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 …
Historic preservation, including rehabilitation of historic buildings and heritage tourism, are critical components of the nation’s economy. July 24th’s online program features a discussion on adaptation during the pandemic and the role of historic preservation in economic recovery. Below are the bios of our panelists, and a recording of the program can be found in …
July 17th’s panel discussion about diversity and inclusivity in preservation features Audrey P. Davis, director of the Alexandria Black History Museum, and several representatives from sites listed in the 2020 Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places program. A video of their discussion will be saved under the Videos and Online Programs section of our website: Audrey …
By Jennifer Hurst-Wender Just over two miles from the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry sits Smith’s Fort, a story-and-a-half, brick merchant’s home, built for Jacob Faulcon and his family in the mid-18th century. In 1609, Captain John Smith began construction of a fort site on the property. The fort was abandoned a few months later due to what …
The national and global responses and outrage to the terrible and tragic events of George Floyd’s killing illuminate the long and violent American history of racism and injustice that began in 1619 with the beginnings of American slavery in Virginia. The study of history and the interpretation of historic places must include new and revised …
