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Quarterly Newsletter, December 2021
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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT of HISTORIC RESOURCES
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*New Listings, Virginia Landmarks Register *New Historical Markers *17th-century pipes at Eyreville *New Easements *New DHR staff members
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DHR sends you best wishes for the holidays and the New Year.
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New listings are in the counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Fairfax, Fauquier, Franklin, Loudoun, Nottoway, Page, Pulaski & cities of Manassas & Richmond
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13 Historic Sites Added,
Virginia Landmarks Register, Dec. 2021
Among 13 places listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register are properties that house Southside Virginia’s oldest radio station in continuous operation, the nation’s oldest horse show, and in western Virginia the first and likely only National Forest recreation area for African Americans during segregation.
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New markers are in the counties of Albemarle, Botetourt, Buckingham, Clarke, Essex, Fairfax, Madison, Mecklenburg & cities of Hampton, Lynchburg, Martinsville & Norfolk
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14 Historical Markers Approved, Dec. 2021
Fourteen new historical markers coming to roadsides in the commonwealth will highlight a nationally-recognized Lynchburg resident who saved antique and heirloom roses from extinction, two men who shaped Virginia’s post-Civil War constitution of 1869 which granted Black men the right to vote, and the “Martinsville Seven,” among other topics.
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The enigmatic “quadrupeds,” commonly called “Running Deer.” Scholars question their actual species, with theories including antelope and dogs.
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Tobacco Pipes from
17th-Century Eyreville, Northampton Co.,
Eastern Shore
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Thousands of artifacts from colonial Virginia’s first century have been recovered at Eyreville, including blue-and-gray stoneware from the Rhine River valley, and sgraffito slipware from North Devonshire, England. Our focus is on the tobacco pipes because they carry a great deal of information about the site and the region. Read more & view photos of pipes
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Two Volumes on Virginia’s Archaeology Now Available Free as PDF Downloads
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In conjunction with the Archeological Society of Virginia and the Council of Virginia Archaeologists, DHR has posted to its website the PDFs of two volumes that examine archaeology in the state from its millennia of occupation by Native peoples through the recent past.this to insert text.
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Although the PDFs are now available at no cost to make the research widely available, both volumes, which are richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and drawings, are still available for purchase as print-on-demand bound books through Amazon.
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Commonwealth History Fund Announced
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In November, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) announced the establishment of a new endowment and grant-making program, the Commonwealth History Fund. The fund will provide nearly $400,000 annually in grants to history organizations and projects across the state, and up to $2,000,000 in its first five years of operation. The Commonwealth History Fund’s annual grant-making program will be administered in partnership with DHR. "Until now, a perpetual and stable source of funding has been an unrealized dream. DHR couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with our VMHC neighbors as well as partners across the Commonwealth to take the preservation and interpretation of Virginia history to the next level," said DHR Director Julie V. Langan in a press release issued by VMHC.
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Two Easements Conveyed to the Va. Board of Historic Resources since September:
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Fairfield Plantation, Gloucester Co.: The Fairfield Foundation donated an easement over Fairfield Plantation (photos above) that will protect 225.73 acres consisting of wooded acreage and open fields. The centerpiece of the property are the ruins of the circa 1692 Fairfield Plantation manor house, which burned in 1897. Colonial occupation of the property began shortly after the Burwell family’s 1648 patent and ended in the early 20th century with a small dwelling, housing Black tenant farmers and located to the north of the manor ruins. The property boasts 4,775-linear feet along Carter’s Creek; about 60 acres of freshwater/forested wetland; 14 acres of estuarine and marine wetlands; 163 acres of mature forest; and 83 acres of fields and meadows, of which 76 acres are considered Prime Farmland as defined by the USDA. The Fairfield Foundation acquired the property in 2018 and intends to open it to the public for further public archaeology and education.
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Tract: The American Battlefield Trust (ABT) conveyed an easement over this tract in James City Co. and Williamsburg that will protect 28.76 acres. About 4.44 acres are associated with the 1781 Revolutionary War Battle of Yorktown. A 1782 map shows the army of Gen. Washington encamped on and moving across the property during the 1781 Yorktown Campaign. The property also lies within the core area of the Civil War's 1862 Williamsburg Battlefield of May 5. After the battle, the property and area became the site of a refugee camp for formerly enslaved persons and soldiers but quickly transformed into a recruiting and training ground for the United States Colored Troops (USCT). ABT acquired the property in 2020, with support from an American Battlefield Protection Program grant and a grant funded by Dominion Energy as part of a mitigation agreement related to the Surry-Skiffes-Creek-Whealton Transmission Line. The property was owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation prior to transferring it to ABT.
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As Virginia's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), DHR is mandated to periodically develop and publish a Statewide Comprehensive Preservation Plan (under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended). On November 10, 2021 DHR published Virginia’s Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan, 2022–2027. The plan is far-reaching and intended both to inspire and to represent the work of the diverse stakeholders who benefit and who shape the future of Virginia’s historic landscape. The plan’s goals, objectives, and outlined strategies target DHR’s next six-year planning cycle, 2022 through 2027.
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Introducing DHR's New Staff Members:
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In October, DHR welcomed Joanna McKnight to the agency as our Eastern Region Preservation Office (ERPO) Preservation Specialist. Originally from eastern North Carolina, Joanna moved to Richmond in 2019. She has a BA in History from NC State University and a Masters in Architecture from UVA. Previously, she managed properties in Historic New England’s Preservation Easement Program. Since returning south in 2017, she has spent time renovating houses and traveling, and exploring Richmond.
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In November, DHR welcomed Patrick Boyle to the team as our Assistant Underwater Archaeologist, within State Archaeology Division. Originally from Reading, Penn., Patrick grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. After completing a BA in History at Aurora University, he studied abroad in the United Kingdom, completing Masters degree at the University of Bristol in Historical and Maritime Archaeology. To gain more field experience, he also decided to pursue an MA degree at East Carolina University. Besides SCUBA diving, he enjoys traveling, kayaking, riding a motorcycle, practicing photography, and jumping out of airplanes.
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Have a great winter! We will report back to you in March after DHR's next joint quarterly meeting of the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and the State Review Board, scheduled for Thursday, March 17, 2022.
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