Previous Events ~ Please Scroll To The bottom Of The Page To See Current And Upcoming Events
On Sunday, October 22, 2023, photographer Michael Joseph Wade presented his work at the fall meeting. Mr. Wade is a semi-retired photographer who is preserving history by photographing the rapidly disappearing historic landmarks that are found along the rural roads of Virginia. He has an extensive portfolio of old houses, barns, stores, churches, schools, and other structures and a lot of interesting stories to go with them.
Michael Wade with the abandoned Odd Fellows Lodge building on Sunnybank Road near Reedville in the background.
The Northumberland County Historical Society presented its spring program in the Ball Memorial Library and Museum presentation room on Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2:30 PM. Dr. Wallace Emory Lewis, Jr., a retired local physician, and lifelong resident of Northumberland County presented stories, pictures, and artifacts depicting different aspects of life in the county, especially the area’s Menhaden fishing industry. His presentation was titled “Reedville: The Town that Fish Built.”
“Emory,” as he is known to his many friends, was born in Fleeton, the son of Wallace Lewis, Sr., a well-known and successful Menhaden fishboat captain. Emory grew up totally immersed in the Northumberland County waterman’s culture. Emory developed an appreciation for “the old ways” in this tight-knit community and has spent his life collecting interesting pieces of a bygone culture.
There was standing-room-only at the event. Armed with a brilliant sense of humor, anecdotes from his personal experiences, and artifacts from his extensive collection Emory educated, entertained, and amused the audience.
Light refreshments were served in the Board Room following the presentation. Thank you to those who were able to attend and thank you to our members for their continued support.
The NCHS Annual Meeting on July 27 Was Enjoyed by Many. Thank You, Members and the Public for Your Support.
The Northumberland County Historical Society 2024 Annual Meeting drew a large crowd on July 27, 2024. Officers and board members were installed at the business session and two speakers made engaging presentations. Educator and pastor Rev. Dr. Randolph Meade Walker presented “The Heroic Homemaker: Ella Fallin Walker, 1881–1970.” After a lunch break, the meeting reconvened for a presentation by documentary filmmaker Mark Huffman titled “Capturing Local History With Video.”
The Rev. Dr. Randolph Meade Walker is a Northumberland County native who spent most of his adult life in Memphis, Tennessee, where he distinguished himself as a college professor and minister. He recently retired to Northumberland County.
Mark Huffman is a documentary filmmaker who is known for his engaging productions about local subjects. Mark has produced at least five films about the lower Northern Neck, including “A Fish Story: How Chesapeake Bay Built the Northern Neck,” which is about the Menhaden industry.
The Fall Meeting On Sunday, October 20, Introduced A New Book
On Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 2:30 PM, local author Susan Anthony-Tolbert, Ph.D., presented her most recent publication, Almost in the Clouds! The Story of the Miskimon Fire Tower, Miskimon, Virginia, at the fall meeting of the Northumberland County Historical Society at 86 Back Street in Heathsville. In addition to textbooks and articles Dr. Anthony-Tolbert has written as a professor, she has been a prolific author of children’s books, novels, poems, and historical books. Much of her historical writing concerns local subjects. She is a former member of the Board of Directors at NCHS and has been a frequent contributor to the Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society.
Although the fire tower at Miskimon is a familiar landmark, she is the first person to investigate and research the subject thoroughly and produce a publication for everyone’s enjoyment. Her book provides much information specific to this tower and discusses similar towers and their past role in forest fire control across the country. Experiences and descriptions by fire spotters, as well as photos of towers and memorabilia, are included. Copies of the book are available for purchase for $15 each. Proceeds from the book sales will benefit the Northumberland County Historical Society.
David Jett Made An Interesting Presentation On December 8, 2024
David Jett, a local artist and museum curator, made a very special presentation, “A Tea Box and a Revolver,” at the Northumberland County Historical Society at 86 Back Street in Heathsville on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 2:30 PM. Jett previously worked at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton and the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News before retiring as curator and exhibit designer at Richmond County Museum in Warsaw after 22 years. He is currently a curator at Essex County Museum in Tappahannock. Jett presented two nineteenth-century Northumberland County artifacts to NCHS and related their unique stories. Both artifacts have previously been the subject of articles published in The Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society. “Thrice Told Tales,” published in the 1982 edition of The Bulletin, tells the story of a .44 caliber Remington revolver that Jett’s ancestor carried during the Civil War. The tea box was the subject of an article by G. E. Thomas published as “The Mystery of William J. Jenkins’s Tea Chest” in the 1992 edition of The Bulletin.
CURRENT 2025 EVENTS
The Seventeenth Century Northumberland County Map by Mark Gearhart is being Reprinted and Is in Stock
Local historian Mark Gearhart released his one-of-a-kind 17th Century map at a presentation at NCHS on April 6, 2025. “A Brief and True Report of Northumberland County Virginia” is a one-of-a-kind map that plots the location, acreage, and patent date of the land claims of about 200 original settlers from the 1600s. The map also marks the locations of Indian paths and settlements, roads, churches, and other significant landmarks of the early settlement period. Gearhart envisioned, researched, and plotted this map, the first to represent the original Northumberland settlement in this way. “We think visitors and residents will find special interest in the history identified in this map,” said Gearhart. The program drew a large crowd and by April 11 all copies were sold. NCHS now has exclusive rights to reprint the popular map and is striving to keep copies in stock.
The 17th-Century Map is in Print and Available ~ $100 plus $20 Shipping Charges - AVAILABLE NOW
NCHS Is A Founding Partner With Volunteer River Counties
Volunteer River Counties is a collaboration that assists tax exempt organizations in Northumberland, Lancaster, and Middlesex Counties with finding volunteers who are willing to donate some time to local organizations to assist with their daily operations. Conversely, VRC assists those in the community who have spare time and skills they would like to share find a place that needs their help. There are a wide variety of nonprofit organizations who need people who have the time to assist in different capacities. For example, at the Northumberland County Historical Society we have the Old Jail and the Ball Memorial Library and Museum to maintain and operate. We need people who can help with organization, filing, library and museum cataloging and indexing, displaying, data entry, office responsibilities, and acting as docents. Previous experience is not required and we know there are many of you out there who have skills you would like to use or would like to learn about working at a museum and a historical/ genealogical library like the one we operate. Check out the Volunteer River Counties website at https://www.volunteerrivercounties.org if you are curious about the opportunities at NCHS. We have positions listed now.
CURRENT NCHS NEWS The 2024 Bulletin & The Bulletin Index, 2014 - 2023 Are Available
UPCOMING EVENT
Annual Fall Meeting On Sunday, October 19 at 2:30p.m.
The Northumberland County Historical Society will hold its annual fall meeting at the Ball Memorial Library and Museum, located at 86 Back Street in Heathsville, on Sunday, October 19, at 2:30 p.m. The event is open to the public at no charge.
Gregory Burkett will speak about the return of the Marquis de Lafayette to America in 1824, when Lafayette was welcomed as a war hero amid huge celebrations. Mr. Burkett is a native of the Northern Neck with a passion for history. As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the James Monroe Memorial Foundation, he is actively involved in historic preservation. Light refreshments will be served following the lecture.
