Places To Visit

The old courthouse, located at 130 Main Street in Smithfield, Virginia, was built between 1750-1751. The construction of the courthouse was believed to be modeled after the Capitol Building in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was used as the main courtho... Read More

Ten years after Col. William Craford laid out the town in 1752, Portsmouth Parish was built on Church Square. Portsmouth Parish served as the first Church of England for Norfolk County and was re-named Trinity Episcopal after the revolution. Brimming... Read More

Founded in 1772, three years before the American Revolution as the African Methodist Society, Emanuel AME is the oldest African-American church in the area. The congregation shared several locations with the (White) Methodist Society before becoming ... Read More

Imagine a family went for an afternoon stroll and never returned home... This is what it feels like in The Hill House Museum, a historic home in Portsmouth, Virginia furnished entirely with family belongings from the 19th and 20th centuries, colle... Read More

With more than 400 graves and monuments dating from the late 1700s to the present, Cedar Grove was established as the first city-owned cemetery in Portsmouth and remains its oldest. Its memorial markers include small tablets, ledger stones, obelisks... Read More

The Hampton Road's based 54-40 African American Quilters Guild of Virginia reflects on The Color Purple in this exhibition of their latest works. On view in the 1st-floor gallery of the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center. History: Quilts have been... Read More

The AAF Tank Museum is a living memorial dedicated to the Tank and Cavalry soldiers of the world. Before 1981 some of the artifacts that make up the AAF Tank Museum was a private collection belonging to Mr. William Gasser. Mr. Gasser felt that his co... Read More

The museum celebrates the history, heritage, and future of historic Aberdeen Gardens. Built for and by African-Americans in 1935 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program, the neighborhood provided modern homes to African-American workers. ... Read More

The story of Abingdon Church marches in step with the history of our country. Records indicate that Abingdon Parish was established circa 1650. Its name is derived from the home of the colonists who emigrated from Abingdon, England.... Read More

In the summer of 1780, the Southern American colonies - and hopes of independence - seemed at the mercy of an invading British army. A militia was formed on the western frontier, known as the Overmountain Men. This brave group of some 400 volunteers ... Read More

The Abraham Beydler House, constructed around 1800 by German immigrant and Mennonite Abraham Beydler, reflects the Federal style of architecture prevalent in the Shenandoah Valley during the Early National period. Situated on a rise of land near the ... Read More

As an early settler, Abraham Hollingsworth traveled the Wilderness Trail when it was still an Indian path. He built one of the first grist mills in the Valley and the Hollingsworth home served as the area's first Quaker meeting house. Constructed of ... Read More

Constructed about 1882, the Wytheville Training School was built on land where a Freedmen's school once stood, shortly after the freedom of the slaves between 1865 and 66. Sometime between 1880 and 1882, the Freedmen's school was razed and a new chur... Read More

Even before the founding of the City of Alexandria in 1749, Africans and their descendants, enslaved and free, have lived and worked along the waterfront, making significant contributions to the local economy and culture. The two African American Her... Read More

African American Museum, History and Genealogical Resource Center also known as AAHA. Guided tours are available to adults for $5.00, students and seniors $2.00 per hour. The museum houses 18 exhibits focusing on Fauquier County and African Americans... Read More