Products

The fourth president of the United States, James Madison, and his wife, Dolley, stamped their influence throughout Culpeper, Orange, Madison, and Rappahannock Counties with their plantation, Montpelier, and the enslaved men and women who supported them.

One of those enslaved men, Paul Jennings, whose sons later became Union soldiers during the Civil War, penned his memoir in 1865. The legacy of slavery undergirds the region, and its ravages are undeniably on the faces of minority residents. The Civil War also has a footprint throughout the region; one example is the Battle of Cedar Mountain where, more than 85 years later, the first regional high school for minority children was built. Celebrants include World War I veteran Newman Nighten Gibson, of the 370th Infantry; Nannie Helen Burroughs, who founded a school for African American girls in Washington, DC; and Edna Lewis, who became a master chef in New York in her 30s and later was honored by the US Postal Service on a forever stamp.

African Americans of Fauquier details the perseverance the African American population of this town had through centuries of slavery and segregation.

Fauquier County, in Northern Virginia, was established in 1759. It was formed from Prince William County and was named for Virginia lieutenant governor Francis Fauquier. In 1790, there were 6,642 slaves in Fauquier County. By the eve of the Civil War, there were 10,455. From 1817 to 1865, the county was home to 845 free black people. The African American population declined at the end of Reconstruction, and by 1910, the white population was double that of blacks. The population imbalance continues today. Through centuries of slavery and segregation, Fauquier County's African American population survived, excelled, and prospered. This minority community established and supported numerous churches, schools, and businesses, as well as literary, political, and fraternal organizations that enhanced the quality of life for the entire county.

Henrico County, chartered in 1634, is one of the oldest counties in the state. Communities in Henrico created by African Americans are among the oldest continuing communities in America, as all of these communities were settled by 1863. The beauty of the settlements lay in the tenacity, determination, and resolve of pioneers who emerged from enslavement to create their own ideas of freedom. Rights to home and property ownership, businesses, churches, agencies, and schools defined the very essence of community. Despite efforts to halt their progress, African Americans independently sustained these communities. In Images of America: African Americans of Henrico County, nine communities are highlighted to demonstrate the indefatigable and indomitable spirit that continues to exist in these sacred places.

From the Siege of Petersburg to the struggle for civil rights, the history of Petersburg's African American community is detailed in this volume.

The city of Petersburg has distinguished itself as a special place for African American history. African Americans in Petersburg have overcome racial and political obstacles placed in their paths. The city was the site of one of the largest free black populations in the South leading up to the Civil War, and more black soldiers participated in the Siege of Petersburg than in any other Civil War engagement. The city is the location of First Baptist Church, the nation's oldest black church; has produced trailblazers in political life, including Virginia's first black mayor; and is the site of the famous Halifax Triangle, a thriving black business district. This diverse and poignant collection of photographs reveals a heritage rich in entrepreneurial spirit, devotion to church life, and unshakable courage in the struggle for civil rights.

This volume pays homage to religion, work, service, education, and the human touch that brought families through undeniably difficult times.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was established in 1721, but it was not until after the Civil War that the names of approximately 4,700 African Americans born and/or living in the county were recorded for the first time. More than 150 African Americans were over the age of 70 as recorded in the 1870 census report. The county is best known as the namesake of its dynamic governor, Alexander Spotswood, and for its bloody Civil War battles. The African American community emerged from the ravages of war after more than 140 years of slavery. The community formalized the institutions they developed for survival during those years and charted a path for their growth.

Primarily known as the birthplace of three prominent and celebrated Americans, our nation's first and fifth presidents and the South's most revered general during the War between the States, Westmoreland County enjoys a fascinating and diverse history, one shaped by both the contributions of its white and black citizens. Like many Southern states, Virginia's Northern Neck did not legalize formal education for African Americans until 1870. From that date to 1958, black students studied in small "separate but equal" oneand two-room schoolhouses throughout the county and remained
segregated until 1970. African-American Education in Westmoreland County is a unique study of the traditions, institutions, and people who were involved in teaching and educating the black population throughout the county. In this volume, with many never-before-published photographs, you
will take a visual journey through the area's past and visit the oneand two-room schoolhouses of Templemans, Potomac, and some of the smaller areas, such as Frog Hall and Mudbridge; and meet the dedicated and creative teachers and their students who studied and learned in this picturesque region nestled between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers.

Buckingham County, located in the heart of central Virginia, was established in 1761.

Since Buckingham County's formation, African Americans have contributed to the history and legacy of the county and were the majority of its population from 1810 to 1910. Former residents include Frank Moss, a Reconstruction lawmaker, and Carter Godwin Woodson, noted African-American educator and ""the Father of Black History.""

From the Civil War period, Hampton's African-American community has fashioned strong churches, institutions, businesses, and a major university where political and economic leaders have emerged.

The indefatigable spirit of a people once called ""contraband"" has a remarkable story illustrated by vintage photographs of Emancipation Oak, Freedom Fortress, Aberdeen Gardens, Little England Chapel, Bayshore Beach, and other historic sites.

Norfolk has been a center of African-American life since this country's humble beginnings, when indentured African servants arrived in 1619 to the Tidewater region. Since that time, the African-American population has endured the atrocities of slavery, poverty, and inequality, and has emerged, through a remarkable combination of hard work, perseverance, and faith, as a vibrant community and an integral component to the identity and success of Norfolk and surrounding areas.

Whether assisting escapes through the Underground Railroad, forming banks, publishing a newspaper, or providing recreational facilities, Portsmouth's African Americans created one of the most stable middle-class black communities in America.

African Americans in Portsmouth built a strong, insulated community because they were cognizant of the need to look inward. Early 20th-century leaders such as Dr. William Reid, Nancy T. Wheeler, and the Reverend Harvey N. Johnson Sr. were civic models and guiding forces for a community emerging from the ravages of slavery, and enduring the hardships of segregation.

Black America: Portsmouth, Virginia captures the world of an ever-changing community and a people who persevered, no matter the odds.

First African Baptist Church has served the Richmond community since 1780, proving to be a pillar of strength for African Americans in the former Confederate capital. The First African Baptist Church congregation endured slavery, the tumultuous years of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and repression from the white supremacist regime that dominated Virginia politics and persevered as a vibrant force through civil rights struggle and the daunting challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Such notables as Lott Carey, L. Douglas Wilder, Maggie Lena Walker, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Mary Lumpkin, and Henry "Box" Brown were church members.

Known as the birthplace of black capitalism, Richmond had one of the largest black business districts in America at the turn of the 20th century.

Richmond, Virginia boasts a proud legacy of achievement among its African-American residents. Medical pioneers, civil rights activists, education leaders, and enterprising bankers are listed among the city's African-American sons and daughters. As individuals these men and women made their mark not only on Richmond's, but also the nation's, history. As a community, they have endured centuries of change and worked together for the common good. In their determined faces and in unforgettable scenes of the past, we celebrate and pay tribute to their history.

A fascinating history of Suffolk's heroic African-American community. A must-have for African-American and Virginia history enthusiasts.

After the Civil War, African-Americans throughout Suffolk and Nansemond County fought against injustice by demanding equality before the law, the right to vote, and equal access to schools, employment, and professions. Because of their tolerance and sense of fortitude, they were able to own land and businesses and to establish churches, schools, and social organizations that paved the way for generations to come.

Suffolkis a result of the many contributions made by countless pioneers in education, business, religion, social organizations, and community leadership. In this volume, Suffolk native and archivist Annette Montgomery shares timeless, evocative images and passages for all to enjoy.

With the advent of national franchises and increased

commercial development throughout Virginia, fewer and fewer areas are able to maintain their agrarian

nature. However, Westmoreland County continues its

long tradition of relying on its unique environment for sustenance, with its fertile farmlands and its bountiful rivers and creeks, thus preserving its rural essence.