Donor will match donations for Historic Greenfield during the month of December
Donations for Botetourt’s Historic Greenfield
An anonymous benefactor has issued a challenge match for donations to Botetourt’s Historic Greenfield Preservation Area. The benefactor will match dollar-for-dollar any donation of $25.00 or more to Historic Greenfield postmarked during December 2020, to a maximum cumulative match of $5,000.
This provides quadruple leverage for the individual donor, because the donor’s contribution will be matched 100% by the anonymous benefactor and 100% by the County of Botetourt. This is because the County has a 100% match program of its own, up to $50,000 annually, for donations made to Historic Greenfield.
As an example, a $50 individual contribution will be matched $50 by the benefactor; in turn, the County will match the individual ‘s contribution and the benefactor’s match. Thus, the initial donation of $50 will yield $200 to Historic Greenfield.
Botetourt’s Historic Greenfield is a bucolic 29-acre site in Amsterdam, located at the eastern edge of the 18th century plantation of Colonel William Preston (1729-1783). Preston was an influential political and military leader of the Virginia colony. His Greenfield plantation in Botetourt County was the cultural, economic, and political center of the Virginia frontier.
The preservation site includes three rare antebellum log structures, two of which were part of the enslaved community at Greenfield. In the immediate surroundings of the preservation site, there are archaeological sites containing evidence of early Native American settlements. The area also includes two historically significant cemeteries, and the remains of “The Jefferson Gardens,” a terraced garden thought to have been built by William Preston’s heirs in the late nineteenth century.
A 15-member citizens’ council appointed by the Botetourt Board of Supervisors provides long-range planning and daily management of Historic Greenfield. The Advisory Council holds monthly meetings that are open to the public.
Judy Morris, the Chair of Historic Greenfield Advisory Council, says of the match program, “Our citizens’ council has been working hard for nearly three years to create a preservation area that honors Botetourt’s history by preserving the priceless structures located there. This generous match program will provide enormous support for us as we begin planning public programs at Greenfield during the coming months.”
County Administrator Gary Larrowe notes that the work of the Advisory Council is “an outstanding example of Botetourt’s citizens working together for the benefit of the community…people making a difference for today and for the future.”
Donations to Historic Greenfield are administered by the Botetourt County Treasurer’s Office. Checks should be written to “Botetourt County/ Historic Greenfield” and mailed to Botetourt County Treasurer, Post Office Box 100, Fincastle, VA 24090. Donations may be deductible on federal and Virginia taxes.
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— submitted by Steve Clinton, file photos from The Botetourt Bee Archive courtesy David Marcum in 2018
