For the VPHA, It’s All About Local History

For the VPHA, It’s All About Local History

Stories By Leonard Shapiro

Photos by Doug Gehlsen of Middleburg Photo

The rolling landscape of Virginia’s Piedmont region is imbued with the timelessness of the past, a testament to eras gone by, yet safeguarded and cherished by the Middleburg-based Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area (VPHA).

Defined by its unwavering commitment to the preservation and promotion of the unique history, arts, and traditions of Virginia’s Piedmont region, the organization holds steadfast against the tide of immediacy, advocating for the recognition and respect of the past in all its richness and complexity.

The VPHA headquarters building is also a testament to their efforts—an 1801 stone farmhouse in Atoka, just off Route 50 and painstakingly restored to its former glory. It now serves as a tangible, vibrant record of the region’s past for guests who would like to visit.

The VPHA has defined their mission: “to educate and advocate for the preservation of the extraordinary historic landscape and culture of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area for future generations…The VPHA’s mission is multifaceted, merging preservation, education, and shared community experiences.

“Through the Education and Outreach Programs, they breathe life into history, transforming it from static pages in a textbook to a living, dynamic narrative that reverberates through the lives of the community.”

The area covered includes all or parts of five counties in the northern Virginia Piedmont and lower Shenandoah Valley: Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, Prince William, and Warren counties. The VPHA’s work is made possible through grants, memberships, and donations.

By telling its stories, the VPHA hopes to inspire people to care for and protect the area’s outstanding historical resources. An essential aspect of the VPHA’s mission is the Oral History Project. This podcast initiative, freely available on their website, explores and documents first-person narratives, providing valuable insights into the region’s past.

In addition to the extensive efforts of executive director Alex Nance, director of education Travis Shaw and public programs coordinator Ian MacDougall (all profiled in the next few pages), there is also a dedicated team of volunteers, local enthusiasts, and historians committed to preserving the region’s heritage.

The VPHA is clearly dedicated to enhancing the profound importance of history. Through their continued efforts, the spirit of the Piedmont region is kept alive, unfolding one chapter at a time, for current and future generations to cherish and learn from.

For Alex Nance, It’s About Passing History Forward

Alex Nance, executive director of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA) since January, 2022, grew up in Northern Virginia and recalls becoming fascinated by the history of the region as a child. He developed a passion for the past and future preservation while visiting dozens of historic sites and every battlefield within 100 miles of home.

While stationed in Afghanistan as an engineer officer in the U.S. Army, he further indulged that passion by reading articles on the VPHA website about an area that he now calls home. He and his wife, Jane Latham, live in a restored 19th century home near Middleburg.

Before he accepted the position to head the VPHA, Nance, 35, had become an active member of the organization, and the more he read about the Middleburg area, the more he became enamored with the idea of moving here. He’s also a firm believer in passing on his own love of history to future generations.

“This is the lead organization for preservation through education,” Nance said. “We take an active role in preservation in the area, and do so largely through our education programs. All of our education programs help us reach the next generation and instill an appreciation for local history and the preservation of our natural and historic resources.”

His own education includes a Bachelor’s degree in international politics from Georgetown and a Masters in public policy from the University of Virginia. He then began five years of active duty as an Army officer, serving as an engineer officer during two tours overseas.

He was responsible for designing and monitoring complex projects, building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders across agencies and countries, and managing and reporting on day-to-day operations within a multidisciplinary team. Following his discharge from active duty, he also served as a military analyst for the federal government for five years, while continuing to serve as a reserve officer in the Virginia Army National Guard.

All of that experience combined with his keen organizational skills made him an ideal candidate to head the VPHA.

“We’re trying to get a lot more breadth in our programs,” Nance said. “We’ve offered some outstanding historical programming over the past five, ten, fifteen years, and we’ll continue to do so, but we also want to build on those existing programs to reach a new audience that might be interested in other aspects of the heritage area.

“We’re expanding our education programs even further in the short and long term. One new project we’re working on is replacing 14 highway signs throughout the area, letting visitors know about the state-recognized Heritage Area.”

Nance is giving back in other areas, as well. He’s a valuable member of the Middleburg Library Advisory Board and chairman of its scholarship committee, where his organizational skills definitely come into play.

And his favorite after-work pursuit?

“Driving around the unpaved rural road network in our area,” he said.

Plenty of history there, as well.

Ian MacDougall Remains Programmed for History

Ian MacDougall, the public programs coordinator for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA), likes to joke that his love for American history began in the womb. After all, even while his mother was pregnant, she continued to participate in re-enactments of historic battles, often in full costume.

At age three, the family moved from Ohio to Beaverdam, Virginia, then to historic Williamsburg, in fifth grade. As a youngster, he participated in the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps.

“Growing up in an area like Williamsburg, you begin to take for granted its historic streets, 18th century homes, and the proximity to the siege lines at Yorktown and the Jamestown Settlement,” he said. “The home I grew up on was also right alongside the defensive earthworks from the 1862 battle of Williamsburg, so it’s easy to imagine how passion for history would be enhanced in such a setting.”

While attending Virginia Commonwealth University, MacDougall, 29, spent summers working at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s department of military programs. And after graduating with a Bachelors degree in political science, he worked there full time.

“At that time, I really developed an interest in Virginia’s role in the American War for Independence, and a love for sharing Virginia’s history with the public,” MacDougall said.

He first became aware of the VPHA when a co-worker and historian, Ryan Quint, gave a talk for the organization at its annual conference on the Art of Command, held in Middleburg in 2019.

“In 2021, I moved to Northern Virginia and really began to understand the tremendous impact VPHA has in the preservation of a historic landscape that spans thousands of years,” he said.

When he learned the VPHA had an opening through his friend, Travis Shaw, the VPHA’s Director of Education, “I jumped at the opportunity to continue VPHA’s mission and share a love of history with my new community,” MacDougall said.

“It really wasn’t until my first day on the job that it truly hit me. Traveling down Route 50 toward the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains and passing 18th and early 19th century homes, I knew I’d found a home in VPHA.”

As public programs coordinator, he’s developed a wide range of topics, from historic talks on local legends like Foxcroft founder Charlotte Noland and her legacy, to trail rides and hikes through historic properties.

“One of my most satisfying programs was earlier this year when we held a trail ride in partnership with the Piedmont Foxhounds Conservation Fund on large portions of the 1862 Battle of Unison battlefield,” he said.

“It was a proud moment to tell the story of the battle and its effects on the community, and to say that 100 percent of the ground we stood on was protected in conservation easements. We’re uniquely situated in a community of stewards that care deeply about these stories and want to see them preserved for future generations.”

MacDougall also loves to get out and about in his free time. Hiking all around the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, he’s often joined by his fiancèe, Christine Nestleroth, an archeologist and field director who shares his passion for history.

As for future projects, he’s already getting excited about planning programs around the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution beginning in 2025.

“They will not only remind us of where we came from,” he said, “but who we are today, and where we’re going.”

Joyful Rewards for a History Educator

It’s not the least bit difficult to understand the sort of joyful satisfaction Travis Shaw experiences as Director of Education for the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA).

“The most satisfying moments come when you see the look of realization on a student’s face when they see a place they recognize and make that connection that history happened where they live,” he said. “That connection helps make it so real to them. Hopefully, it encourages them to keep exploring.”

Shaw, 40, is a native of Frederick County, Maryland, and “it’s where I first learned a love of local history. It has a remarkably preserved rural landscape dotted with historic towns, as well as the city of Frederick with its many 18th and 19th century buildings.”

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a school that shares much of its campus with historic St. Mary’s City, the site of Maryland’s first colony and capital. The campus and the rest of St. Mary’s City combined are considered to be one of the premier archaeological sites in the U.S.

Shaw worked in archeology for more than a decade, and along the way also attended American University, where he earned a Masters in public history.

“It was fantastic preparation for what I wanted to do,” he said. “I didn’t want to spend my career in academia, I wanted to bring history to the public and get people as excited about their history as I am.”

Shaw and his wife, Beth, moved to Loudoun County in 2010, and he immediately began searching out local historic organizations and their job possibilities.

The VPHA “had a great reputation for their public programs, as well as for the educational work they were doing in the community,” he said.

His work now mainly consists of going into schools at all levels and providing programs that tie national events to local people and places in their community. They vary widely, from early Native Americans to the Civil War, to the World Wars, and the civil rights movement.

“Every day is different,” he said, “and we’re always discovering more that we incorporate into our programs….As the area faces more and more threats from unrestrained development, it’s critical to teach people why this area matters and what we risk losing.”

Shaw is on a mission to get as many students as possible out to view historic sites because he knows it’s far more impactful if they can experience history away from the classroom, using all their senses.

“Over the last several years we’ve been expanding our on-site offerings with multisite field trips in places like Warrenton, Aldie, Berryville, and Waterford,” he said. “This is only possible with the help of our many partners in the history community. I want to continue to expand these opportunities and inspire a new generation of preservationists.”

Like his VPHA colleagues, Alex Nance and Ian MacDougall, whenever he’s out of the office, he’s usually exploring.

“I love hiking at Sky Meadows and Ball’s Bluff Battlefield and visiting the various local wineries and breweries,” he said, adding that his sevenyear-old daughter already has been bitten by the history bug. She loves Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Newport, Rhode Island, and Salem, Massachusetts.”

No surprise there.