History

‘Unsung women of the civil rights movement’ coming Oct. 26

By Press release on October 15, 2019 Community, Events, History, Libraries

Theresa Ann Walker The Friends of Chesterfield County Public Library will host a fundraising event, featuring an interactive panel discussion called “The Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movement: The Chesterfield and Petersburg Experience.” The program – which will include Theresa Ann Walker, civil rights activist and widow of the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker – will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Central Library, 7051 Lucy Corr Blvd, Chesterfield. The event is free, but registration is required. A networking reception is scheduled at 6 p.m. and has a $10 admission fee. The program…

Carver High gets historical marker

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 24, 2019 Community, History, Schools

Joyce Brown, daughter of William A. Brown, the one and only principal at Carver High School, speaks at an unveiling of a historical marker outside Carver College and Career Academy on Friday, Sept. 20. Carver High school opened in 1948 for Chesterfield County’s black students and closed in 1970 as a result of the 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, which declared that racially segregated public schools were unequal. After the ceremony, the marker was placed along Route 10 in front of the school, which is now Carver College and Career Academy. (Caleb M. Soptelean…

1611 Militia marches back in time

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 17, 2019 History

New citizen Stefania Argueta, 25, of Fredericksburg, poses with members of the 1611 Militia following a Sept. 10 naturalization ceremony. From left, Brynley Dolman, Dennis Strawderman, Willie Melton and Michael Bell. (Caleb M. Soptelean photo) It started when he wore a T-shirt that said, “I still play with drums.” That led Willie “Wild Bill” Melton to begin playing as a percussionist for the 1611 Militia volunteers of the Citie of Henricus. The co-founder of the group, Dennis Strawderman, 68, asked Melton to play. That was about 10 years ago, said Melton, 69, a Richmond native who has lived at Greenleigh…

Time Travelers Passport offers free admission to 19 historic sites

By Press release on September 10, 2019 Events, History

History buffs will be able to visit 19 Richmond-area historic sites for free on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22. Each site will offer complimentary admission to visitors who show a Time Travelers Passport, which is available by download from the participating locations’ websites. Participating locations include: Agecroft Hall and Gardens, The American Civil War Museum’s White House of the Confederacy, The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, The Chesterfield County Museum and Historic Jail, Chimborazo Medical Museum (Richmond National Battlefield Park), Clarke-Palmore House, Courtney Road Service Station, Dabbs House Museum, Deep Run Schoolhouse, The Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Historic St.…

Historical society meets at historic bank

By Press release on August 6, 2019 Clubs, Community, History

A cucumber tree is pictured outside the Violet Bank Museum, 303 Virginia Ave. in Colonial Heights. By Carelyn Sheppard The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia held its annual meeting Sunday, July 28, at the historic Violet Bank in Colonial Heights. The meeting was followed by a tour of the historical property Violet Bank, which was part of the 144 acres purchased by Thomas Shore in 1775. It was the first recorded settlement in Colonial Heights. The original mansion burned, but the structure built in 1815 is today a fascinating museum with a wealth of history all its own. Lafayette was…

75th anniversary for Chester power station

By Press release on August 6, 2019 History

Chesterfield Power Station was built 75 years ago to support the home front during World War II. Company officials and others celebrated the station’s 75th anniversary on July 31. Nearly 200 full-time personnel work at the station.

Daughters help with List of Tithables restoration project

By Press release on July 30, 2019 Community, History

From left, Betty Waltman, Cathy Cheely, Kathy Johnson, Renee Penland, Rose Mary Williams and Carelyn Sheppard, who received from the Library of Virginia a certificate for the Chesterfield chapter’s participation in the Adopt Virginia History Program. The Chesterfield Courthouse chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently helped with the preservation of the 1747 Chesterfield Lists of Tithables, the oldest list of tithables for an area that became Chesterfield County. The noun “tithable” applied to a person on whom the colony’s tax laws were assessed. The poll tax was assessed for all males 16 or older…

Augustus H. Drewry and the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff

By Press release on May 21, 2019 History

Capt. Augustus H. Drewry is pictured, center, with his family after the Civil War. By George “Buddy” Cranford Many years have passed since a combined naval/land battle raged in Chesterfield County. Back in the mid-1800s, what is today known as Drewry’s Bluff was just a high hill on the James River, a small portion of land owned by a Chesterfield farmer. Augustus H. Drewry was born at “Brandywine,” his grandfather’s plantation in King William County, the son of Mildred Stevens Fox (1798-1872) and Martin Drewry (died 1862). Young Augustus was educated at the Richmond Academy. Prior to the Civil War,…

Walker to be honored at Falling Creek Ironworks Park: Event will include tours and period demonstrations

By Caleb M Soptelean on April 30, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Events, History, Outdoors

Lyle Browning stands next to the falls. The remains of a pump house is on left. Falling Creek Ironworks Park likely would not exist if not for Bryan Walker, and the recently deceased 87-year-old will be honored at a May 4 ceremony at the park. Lyle Browning — who serves as a volunteer archeologist for the nonprofit Falling Creek Ironworks Foundation — said he first got involved with the ironworks in the late 1980s or early 1990s when Walker organized a meeting about it. “He nudged people to do something and was instrumental in getting the county to buy it,”…

Revolutionary revelation: Chester man finds connection to the past

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 26, 2019 History

Daryle Hurt, center, is pictured wih his grandson, Christopher Blaine Hurt, and son, Timothy Blaine Hurt. Some genealogical research has given Daryle Hurt a little pride in his ancestors. He began digging into some records five years ago and found out that he’s related to Edward Pedigo, a man who fought for the colonists in the Revolutionary War. “I finally found a hero in my family,” Hurt said. Up until that time, he thought all of his ancestors were poor. “[Pedigo] owned a lot of property, owned slaves and was a fairly prosperous landowner in Kentucky,” Hurt said. “My great-great-great-grandfather,…

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