VOL U M E 44
NO. 7
AUGUST 2009
Field of dreams
Purcellville pursued
parcel to preserve
town’s character
Field
of dreams
The Fireman’s Field property
in Purcellville contains the last
remaining vestiges of the historic
“Dillon’s Woods,” the town’s
most significant remaining urban
forest that is populated with 239
trees ranging in size from small
dogwoods to majestic centuriesold white oaks.
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Purcellville pursued parcel
to preserve town’s character
S
ince 1908 when the Town of
prohibition of alcohol in the United
Purcellville in western Loudoun
States. Thousands of people during
County was incorporated, the
those years would make their way by
13-acre tract known today as Firetrain to what was known as “Dillon’s
man’s Field has been an
Woods” to listen to
By David Parsons
integral part of commuprominent speakers
nity life. A decision to place the land
rant against the destructive power of
under a conservation easement – and
alcohol.
the town’s purchase of the parcel from
According to a history of the
the Purcellville Volunteer Fire Departperiod: “The speakers were joined by
ment about 16 months ago – will
bands and gospel singers, and around
ensure that it remains a combination
them, strolling, eating and reveling,
of green space dotted with recreation
were as many as 2,000 attendees,
port in 1962. It could accommodate
3,000 people.
On the eve of the end of prohibition in the United States, the
temperance meetings bowed out in
style in August 1931. Prohibitionist
Billy Sunday delivered a sermon titled
“Crooks, Corkscrews, Bootleggers and
Whiskey Politicians.”
One account of the sermon
described it this way: “He had an
abundance of lurid materials from
which to select his examples of the
harm done society by the abovementioned evil doers and he did not
fail to make use of it.”
The site, including the Tabernacle
building, was later sold to a prominent
local family before being purchased in
the late 1950’s by the Purcellville Volunteer Fire Department for $10,000.
The PVFD
as stewards
The 13-acre Fireman’s Field is located in the geographic
center of Purcellville.
and park facilities in perpetuity.
The purchase and commitment to
preservation reflects the wishes of a
town and its governing body dedicated to retaining the character and
quality of life in a community that has
grown rapidly.
History
Fireman’s Field, located in the
heart of the recently-created Purcellville Historic District, is more than
just open space, parkland, and athletic
fields and facilities. It is history.
In the late 19th and early 20th
centuries it was the site each summer
of rousing weeklong gatherings of
temperance groups committed to the
greeting family and friends at what
became an annual reunion. Excursion trains came from Washington,
and people rode or drove from points
hundreds of miles away. Some
would rent cottages called “tents” on
the grounds, and would stay for the
week.”
In 1903 a building known as the
Tabernacle was constructed by prominent local builder Arch Simpson at a
cost of $2,500 for the Prohibition and
Evangelical Association of Loudoun.
The Tabernacle, a unique eight-sided
historic structure used as a skating
rink and teen center today, was the
largest building in Loudoun County
until the construction of Dulles Air-
And for 50 years the fire department was not only a responsible
steward of the property and its facilities, but it made use of the valuable
community resource to generate
much-needed revenue. Bingo games,
skating parties, concerts and carnivals
were held on the site. Ball fields were
built, expanded and improved as
partnerships were struck with youth
sports leagues in the county. The main
baseball complex at Fireman’s Field
will be the site of a Babe Ruth League
World Series in 2010, the fifth time the
youth baseball organization has chosen
Purcellville as a World Series site.
Maintaining the property,
however, became more expensive
and time-consuming as the town’s
population swelled from 1,800 to
more than 6,000 between 1998 and
2006. Looking after the property not
only was proving expensive, it was
cutting into the volunteer fire department’s primary mission – providing
fire services and rescue assistance for
a large portion of western Loudoun
County.
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Though the Purcellville Volunteer
Fire Department had contemplated
selling Fireman’s Field in recent
years, it got serious about the notion
in 2007. Purcellville Mayor Robert
Lazaro wasted no time appointing a
two-member committee comprised of
now Vice Mayor Thomas A. Priscilla
and Dr. James O. Wiley to pursue a
possible purchase by the town. The
property, which carried a residential
zoning designation that permitted
construction of apartments and
townhouses, was an obvious potential
site for such dense development.
Fortunately for town council, the
fire department shared its vision that
Fireman’s Field should be preserved,
not developed, even if selling the property to developers could have meant a
windfall for the fire department.
Thanks to the commitment of
the fire department to keep Fireman’s
Field under town ownership, Purcellville was able to purchase the property
for $1.7 million, which was well under
The Purcellville Volunteer Fire Department sold the Fireman’s
Field property to the town for $1.7 million, which is being paid
in 20 annual installments of $85,000.
its appraised value of $3.6 million.
The fire department also agreed to
finance the transaction for 20 years
at zero percent interest, which made
acquisition by the town possible. The
town writes a check for $85,000 to the
fire department each year.
In addition, the town and fire
department worked together to place
a permanent conservation easement
on the property through the state
Department of Historic Resources,
a crucial step that will protect the
property in perpetuity.
The purchase of Fireman’s Field prompted the town to also buy the old Purcellville Baptist
Church, which is located directly across the street. The building will be renovated and become
the new Town Hall.
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© 2009 Marc Gold Photography / Marc Gold / Philip Dolinger, photographer
cellent stewards for 50
years. Without their
dedication and commitment the property
would not have been
preserved to the
level it had,” Mayor
Lazaro said. “Their
willingness to work
with the town enabled
the community to
keep Fireman’s Field
under local ownership. And fortunately,
the town had the
financial wherewithal
to commit to preserving and maintaining
the property in the
manner that the fire
department and the
community wanted.”
The purchase
has set in motion
Purcellville, which was host for a Babe Ruth League regional playoff round
this summer, will be the site a Babe Ruth League World Series next summer. a number of other
town council-backed
The conservation easement
initiatives. For example:
Done
deal
provides for:
• A consultant has been hired to
The Town of Purcellville and the
• The permanent protection of the
help prepare a master plan for the
Purcellville Volunteer Fire Depart13-acre Fireman’s Field property and
entire property that will address items
ment held a formal deed transfer
park, including the top notch athletic
such as entranceways, pedestrian acceremony on the main baseball field
facilities and fields, all located in the
cess, preservation of trees and signage.
at Fireman’s Field on April 29, 2008.
very heart of town.
• Consultants also are finishing a
With the transfer, the town became
• The permanent protection of
list of recommendations for refurbishowner of Fireman’s Field and the
the historic Tabernacle, picnic shelters
ing the old Tabernacle-turned-skating
responsibility for preserving the
and barbeques located on the original
rink, including replacing its sagging
property was passed.
temperance movement meeting
106-year-old roof.
“The fire department had been exgrounds in the heart of the Purcellville Historic District.
• The permanent protection of
historic “Dillon’s Woods,” the town’s
most significant remaining urban
forest and the only local park with
full amenities available for full public
access. The woodland, located in the
heart of the town, has been inventoried by the Purcellville Tree and
Beautification Committee. Fireman’s
Field contains 239 trees ranging in
size from small dogwoods to majestic
centuries-old white oaks.
• The permanent protection of
the riparian forest buffer along Jack’s
Creek, a tributary to Goose Creek, as
a state scenic river. This is an important goal of the Chesapeake Executive
Council’s Watershed Partnership.
Mayor Robert Lazaro characterized the purchase of Fireman’s
Field as a “gift to the community.”
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The Tabernacle building, constructed in 1903, was converted into a skating rink that will be
renovated over the next year and preserved.
• The Fireman’s Field property,
already recognized as an important
historic resource within the Purcellville
Historic District, will be nominated by
the town for inclusion in the state and
national registers of historic places.
• The town has purchased the old
Purcellville Baptist Church, which sits
across the street from Fireman’s Field,
for use as the new town hall. Without
ownership of Fireman’s Field, according to Lazaro, town council would not
have purchased the building, which
will double the amount of municipal
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office space and allow for the consolidation of two parking areas into
a single one. “It will be a great civic
anchor in the geographic middle of
town,” said Priscilla, the vice mayor.
• In turn, the town will sell the existing town hall, a former Safeway grocery
store, and return it to the tax rolls.
• Owning Fireman’s Field also will
allow the town to add to the events
that it already sponsors there, which
include a family concert series and an
outdoor family movie night.
• The town has negotiated a right
AUGUST 2009
of first refusal to purchase three acres
adjacent Fireman’s Field owned by
one of the town’s oldest families.
“At the end of the day, this is
something that the people of Purcellville will be able to look back on forever,” Lazaro said. “It’s something we
did as a council and as a community.
It really is a gift to the community.”
About the author
David Parsons is director of communications
for VML.