The Fresnel Lens revolutionized and assisted naval navigation with its invention in 1822. Join us virtually as we dive into the mechanics of how it projects light miles further than any other lens. Be introduced to the man who created the lens that changed navigation, Augustin Jean Fresnel, a French engineer. View photos of the […]
While it may feel at times as though our day to day lives never change, they were completely different for those of Colonial Virginia. Discover what daily life was like for the Henry family and the enslaved who lived and worked at Scotchtown on this special focus tour. This tour will run on specific Friday […]
While it may feel at times as though our day to day lives never change, they were completely different for those of Colonial Virginia. Discover what daily life was like for the Henry family and the enslaved who lived and worked at Scotchtown on this special focus tour. This tour will run on specific Friday […]
This event is included in general admission and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Stop by the Cape Henry Lighthouse to learn and practice knot tying skills, such as canoe hitches for tying up boats and classic knots such as the figure eight. Learn about how rope is made and why it was important to shipping and lighthouse keeping.
The little known Village of Cape Henry was a bustling resort town in the early 1900’s. Accessed by an electric rail line and equipped with a casino, church, ice cream parlor, cottages and hotels. It was the place to be along the oceanfront.
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
While it may feel at times as though our day to day lives never change, they were completely different for those of Colonial Virginia. Discover what daily life was like for the Henry family and the enslaved who lived and worked at Scotchtown on this special focus tour. This tour will run on specific Friday […]
While it may feel at times as though our day to day lives never change, they were completely different for those of Colonial Virginia. Discover what daily life was like for the Henry family and the enslaved who lived and worked at Scotchtown on this special focus tour. This tour will run on specific Friday […]
Come join Scotchtown staff on July 25th from 10am-4pm to learn about the use of candles in the colonial time period. Whether necessary for basic light or enjoyed for their fragrance and beauty, candles have been a part of people’s lives for centuries. This workshop will teach you techniques for basic pillar and taper candles […]
Although the lighthouse was completed in 1792, the idea of a lighthouse on Cape Henry came to be decades earlier. Learn about the agreement between Virginia and Maryland, how the Founding Fathers are connected to the construction of the lighthouse and the process of building with the adjustments that had to be made to create the first federally funded public works project during this virtual program on Zoom.
This event is included in general admission and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Stop by the Cape Henry Lighthouse to learn and practice knot tying skills, such as canoe hitches for tying up boats and classic knots such as the figure eight. Learn about how rope is made and why it was important to shipping and lighthouse keeping.
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
Landing on the shores of the Cape, on April 26th 1607, the men and boys of the Virginia Company Charter claimed this land for Henry, son of King James. This program will show monuments currently dedicated to the first landing and its importance to our country’s beginnings.
While it may feel at times as though our day to day lives never change, they were completely different for those of Colonial Virginia. Discover what daily life was like for the Henry family and the enslaved who lived and worked at Scotchtown on this special focus tour. This tour will run on specific Friday […]
This focus tour explores the experiences of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and worked at the John Marshall House from 1790 to 1835. Discover what daily life was like for those held in bondage, learn the names and stories of individuals enslaved at the site, and gain a deeper understanding of how […]
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED On August 7th, 1789, the 9th act of Congress was signed, the Lighthouse Act, celebrate National Lighthouse day with us. Climb the Old and New Cape Henry Lighthouses for a once in a lifetime opportunity! Join local organizations in participating in crafts and activities. Learn more about […]
Join Scotchtown staff on Saturday August 8th from 10am-4pm and learn about how popular vegetables and herbs were prepared in the 1700s! In addition we will be discussing foodways in colonials times, exploring the kitchen garden, and cooking multiple dishes throughout the day using 18th century recipes. Guests can take home a recipe or two […]
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
Bacon’s Rebellion began as a campaign of violence against the region’s Indigenous people carried out in defiance of the royal governor. The elite instigators of the insurrection garnered broad support by stoking prejudice and exploiting the desperation of struggling and marginalized groups, including many in the colony’s growing, and increasingly oppressed African population who saw in the uprising a chance for self-liberation.
Join the Scotchtown staff on Saturday, August 22nd from 10am-4pm for ongoing demonstrations on dyes and colors of the 18th century. Come learn about dyeing practices in Colonial America and at Scotchtown in the 18th century. Join our staff in this all-day long program as we discuss our sample dye and textile gardens and demonstrate […]
This event is free and open to active/retired military/ DoD ID holders and their families. Join the Cape Henry Lighthouse on the lookout at the Cape Henry Memorial Park overlooking the ocean as we read a children’s book related to the ocean and lighthouse. Stick around for a fun quick craft that accompanies the book that you can take home!
Join Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House and the Valentine Museum’s John Wickham House for a deep dive into one of America’s first great legal spectacles. In the summer of 1807, the national spotlight landed on Richmond’s Court End neighborhood as Chief Justice John Marshall deliberated the fate of accused traitor Aaron Burr. Learn about the […]
Join Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House and the Valentine Museum’s John Wickham House for a deep dive into one of America’s first great legal spectacles. In the summer of 1807, the national spotlight landed on Richmond’s Court End neighborhood as Chief Justice John Marshall deliberated the fate of accused traitor Aaron Burr. Learn about the […]
Join Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House and the Valentine Museum’s John Wickham House for a deep dive into one of America’s first great legal spectacles. In the summer of 1807, the national spotlight landed on Richmond’s Court End neighborhood as Chief Justice John Marshall deliberated the fate of accused traitor Aaron Burr. Learn about the […]
Patrick Henry is best remembered for his stirring oratory, with his “Liberty or Death” speech being the most famous example. His words have been chronicled for generations but they were never spoken to an empty room. This program focuses on Patrick Henry’s connections with other founding fathers; the relationships he built, correspondence he kept, and […]
Patrick Henry is best remembered for his stirring oratory, with his “Liberty or Death” speech being the most famous example. His words have been chronicled for generations but they were never spoken to an empty room. This program focuses on Patrick Henry’s connections with other founding fathers; the relationships he built, correspondence he kept, and […]
Join Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House and the Valentine Museum’s John Wickham House for a deep dive into one of America’s first great legal spectacles. In the summer of 1807, the national spotlight landed on Richmond’s Court End neighborhood as Chief Justice John Marshall deliberated the fate of accused traitor Aaron Burr. Learn about the […]
This focus tour explores the experiences of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and worked at the John Marshall House from 1790 to 1835. Discover what daily life was like for those held in bondage, learn the names and stories of individuals enslaved at the site, and gain a deeper understanding of how […]
Exactly one-hundred years before the Declaration of Independence, a group of rebels marched on Virginia’s capital and burned it to the ground in an attempt to depose a government they saw as elitist.
Join the Scotchtown staff at 11am on Sunday, September 20th for a special focus tour in honor of constitution day! When the Constitution was sent to the states for approval in 1788, it faced heavy scrutiny; many detractors argued it did not adequately protect individual liberties, robbed the states of their sovereignty, and provided the […]
This focus tour explores the experiences of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and worked at the John Marshall House from 1790 to 1835. Discover what daily life was like for those held in bondage, learn the names and stories of individuals enslaved at the site, and gain a deeper understanding of how […]
Crumbling castles, dark foreboding landscapes, supernatural and mysterious characters, disturbing and horrifying stories! Spend an evening at Scotchtown and experience the true terror of the early Gothic literary movement as you meet the authors of some of the most chilling and haunting stories and novels of the 18th and 19th centuries. Guest interpreters will be […]
Join us at Bacon’s Castle for our annual Seventeenth Century Day! This year we will be joined by our Virginia Indian Tribal Partners – the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the Rappahannock Indian Tribe, and the Nottoway Indian Tribe – and we will also host the Library of Virginia’s LVA On the Go van.
Uncover the stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery that are housed within Preservation Virginia's John Marshall House on these special evening tours. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the oldest surviving brick home in the city of Richmond by candlelight and hear tales of Marshall family secrets, tragic events in early Richmond history, and […]
Uncover the stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery that are housed within Preservation Virginia's John Marshall House on these special evening tours. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the oldest surviving brick home in the city of Richmond by candlelight and hear tales of Marshall family secrets, tragic events in early Richmond history, and […]
Join us at Scotchtown for First Responder Appreciation day on Sunday, October 25th from 11am-4pm! To say thank you to our first responders and their families, today we are offering free admission and refreshments. See you at Scotchtown! Call us at 804-227-3500 to make your reservation.
Uncover the stories of murder, mayhem, and mystery that are housed within Preservation Virginia's John Marshall House on these special evening tours. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the oldest surviving brick home in the city of Richmond by candlelight and hear tales of Marshall family secrets, tragic events in early Richmond history, and […]
Step back in time at Bacon’s Castle for the Tournament of the Castle Renaissance Faire on November 7th & 8th, 2026! This thrilling weekend features medieval full-plate armored combat from the local Tidewater Dogs of War, including international teams battling for prizes and 1st place. Witness the Classic Level Melee, featuring longsword duels and all […]