Virginia History

Memorial Day: A Day of Remembrance
Civil War - U.S., Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery, FYI Articles, History Feature Articles, Holidays, National Park Service, Vietnam War, Virginia Johnson, World War I, History, Virginia History
04/26/2013 - 11:07am

Memorial Day has a long history, reaching back to the end of the Civil War. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his army, and soldiers of the North and South went home to their families, their ranks thinned by the war's bloodshed. Thousands upon thousands of the men who went to battle never returned. At home, their families grieved for the fathers and brothers lost to them and looked for a way to memorialize their sacrifices.

Historic Garden Week in Virginia
Gardens, Historic sites, LibraryPoint Blog, Virginia Johnson, History Blog, Gardening, Virginia History
04/14/2013 - 7:21pm

History and gardening fans get together April 20 through 27, 2013, throughout the Commonwealth to tour gardens of houses great and small from the Tidewater area to the Highlands. The Rappahannock Valley portion of the tour will be held Tuesday, April 23, in the Fredericksburg area, including Stafford County:

"To celebrate the anniversary – this tour will feature homes that were opened 80 years ago! Featured locations include Belmont in Falmouth, Virginia, The Snowden House, Chatham, Brompton and Fall Hill. All of these properties enjoy spectacular views of the area and the Rappahannock."

Tours will be offered in different venues throughout the state through Saturday, April 27. Check out the Garden Club of Virginia's Web site for information on all the tours and check out books from the library featuring homes and gardens in the Old Dominion.

The Civil War Sesquicentennial
Civil War - U.S., Civil War Sesquicentennial, LibraryPoint Blog, Virginia Johnson, History & Politics, History Blog, Virginia History
04/10/2013 - 10:45am

The CRRL is proud to partner with area historians, museums, tourism agencies, organizations, churches, and scholars to provide programs and information that can promote understanding of the events that exploded here in the 1860s and their far-reaching impact.

Over the next four years the community will be invited to commemorate-through lectures, re-enactments, exhibits, film screenings, and musical performances-the extraordinary fact that we were a war zone from 1861-1865.

 

CRRL Hosts Civil War 150 Exhibition
Civil War - U.S., Civil War Sesquicentennial, CW 150 exhibit, Library Event, LibraryPoint Blog, Virginia Johnson, History Blog, Virginia History
11/18/2012 - 3:53pm

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library will host Civil War 150, a national traveling exhibition, on display at the library headquarters, 1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, from Tuesday, November 27 to Sunday, December 16.

The library is inviting the public to an opening reception, Friday, November 30,  at 5:30. National Park Service Chief Historian John Hennessy will briefly address the themes of the exhibit.

As part of the area’s ongoing commemoration of the war’s sesquicentennial, the library invites the community to view this major exhibit that explores “the war and its meaning through the words of those who lived it," to experience the battle through the eyes of major political figures, soldiers, families, and freedmen. Through reproductions of documents, photographs, and posters, the exhibition invites visitors to learn about events that took place during the war. By virtue of letters, personal accounts, and images, learn how people grappled with the end of slavery, the nature of democracy and citizenship, the human toll of civil war, and the role of a president in wartime.

Civil War 150 Exhibition: Related Web Resources
Virginia History
11/16/2012 - 2:03pm

Related Web Resources

Civil War 150 Exhibition: Suggested Viewing
Virginia History
11/16/2012 - 2:02pm

The Civil War 150 exhibition planners recommend these titles for possible group discussions. Videos whose titles are linked may be found in the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Please click on the title to begin the reserve process. Other videos on this list may be available through our interlibrary loan service.

Historical Documentaries

Civil War 150 Exhibition: Suggested Readings
Civil War - U.S., CW 150 exhibit, History Blog, Virginia History
11/16/2012 - 2:01pm

The Civil War 150 exhibition planners recommend these titles for possible book group discussions. Books whose titles are linked may be found in the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Please click on the title to begin the reserve process. Other books may be available through our interlibrary loan service.

Causes behind the Civil War:

CRRL Presents: Larry McIrvin, Living Historian
CRRL Presents, History Blog, Virginia History
10/09/2012 - 11:25am

This interview airs beginning October 10.
Larry McIrvin explains the life of the Civil War soldier, both Union and Confederate, with uniforms, arms, and equipment and shares his experience as a Living Historian on CRRL Presents, a Central Rappahannock Regional Library production.

Chincoteague Ponies
All Fun, Eastern Shore, Horses, Marguerite Henry, Kids Blog, Natural World, Teacher Resources, Virginia History
07/27/2012 - 9:23am

On the last Thursday in July, the wild ponies on Virginia's Assateague Island will make their annual swim across to Chincoteague Island. Many of the foals will be auctioned off to raise money for the local fire department, just as they have since 1925. The custom of rounding up the ponies is much older, dating back to the 1700s at least, and it has always been held with a lot of celebration. Today, you and your family can visit Chincoteague during Pony Penning, enjoy a carnival and great seafood, and perhaps bring home your very own foal.

CRRL Presents: The Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center Enters a New Era
Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, CRRL Presents, History Blog, Virginia History
05/21/2012 - 3:16pm

This interview airs beginning May 23.
In the fifth and final of a series on the expansion of the Fredericksburg Area Museum, Senior Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions Mary Helen Dellinger meets with Debby Klein to talk about the completion of this amazing project. We also take a peek at some of the new exhibit spaces on CRRL Presents, a Central Rappahannock Regional Library production.