Morven Park’s New Master Plan Paves the Way for Improved Facilities & Community Programs

At its recent quarterly meeting, members of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation’s Board of Trustees adopted a comprehensive, multi-year site plan, providing a vision of what Morven Park could become.

The Foundation, which oversees the 1,200-acre Morven Park property adjacent to Leesburg, adopted a new strategic plan for the site in 2010, identifying 28 strategies to achieve four goals: to promote civic leadership, to increase opportunities for the public to enjoy Morven Park’s history and landscape, to promote health and wellness, and to develop a financially sound organization. Key among those 28 strategies was the creation of a master site plan.

Morven Park trustees and staff spent the early months of 2011 meeting with local individuals and organizations with interest and expertise in political and agricultural history, equine sports, nature and the outdoors, and gardening and agriculture. These conversations informed and guided the master planning process and ensured the creation of a vision that will improve Morven Park’s facilities and meet the needs of the greater community.  The plan’s implementation will be largely dependent upon raising outside funding from individuals, corporations,  and foundations.

The master site plan includes separate trail systems for pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians; and easier access to and through Morven Park including addition of roads and trails linking the Davis’ Mansion grounds with the equestrian center and soon to be opened sports fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and flag football.  Other highlights include water features; a “Governors’ Walk” that will guide visitors through the gardens and to a new visitors center, the Mansion, a new Coach House Discovery Center, a revitalized Winmill Carriage Museum, and the Turkey Hill educational farm. In addition, the plan calls for extensive enhancements to the equestrian center.

The current equestrian facilities, considered by most users as being well past their primes, will be replaced with new barns, as well as indoor and outdoor arenas. Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, which makes its home at Morven Park, also will build a new indoor arena, stables and offices.

In addition, the Board of Trustees determined, primarily for financial reasons, to discontinue Morven Park’s annual steeplechase race and allocate its resources and fund raising efforts to improve its equestrian facilities and programs for a variety of disciplines including dressage, trail riding, carriage driving, eventing, show jumping, and therapeutic riding.

Morven Park will continue to host the annual Memorial Day weekend Virginia Foxhound Club show, the largest hound show in the world.

A National Register Historic Property, Morven Park was once the home of Gov. Westmoreland Davis of Virginia. Operated by the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, Morven Park is a non-profit organization that relies on individual donations, memberships, and event income to fund its public programs. It receives no operating funds from local, state, or federal governments.