It’s American Archives Month! As a preservation organization, we don’t just save buildings and objects. We save paper too! The archives and document collections of Preservation Virginia are an extraordinary record of our historic sites as well as the evolution of the institution over the last 131 years. Over that time, the Association for the Preservation of …
A school building we mistakenly thought was lost was recently found. During an ATV ride through the woods of Mecklenburg County, a family came across a school building near Boydton, Virginia. They provided photographs to Preservation Virginia, and after researching the images and the location, we determined that it was the Shiloh Rosenwald School. Photos …
Rassawek, the historic capital and sacred site of the Monacan Indian Nation located at the confluence of the Rivanna River and James River in Fluvanna County, is included on a national list of threatened historic sites. Threatened by a local water intake and pump station, the historic capital of the Monacan Indian Nation is receiving …
By Ben Lovelace, John Marshall House Interpreter Traveling the short distance from his home in the Court End of Richmond to the Constitutional Convention in June 1788, the future Chief Justice John Marshall arrived in new shoes, silk stockings, linen shirts, a coat, and a hat. Anyone who knew him, knew that John Marshall notoriously …
By Lea C. Lane, Curator of Collections It’s easy to forget the noise. A historic house is usually encountered as a quiet space, a silence broken only by the cadence of the interpreter’s narrative, and perhaps the footfall of a visitor on a wide floorboard. John Marshall’s Richmond home would have been filled with …
The Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson’s house and tennis court in Lynchburg was added to the Most Endangered Historic Places List in 2005. At the time, the house was in a severely deteriorated state and was threatened with demolition by neglect. Since then the tennis court has been restored and is currently used by the Lynchburg …
By Sonja Ingram, Preservation Field Services Manager We recovered some interesting finds while recently monitoring for archaeological sites during the installation of a new phone line at Smith’s Fort, including what looks like two post hole features and a possible trash pit. Artifacts found included wine bottle glass, nails, oyster shell, fauna remains, brick and …
Preservation Virginia staff visited Little Buckets Farm Sanctuary in Brunswick County last week to look at an early house in need of repairs. The farm is operated by Susan Klingenberg, who rescues farm animals in need and provides them with a safe home. The building in question is a 19th century, one-story frame house with …
On August 26, 1795, President George Washington found himself in need of an Attorney General of the United States to serve within his administration. Eager to fill the vacancy with his first-choice candidate, Washington took “the earliest opportunity” to offer the office of Attorney General to John Marshall. Marshall received Washington’s letter at a time in …
In the first installment of our new Preservation in Action Video Series, Eric Litchford, Preservation Projects Manager, takes you through the recent rehabilitation work completed on the 19th-century smokehouse at Bacon’s Castle. The smokehouse played an important role in ensuring everyone stayed well fed through the winter months and beyond. Preserving meat before commercial refrigeration …
