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A Life Rediscovered: The Story of Emily Winfree

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

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Abolitionist Pitcher

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

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Affidavit, 1693

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

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

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

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Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia in the years 1675 & 1676

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Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia was the first popular uprising in the American colonies. It was long viewed as an early...

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Birthday Songs for George Washington

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Though you might not expect it, 1932 was a big year for George Washington. It marked the 200th anniversary of Washington...

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Booker T. Washington

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

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Brochure, Remember May 17th

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Learn the importance of May 17th in history.

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Captain John Smith

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John Smith (baptized 1580 –1631), an English soldier, author, and adventurer, played a crucial role in establishing the...

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Céloron Plate

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

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Changing the Commonwealth with Crayons

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When she was in the third grade, a classmate asked her to pass the “skin-colored” crayon—a familiar request heard at her...

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Christmas Cards

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Christmas cards are ephemeral, and this essence is the very reason they can be of interest to researchers. Scholars...

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Christmas in the Trenches

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Read excerpts from soldiers' letters home about their Christmas meals while stationed away from home.

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Clemenceau Givings Scrapbook (c. 1944)

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In 1943, Clemenceau “Clem” Givings became the first Richmonder to earn his wings as a Tuskegee Airman, the popular name...

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Colored Knights of Pythias Helmet (c. 1890)

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Race has been a divisive issue throughout American history, and this impressive helmet tells part of the story.

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Connecticut sculpture

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Records of the Best Products Company provide interesting insights into the history of this iconic sculpture.

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Convict Leasing

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

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Dugout Canoe

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The dugout canoe was an Indian concept but one so well suited to the Virginia rivers that Europeans and Africans also...

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Duke Ellington at the Mosque

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Late in his career, jazz great Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974) composed three "Sacred Concerts," longer...

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Education in Virginia

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The Virginia Constitution of 1869, passed during Reconstruction, established a statewide system of free public schools...