Filters  

Article

A Beardless Boy of Seventeen Years

Image

Even before Aristophanes wrote of Lysistrata’s plan to end the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE) by convincing the women...

Article

A Life Rediscovered: The Story of Emily Winfree

Image

Emily Winfree, an African American woman who lived through slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, never...

Article

Abolitionist Pitcher

Image

Learn about how this pitcher based on Uncle Tom's Cabin was used as propoganda in the mid-1800s.

Article

Affidavit, 1693

Image

This affidavit informs the governor that Frank, a man of African descent enslaved by Henry Gibbs, has been jailed on...

Article

Arming the Commonwealth

Image

From providing protection from enemy combatants to finding dinner for a family, weapons have played a significant role...

Article

Arthur Ashe Jr.’s Family Tree: Tracing the Blackwell Family to 1735

Image

See a rare family tree, drawn by hand on canvas, tracing Arthur Ashe, Jr.’s family.

Article

Booker T. Washington

Image

Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was born enslaved on April 5, 1856, in Franklin County, Virginia. After emancipation...

Article

Céloron Plate

Image

One of the most important artifacts to survive from Virginia’s colonial period, this lead plaque was placed at the...

Article

Convict Leasing

Image

For much of the twentieth century, convicts worked on Virginia’s roads. This practice grew out of the convict lease...

Article

Diary of William Gwathmey, 1859

Image

On October 16, 1859, John Brown led eighteen followers in a raid on the federal arsenal and armory at Harpers Ferry...

Article

Elizabeth Keckley

Image

Born a slave in Dinwiddie County, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818–1907) purchased her freedom in 1855 and supported...

Article

Founding Frenemies: Hamilton and The Virginians

Image

This exhibition examined how critically important relationships between Alexander Hamilton and three Virginians shaped...

Article

Freedmen's Schools

Image

In the antebellum South, African Americans were generally prevented from receiving education. After Appomattox...

Article

George Washington Portrait by Charles Peale Polk

Image

This depiction of George Washington (1732–1799) as commander of the Continental army was painted in the 1790s by Charles...

Article

Mexican-American War: 175 Years Later

Image

Of the five Americans who were most involved in the War with Mexico, four were Virginians. They were politicians and...

Article

Murals Inspired by the Story of Virginia

Image

Richmond is now home to more than 100 outdoor murals, and this popular form of artwork reflects the city’s modernity and...

Article

Olaudah Equiano

Image

Snatched from his Ibo village in Nigeria at the age of eleven, Equiano (c. 1745-1797) was transported to Barbados...

Article

Robert Edward Lee

Image

Robert Edward Lee (1807–1870) was born at Stratford in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1807, the son of Revolutionary...

Article

The Resurrection of Henry "Box" Brown

Image

Learn about Henry "Box" Brown and one of the most memorable escapes from enslavement.

Article

Washington's Mentor: Governor Dinwiddie's Correspondence, 1751-58

Image

Robert Dinwiddie's name is little known today, but this Scottish merchant-turned-government official played a key role...