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Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend
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According to the ballad that made him famous, John Henry did battle with a steam-powered drill, beat the machine, and died. Folklorists have long...
The First Thanksgiving
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On October 13, 2011, Graham Woodlief and Barbara Ramos delivered their lecture entitled "The First Thanksgiving."
Because of what they learned in...
The Ghosts of Eden Park
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On October 10, 2019, Karen Abbott delivered a Banner Lecture entitled, “The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the...
The Great Chief Opechancanough and the War for America (Christian Lecture 2022)
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Historian James Horn delivered the 2022 Stuart G. Christian, Jr. Lecture on the subject of his newest book, A Brave and Cunning Prince: The Great...
The History Crisis in America: Myth and Reality
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On July 9 at noon, Charles F. Bryan, Jr., delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The History Crisis in America: Myth and Reality."
History occupies a...
The Jeffersons at Shadwell
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On January 13, 2011, Susan Kern discussed her book, The Jeffersons at Shadwell. In her book, Susan Kern merges archaeology, material culture, and...
The Life and Legacy of Emily Winfree: From Enslavement to Carnegie Hall
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On June 16th, 2022, authors Jan Meck & Virginia Refo held a thoughtful talk and discussion about their new book, The Life and Legacy of Enslaved...
The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History
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On March 24, 2022, Carl R. Lounsbury delivered a lecture about four centuries of Chesapeake history as revealed through material world of Eyre Hall.
...The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary
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On November 6, 2019, Dale M. Brumfield delivered a Banner Lecture, “The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary.”
In 1796, the Virginia...
The Permanent Resident: Excavations and Explorations of George Washington’s Life
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On October 13, 2022, Dr. Philip Levy gave a fascinating lecture on the principal archaeological sites associated with George Washington and what they...
The Record of Murders and Outrages: Racial Violence and the Fight over Truth during Reconstruction
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On February 10, 2022, historian William Blair delivered a lecture about the early Reconstruction era effort by Freedmen’s Bureau officers to document...
The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond
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On June 22, Edward L. Ayers spoke with Paul Levengood in a Banner Lecture entitled “The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond.”
Reconstruction...
The Story of Virginia: The Arrival of the First Africans
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In this lecture, historian and author Ric Murphy tells the fascinating story of the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619.
Based on his...
The U.S. Marines at Belleau Wood, June 1918
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On June 14, 2012, Patrick Mooney delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The U.S. Marines at Belleau Wood, June 1918."
In 1917 the German Empire won its...
Thunder and Flames: American Doughboys at War, 1917–1918
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On April 7 at noon, Edward G. Lengel delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Thunder and Flames: American Doughboys at War, 1917–1918."
In November 1917...
Virginia's Confederate Monuments
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Hundreds of memorials in stone commemorate the Civil War in Virginia at courthouses, cemeteries, town squares, and battlefields. With An Illustrated...
War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years
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On Thursday, August 22, Neva Hart delivered a banner lecture entitled "War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years."
For soldiers in the field...
“War is horrid, in fact”: Virginians in the West Indies Expedition, 1740–42
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On May 5, 2023, Craig S. Chapman spoke about the first overseas deployment of American troops, in which 4,000 colonists (including 400 from Virginia)...
Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery
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On December 9, 2021, historian Bruce A. Ragsdale presented a lecture about his book, Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of...
When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His Bicentennial Year
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On February 23, 2012, Samuel K. Roberts delivered a lecture entitled "When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His...