Native American poetry is steeped in oral tradition, which is the legacy of passing down cultural stories from older generations to younger generations through speech. In fact, within Native American culture, poems are often referred to as “songs” because they were traditionally sung not written. Historically, Native American poetry has focused on many themes, including …
Apr
2
2
Romantic Poetry at the Castle: The Love Letters of Sid & Ginna
The romantic poetry shared between Sidney Lanier and Virginia Hankins stands as one of the most passionate periods in Bacon’s Castle’s history. Born in Georgia, Sidney Lanier served in the Confederate Army and became well-known for his highly musical poems. While serving in the Confederate Army in Virginia, he met Virginia Hankins, who lived at …
Mar
13
13
The Stamp Act
We’ve all heard the phrase, “No taxation without representation!” In 1765, the passage of the Stamp Acts unexpectedly unified American colonists in protest against a tax. The Act threatened American liberty, freedom of the press and incited rebellion and mob attacks throughout the colonies. One of the loudest voices to oppose the Stamp Act was …
Feb
28
28
Bray Tobacco Barn Restoration
Preservation Virginia has partnered with JTI Leaf Services for the past five years to provide a Tobacco Barns Mini-Grant program to restore historic barns in Caswell County, North Carolina and Halifax and Pittsylvania Counties in Virginia. We’re pleased to highlight one of our recent projects, the Bray Tobacco Barn. The tobacco barn owned by Joe …
Feb
2
2
Preservation Virginia Restoration Crew in Action
Our restoration craftsman, Mike Adams, has been hard at work at our historic sites during the off-season. Historic preservation is an ongoing, never quite finished process, and these cold months are the perfect time to tackle small projects, like remaking and replacing windows. Today, we’re highlighting two recently completed projects at Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown and Smith’s Fort. …
Jan
31
31
Where are they now? An Update on Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places, Pt. 2
In part two of our update on past Most Endangered Historic Places listings, we’re diving into the grassroots efforts that helped protect the Rappahannock River at White Stone and the rebirth of Selma Mansion in Loudoun County. If there’s an endangered historic place in your community, submit a nomination for the 2018 Most Endangered Historic …
Jan
24
24
Where are they now? An update on Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places, Pt. 1
For more than a decade, we’ve presented our annual list of Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places. The list raises awareness of the Commonwealth’s historic places, including buildings, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes, at risk from neglect, deterioration, insufficient funds, inappropriate development and/or insensitive public policy. Protecting and preserving endangered places is a complex process that …
