Previous 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, 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. 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, 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.
There Will Be An Exciting Program On Sunday, December 8 At 2:30 PM
David Jett, a local artist and museum curator, will make 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, 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 will present two nineteenth-century Northumberland County artifacts to NCHS and relate 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. This promises to be an exceptional event. The program is open to the public at no charge. Light refreshments will be available afterward.