Segregation to Integration Presentation

The landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v Board of Education set the stage for the desegregation of American public schools. Inspired by the MSV exhibition Contributions: African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley, this presentation will feature individuals who lived through school integration in this region, sharing their experiences and integration’s impact.

Featured speakers include Tom Dixon, Betty Kilby Fisher Baldwin, Marquetta Mitchell, and Gwen Tolliver Nickens. The discussion will be moderated by Candace Davenport, MSV Board member and vice president and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Engagement, Action) officer for First Bank.

Pay what you can ($2–$10). Register by February 3; visit www.theMSV.org or call 540-662-1473, ext. 240. Admission applies to visit the galleries. Walk-ins welcome as space permits.

Historical Marker Unveiling

Please join us for the unveiling of the new Virginia Historical Highway Marker at the site of the Brown family’s home on the southeast corner of North Loudoun Street and East Fairfax Lane, now the Bank of Clarke’s parking lot.

An African American Family of Doctors
Here, in the late 1800s, Charles and Maria Fairfax Brown raised six children who became doctors of medicine or pharmacy based in Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, PA. Sara, a physician, was the first female graduate of Howard University named to its board of trustees. John, also a physician, was a founder of the Pittsburgh NAACP. Edward co-founded one of the first Black-owned pharmacies in PA. At Williams College, an organization for Black pre-med students was named for Harrison, an internist. Nancy earned a Phar. D. and co-founded the National Association of University Women. James, a urologist, was an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh. The siblings were noted for their philanthropy.

Thank you to the Bank of Clarke for approving and funding the marker. We invite you to start your Juneteenth weekend by learning about and celebrating this incredible Winchester family.

Inalienable Rights: Free and Enslaved Blacks Crafting a Life in the Shenandoah Valley

Inalienable Rights: Free and Enslaved Blacks Crafting a Life in the Shenandoah Valley will be Saturday, November 12. Belle Grove Plantation will be open free of charge and feature special programming on the African American history of the site and of the Shenandoah Valley with special guests from The Slave Dwelling Project and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. This joins several days of programming by the Slave Dwelling Project in the area.

Thursday, November 10, 7 p.m.
St. Thomas Chapel, 7854 Church Street, Middletown, VA 22645
Learn about the Battle of Cedar Creek. Kenyette Spencer Mills, descendent of free Black potter Abraham Spencer, will read from the 1915 book Battleground Adventures in which her ancestor, Serena Spencer, recorded her remembrances of the battle. Shannon Moeck, Park Ranger of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, will discuss the Battle of Cedar Creek’s larger impact on the civilian community. Register through the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. This event is pay what you can.

Friday, November 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Burwell Morgan Mill, 15 Tannery Lane, Millwood, VA 22646
Living historians Joseph McGill, Terry James, and Cheney McKnight will conduct hearth cooking demonstrations and discussions of how enslaved labor was used in this space. More information here. This event is free with donations suggested.

Friday, November 11, 7 p.m.
Blandy Experimental Farm Library, 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce, VA 22620
Panel discussion about interpreting African American history by members of the Slave Dwelling Project (more details to come).

Saturday, November 12, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Belle Grove Plantation, 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, VA 22645
(tentative schedule)
10 a.m. Following the Footprints of Slavery presentation by Joseph McGill, Founder of the Slave Dwelling Project
11 a.m. Shannon Moeck, Ranger, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of Enslaved Cook Judah
12 p.m. Lunch break for presenters, Belle Grove Manor House open for touring
1 p.m. Tammy Denease, Executive Artistic Director of the Hidden Women Stage Company, storytelling presentation on Elizabeth Keckly
2 p.m. Presentation by Cheney McKnight, founder of Not Your Momma’s History
3 p.m. Presentation by Terry James, Slave Dwelling Project Board Member
4 p.m. Presentation by Kristen Laise, Executive Director of Belle Grove, on the freedom seekers from the plantation. The site is now on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
5 p.m. Shannon Moeck, Ranger, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Free at Last: The Complicated Road to Freedom for the Jackson Family

Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah

This 30-minute presentation discusses the life of Judah, the enslaved cook of Belle Grove. Purchased by the Hites with her two young boys, Judah remained the Hites’ cook until her death in 1836. This program is conducted by Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park Ranger Shannon Moeck. It will take place in the winter kitchen of the Belle Grove Manor House (enter under the front porch).

In 2022, this program will also be conducted on:
Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. (registration required)
Sunday, July 3 at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 21 at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, this program is free of charge but regular admission applies to tour the Manor House before the program (at 1:15) or after the program (at 3:15). Purchase admission to tour the Manor House in the Welcome Center when you arrive.

This compelling program inspired an historical novel by Dr. Brian C. Johnson, Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul published in August 2019 by Hidden Shelf Publishing House. It is available on Amazon.

Heritage Festival and Brick Dedication

Brick Dedication Ceremony in remembrance of those who were and are faithful in the community and the historic Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1867. After the ceremony there will be display of African American history displays, music, performances, various vendors and non-profit organizations, food truck and kids activities.

Location: The 400 Block of Loudoun Street between Clark and North Avenue
Admission is free to all

Sponsors: Omps Funeral Home and Cremation Center; Bank of Clarke County and First Bank.
St Paul AME Church website: stpaulamewinc.org

Free Admission at Belle Grove Plantation

On Monday, June 20, Belle Grove will be open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. with free admission. This includes tours of the Manor House and the new, permanent exhibit, Unearthing Enslaved Lives at Belle Grove. It features the archaeology conducted at the Enslaved Quarter Site in 2015-2019.

The 60,000 excavated artifacts, and supporting archival research, reveal details about the more than 270 men, women, and children the Hite family enslaved at Belle Grove. They show how these individuals-built lives for themselves, despite the harsh conditions of slavery, and how their labors shaped the economy and history of the Shenandoah Valley.

Historical Marker Unveiling

Please join us for the unveiling of the new Virginia Historical Highway Marker at the site of Orrick’s home and livery stable.
15 South Braddock Street (The old stone house now Potesta & Associates)

Robert Orrick (ca. 1827-1902)
African American community leader Robert Orrick, born enslaved, began a freight-hauling business before he became free in 1863. After the Civil War, he was one of the first African Americans awarded a contract to carry the U.S. mail (1865), and he rented a building to the Freedmen’s Bureau to serve as a school. He prospered as the owner of a major livery stable and was a landowner, farmer, and minister. Orrick donated materials to rebuild a Methodist church in nearby Stephens City, later called Orrick Chapel. The African American cemetery in Winchester, which he expanded, was also named for him. Orrick purchased this stone house in 1891, and his livery stable stood on the adjoining lot.

Following the unveiling ceremony, attendees will be invited to walk through the first floor of the house.
Thank you to Potesta & Associates for funding the marker and opening the Orrick Home for the unveiling.

Contributions: African Americans in the Shenandoah

Join us for the opening day of the new exhibition, African Americans in the Shenandoah.

African Americans have contributed to the shaping of the Shenandoah Valley for more than 300 years and their influence can be found throughout the MSV Collection. With art, objects, and documents, Contributions tells the stories of those who endured enslavement, resisted oppression, and achieved success. More than 40 significant African Americans in the northern Shenandoah Valley’s history—from the 1700s to today—are highlighted in the exhibition. On view through January 16, 2023, Contributions will be updated with new discoveries, ongoing research, and community collaborations.

This exhibition is made possible by the extraordinary support of the MSV Compass Society.

Black History Month Movies

The Youth Development Center celebrates Black History Month with two incredible movies about true heroes in American history.

February 8th – the film SELMA (PG-13) at 5:00pm featuring a talk back will be led by Judy Humbert after the movie.

February 15th – the film HARRIET (PG-13) at 5:00pm featuring a Q&A led by LaTasha Do’zia

Tickets are FREE. Concessions are available.

Lunch and Learn: Civil Rights in Virginia

Learn about the Civil Rights Movement and school desegregation in Winchester with historian Judy Humbert. An author, Humbert is a 1965 graduate of Douglas School, Winchester’s African American high school during the days of segregation. Bring your lunch and spend an hour with an expert!

MSV members: $5; all others: $12 (includes admission, beverages & cookies). Pre-register by February 19; register online or call 540-662-1473, ext. 240. Walk-ins welcome as space permits.

Photo: Douglas High School students, 1965–1966, Judy Humbert Collection, Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA.