Since 2022, Preservation Virginia has partnered with the College of William & Mary’s Woody Intern program to facilitate a summer internship. In 2024, Faith Page was selected to work with Preservation Virginia’s Director of Interpretation and Collections, Elyse Werling, to further our research on the 19th and 20th century history of Smith’s Fort. Page, a rising junior at William & Mary, focused her work on Bolling Morris, John Hardy, Carter Hardy, and Robertson Simmons, the four Black men who purchased the house and farm along Gray’s Creek in 1886. Page diligently investigated records at Surry County, the Library of Virginia, the Rockefeller Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and many other online resources to gather as much information as possible on these remarkable men and their families. To learn more about her research, please visit the website for William & Mary’s Charles Center.
As part of her internship Page also wrote a Black History Tour of Smith’s Fort, which she presented to visitors four times in 2024. Check our Events page for upcoming tour dates in March, April, and May!
