It's heartbreaking to realize that so much of the historic land of Northern Virginia is already under concrete and that there is such a greed-crazed attitude toward the remaining acres. These are among the most beautiful parts of America, as precious in their way as Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, or Big Sur, and just as irreplaceable. These are the places where America was forged, for this country was not just established in Philadelphia but also on the battlefields of the War Between the States. Too much has already been lost, and it's no accident that the National Trust for Historic Preservation identifies the Crooked Run Valley (the area along VA Rt 17 from Delaplane to Ashby's Gap through the Blue Ridge) as among the most endangered in America.
As a native of Leesburg, I agree that the overdevelopment of Northern Virginia is saddening, however, many in the historic preservation/anti-development groups are left wing, aging ex-hippie, capitalism-haters; arch-typical upper middle class liberals--folks very well off, who could care less about free-enterprise, poor farmers or other people trying to make an honest living.
I remember the national outcry generated when Disney bought a lot of land some 15 miles outside of Manassas. SAVE THE BATTLEFIELD was the PR campaign (and bumper stickers) all the while downtown Manassas is nothing but endless strip-malls already--with new ones going up all the time. The proposed development compromised no conceivable battlefield--Lee only rode by (like he did anywhere in N. Va.).
The real story is that the development would have brought traffic to some of the main roads (strangely all paved, in that part of the county....hmmmm) leading into Middleburg, heart of the hourse country and the country estates of Washington, DC's very (very) rich. Not that Disney wouldn't have spent millions on new roads and improvements on old to ameliorate any problems, but the very rich just didn't want any change within a day's horse ride of their thoroughbred stud farms.
The whole "Save the Battlefield" cry to keep Disney away was a huge lie, perpetrated by the preservationist and anti-development crowd--liberals one-and-all. Conservatives too then jumped on the bandwagon--ostensively not wanting a Disney PC version of history around (it was to be a history themed park), but willingly helping to raise money nationally to "Save the Battlefield!" where no battlefield at all is or ever was to be found.
Today expensive houses on 1/10 acre lots fill the same land, as eeeeevil Disney was chased out hat in hand--all by a lie.
So, frankly, I don't have a lot of respect for much of the preservation crowd--and even some of the conservatives who went along with them (in that instance).