 29, turn left at the intersection with Route 234, and it’s a short drive to the visitor center entrance on your left.

 

ACREAGE: 5,000

 

HISTORY: The Park was established in 1940 and preserves sites associated with the Civil War’s First and Second Battles of Manassas. The National Park Service (NPS) manages it.

ECOSYSTEM TYPE, HABITATS, & ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE: The park is a mixed habitat of open fields, meadows, woodlands, and streams. It provides cover, nest sites, and food for resident and migrating birds. Park resource managers have identified 168 bird, 26 mammal, 23 reptile, and 19 amphibian species within the park.

 

BIRDS AND BIRDWATCHING: The varied habitat provides diverse bird life and year round bird watching opportunities. The park has various walking and horseback riding trails, autoroutes, and monuments reached on foot or by car. The Nature and Science section of the park Web site (www.nps.gov/mana) contains alphabetical lists of bird, plant, and animal species identified within the park. Also, the “Birds of Manassas Battlefield” section of the Friends of Manassas National Battlefield Park (FofMNBP) Web site (www.fmnbp.org) includes a bird list in taxonomic order with abundance and breeding coding. This site was created from a database compiled from surveys and bird counts conducted during 2001-2 by volunteers under the auspices of the NPS. Good bird watching sites include: The Stone Bridge at the eastern end of the park—from the parking lot, just off route 29, follow Bull Run through mixed forest for Hermit Thrushes, Eastern Towhee, and Warblers during spring and fall migration. Open areas to the west and around the Park Police stables have various species including Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper, Song, White-throated, Chipping, Field, Vesper and Savannah sparrows. The New York Volunteers Monument area, located west of the intersection of Routes 234 and 29 has open fields, woods, and edge habitat for Warblers during spring and fall migration, Woodpeckers, Flycatchers, and Vireos. At Stuart’s Hill visitor center, check the area around the visitor center and the power line right-of-way just to the west of the visitor center at the intersection of Route 29 and Pageland Lane. A Clay-colored Sparrow, an area rarity, was seen here in 2002. Fairfax Audubon Society (FAS) activities include the Northern Virginia Bird Survey, Christmas Bird Count, and bird walks. Check the FAS Web site (www.fairfaxaudubon.org) or call the FAS office (703) 256-6895 (office hours are 8-4 M-F) for information about scheduled walks or participating in other bird related activities.

CONSERVATION CHALLENGES: Conservation challenges to the park’s environment, animal and plant life include water quality, invasive and nonnative species, development outside the park’s boundaries, the need to improve the area’s transportation system, and management practices related to the park’s primary purpose of preserving as closely as possible, the battlefield as it was in 1861 and ’62 for the hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors.

 

CONSERVATION WORK AT THE SITE: The Park’s Resource Management division oversees parkland conservation work.

CONTACT INFORMATION: The Park telephone number is (703) 361-1339. The Web site is (www.nps.gov/mana), and the Web site for the FofMNBP is as noted above.

 

FEES AND HOURS OF OPERATION: The fee, which includes a map of the park, is $3 per person for a one-day pass or $20 per person for an annual pass. Check at the Henry Hill Visitor Center for information about other National Park Service passes. The park is open seven days a week during daylight hours.

 

FACILITIES: The Henry Hill Visitor Center, reached from Route 234, is open year round from 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M. except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. It has a bookstore, small museum, theater and restrooms. The Stuart’s Hill Visitor Center, located at the intersection of Route 29 and Pageland Lane, is open weekends during the summer and has a museum, restrooms, and parking. Additional parking is available at various places throughout the park. Bring your own water and snacks. Gasoline stations and restaurants are available in the Manassas area.