This Week in Virginia History

Episode Notes This week in 1912, Virginia experienced a debilitating six-week cold snap, the longest and most severe in state history. Snow and plummeting temperatures contributed to train wrecks, water shortages, and even exploding water tanks. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1936, as a part of a national program collecting the stories of former enslaved people, reporter Claude Anderson talked with 87-year old Richard Slaughter. Slaughter had been born into an enslaved family in Virginia, but fled to freedom during the Civil War. During the interview, Slaughter recalled an encounter with none other than Abraham Lincoln. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1864, the Union army destroyed the Confederate salt mines in Saltville, a blow to the Confederate army that marked a turning point in the Civil War. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1974, Mills Godwin became the first and only Virginia governor elected for two (nonconsecutive) terms -- and he ran on different political tickets each time. He's often remembered for bolstering Virginia's public schools and creating the state's community college system. However, he played a darker role in Virginia's education policy as well. As senator and lieutenant governor, Godwin had been instrumental in the massive resistance laws that prevented school integration. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1769...  when the House of Burgesses sponsored at ball at Williamsburg's capitol building, Virginian women shunned fine Bristish fabrics and showed up in homespun gowns. This was seen as a patriotic act of defiance, and inspired women all over America to wear homespun in protest of British policies. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1710... a prominent Virginia politician meets a grisly end. Daniel Parke quickly ascended to the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Governor's Council, before being awarded governorship of the Leeward Islands. But despite his political successes, his difficult personality won him enemies. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1786... James Lafayette submitted a petition for his freedom from enslavement. During the American Revolution, Lafayette's espionage helped lead Americans to victory against the British. But despite his wartime contributions, the Virginia General Assembly rejected his petition. It was only after enlisting the help of the Marquis de Lafayette that James Lafayette was granted his freedom. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1949... as automobiles took over America's roads, Richmond officials destroyed the last of their electric streetcars, which had roamed Richmond's streets for more than 60 years. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1805... a year and a half after leaving St. Louis, Virginians Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" reached the Pacific Ocean. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This week in 1775... Lord Dunmore promised freedom to all indentured servants and enslaved people who fought for the British against the American revolutionaries.

Episode Notes This week in 1870... Virginia created a state-wide system of free public schools.

Episode Notes This week in 1867, Unionist John B. Eastham resigns just days after his election to the Constitutional Convention in Richmond.

Episode Notes This week in 1944... In MMiddlesex County, Virginia, Irene Morgan refuses to sit at the back of the bus.

Episode Notes This week in 1861, Richmond opened Chimborazo Hospital. With 150 buildings and capacity of up to 3600 patients, it was the largest hospital in the south at the time.

Episode Notes This week in 1842... George and Rebecca Latimer escaped slavery in Virginia. Their story and the challenges they faced inspired the 1843 Liberty Law, which forbid Massachusetts officers to arrest, detain, or deliver any fugitive slave back to their enslaver.

Episode Notes This week in 1856... Eyre Crowe's illustrations of Richmond auction houses spread awareness of the horrors of the domestic slave trade.

Episode Notes This week in 1893... after a white woman made allegations against him, Thomas Smith became targeted by a mob of white people in Roanoke. Smith's name is engraved on a tablet at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Memorial, and the brutal history of sanctioned violence against African Americans, at their website: museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial.

Episode Notes This week in 1663... a group of nine indentured servants attempted to kidnap the Governor to demand their freedom. But things did not go according to plan.

Episode Notes This week in 1881... The Monticello Wine Company thrived as one of the largest and most prestigious wineries in the South. As business boomed and vintage's won awards, no one could have foreseen such a fiery disaster in the company's future.

Episode Notes This week in 1768... Virginia was in need of a new governor and Narbonne Berkeley, the baron of Botetourt, saw his chance to move up in the world. Despite his allegiance to the Crown, Berkley was the man of the people and quickly rose to local-celebrity status amongst Virginians.

Episode Notes This week in 1864... During the Civil War, the sleepy town of City Point, Virginia became the main supply depot and headquarters for the Union Army. This drew the unwanted attention of the Confederate secret service, who tasked a special agent to wreak as much havoc as possible.

Episode Notes This week in 1907... the state of Virginia honored the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. In celebration, a grand exposition was held to showcase the artistic and scientific achievements of era. A special appearance by Booker T. Washington helped highlight the voices and history of Black creators.

Episode Notes This week in 1916... Spottswood Robinson III excelled beyond measure as a student at Howard Law School. But graduating at the top of his class and setting a record for the highest grade point average was just a taste of his success yet to come.

Episode Notes This is a special edition of This Week in Virginia History produced for the Cville Puzzle Hunt to be held in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 27, 2022. More info at CvillePuzzleHunt.com.

Episode Notes This week in 1962… Sarah Lee Fain was a woman of firsts. She began her civic career as a teacher in Norfolk and joined the Leagues of Women Voters in 1920. After some encouragement from her friends to run for public office, Sarah's political career took off.

Episode Notes Union General John Pope was well known for his bold and aggressive war tactics. When Abraham Lincoln asked Pope to take charge of the Army of Virginia, the general was more than willing to oblige. But just as he took command, Pope's luck took a turn for the worst.

Episode Notes Grace Sherwood was a midwife, a healer, and a widow. In colonial Virginia, this was a risky combination. As a result, a simple dispute with her neighbors soon put her reputation and her life in grave danger.

Episode Notes This week in 1861... 10th President John Tyler was an avid and public supporter of slavery. Tyler believed that the institution of slavery could be remedied by its expansion to the western territories. In the years following his presidency, Tyler fought viscously for state sovereignty and the rights of slaveholders.

Episode Notes This week in 1893... It was a man's world at the University of Virginia, but times were changing. Caroline Preston Davis didn't like the status quo and was determined to make her presence known as an accomplished math scholar.

Episode Notes This week in 1699... Jamestown had been the seat of power since its founding in 1607, but for the House of Burgesses, the smoldering and disease ridden town had become simply unbearable. Seeking a safer, healthier place to govern their budding nation, they set up shop temporarily at Middle Plantation. The end result was the birth of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Episode Notes This week in 1834... Catherine was a free Black woman who owned a bit of land near the University. One evening some rowdy students smashed flower pots and tried to break into her home. At the time, the faculty of the University turned a blind eye towards the incident, but today, Foster's existence is forever memorialized on Grounds.

Episode Notes This week in 1961... You've probably seen the famous photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the cell bars in the Birmingham jail. But who was the man behind the camera? He was one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement and an avid advocate for the inclusion of Black history in public school curriculum.

Episode Notes This week in 1912... Floyd Allen was the head of a clannish mountain family in Carroll County who had a reputation for moonshining, feuding, and violence. When the time finally came for Floyd to face his history of misdemeanors in court, the Allen family was determined to not go down without a fight.

Episode Notes This week in 1864... She was the siren of the Shenandoah. The Cleopatra of the Secession. Teenager Belle Boyd's passion for the cause led her to become an informal spy for the Confederacy during the Civil War. As a informant, Belle employed her innocent looks and girlish charms, slipping out of Union hands time and time again.

Episode Notes This week in 1869... After emancipation, James Holmes rose to soaring new heights. As a politician, he advocated for free public schools and the right to vote for African American men. But these radical reforms prompted ridicule from white conservatives back in his hometown of Charlotte County. Holmes began to fear for his life.

Episode Notes This week in 1893... Sarah Garland Boyd Jones grew up among Richmond's Black elite. As a teacher, she could not ignore the medical disparities in the Black community as compared to the plethora of resources and care offered to the white population. She packed her bags, moved to Washington, D.C., and decided to make a change.

Episode Notes This week in 1956... Irene Langhorne knew she was destined for greatness. Her stars aligned one fateful evening at Delmonico's restaurant in New York where she met the famous illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. What followed was a passionate love that spurned one of history's best known illustrations of the modern Victorian woman.

Episode Notes This week in 1950... Luther Porter Jackson's love for asking questions led him to become one of the most important scholars of African American history in Virginia. As a teacher, Jackson became aware of the racial stereotypes and Lost Cause narratives permeating the South at the time. In response, he became determined to unearth the stories of Black America.

Episode Notes This week in 1865... After a crushing defeat in Petersburg, General Lee's battered Confederate troops retreated south to North Carolina. But General Ulysses S. Grant wasn't done yet - he was determined to squash the rebels once and for all. The Union forces chased after the Confederate army, seeking out Lee's official surrender.

Episode Notes This week in 1959... The Brown v. Board decision had so angered Southside Virginia political leaders that they formed the white supremacist group “The Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberty.” Their ultimate goal was to defeat public school integration. Most Virginians wanted to move past the segregation crisis that had roiled the state for years, but the Defenders decided to make one last stand.

Episode Notes This week in 1622... Ever since Pocahontas married John Rolfe, the Native Americans and English had been at a relative peace with each one another. But then, the tobacco trade exploded. As settlers' plantations began to encroach on Native land, Chief Opechancanough and The Powhatan Confederacy devised a plan to push the English back.

Episode Notes This week in 1781... The 23-year old Marquis de Lafayette had spent a year drumming up French support for the American Revolution. And now he was back in America, full of revolutionary fervor and ready to lead French troops in Virginia.

Episode Notes This week in 1862... After Virginia seceded from the Union, retreating Federal forces scuttled and sank ships in Portsmouth harbor. They didn't want the ships to fall into Confederate hands. But one did anyway. It was the USS Merrimac. Confederate forces raised it from its watery grave. When the Federal navy heard about the new Confederate threat to Union ships, they responded with their own ironclad: the USS Monitor. These two ships were on a collision course for Hampton Roads...

Episode Notes This week in 1888... The Rev. William Washington Browne worked to transform Richmond's black community. It began with a bank. Browne knew that a Black bank needed to be run by Blacks. Browne applied for and received a charter for the first Black bank in the United States. A year later the bank opened.

Episode Notes This week in 1864... Federal Colonel Ulric Dahlgren felt it was his duty to contribute more to the war effort. He and Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick devised a plan to invade Richmond and free Union prisoners there. But nothing went according to plan.

Episode Notes The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 threatened self-emancipated Black people in the northern states. The federal law required the return of escaped slaves from one state to another. And one of the first people caught in its wide net was Shadrach Minkins.

Episode Notes Robert Pleasants was a man of action. He lived his beliefs. As a Quaker, that meant being an anti-slavery activist. So when the Virginia General Assembly debated a bill to provide for public schools Pleasants picked up his pen to write to Thomas Jefferson.

Episode Notes For years, Thomas Jefferson's grandson Jeff Randolph and his brother-in-law Charles Bankhead had been at loggerheads. Eyewitness accounts differ as to who threw the first blow, but one thing is for sure: Charles stabbed his brother-in-law twice and seriously wounded him.

Episode Notes War fervor was in full swing when the U.S. declared war on Spain in 1898. More than 800 Black Virginians formed the 6th Virginia Volunteer Regiment. The regiment dealt with racism throughout its training, and by the end of the year, things had gone very downhill.

Episode Notes This week in 1872…The “Lost Cause” narrative gathered steam. The chapel at Washington & Lee University was packed with a crowd gathered to hear Confederate general Jubal Early deliver his eulogy on Robert E. Lee. For two and a half hours Early hit on every point of the burgeoning “Lost Cause” narrative.

Episode Notes Thomas Jefferson's administration was itching to settle beyond the Mississippi River. The plan was simple. James Monroe would go to Paris and try to buy the City of New Orleans from Napoleon. He was authorized to spend $10 million. After a quick boat ride across the Atlantic Monroe reached Paris in April. There he learned that Napoleon had a different idea.