Black history is American history and essential every day of the year. And in honor of Black History Month, we recognize that at this time, we have much to learn about the enslaved who lived and worked at the historic sites we open to the public. We are dedicated to researching and expanding public knowledge of …
By Matthew Nichol, VCU ’21, Education Intern February 15, 2021 Happy Presidents Day from the John Marshall House! We love to talk about American Presidents and the relationship between the Executive and Judicial branches, so we thought we’d take a moment today to shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of Chief Justice John Marshall’s …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Mary, Mary, quite contrary How does your garden grow? As noted in this 16th century children’s rhyme, the question of how best to grow healthy and productive gardens was an ever present challenge our forefathers and ancestors faced. Whether by accident or studied practice, many cultures and societies through trial and error learned about the …
Although the Kentucky Derby is postponed, don’t wait to enjoy one of Chief Justice John Marshall’s favorite drinks, the mint julep. Preservation Virginia’s curator of collections (and native Kentuckian) Lea Lane explores how this icy refresher made its way to Richmond and beyond, then shows how you can make one at home using a locally …
The cast-iron spiral steps at Old Cape Henry Lighthouse were installed in 1867 to replace the original wooden stairs from 1792. For the past century, that spiral stair has been painted black, but it wasn’t always that color. Cape Henry Lighthouse has recently completed several major preservation projects. In May 2019 we completed the …
This week should be the Garden Club of Virginia’s annual Historic Garden Week. This one promised to be spectacular, as the Garden Club of Virginia commemorates its centennial in 2020. Since 1927, proceeds from Historic Garden Week have gone to fund garden restoration projects throughout the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this year, like everything else, the event …
