The Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum
Anne Spencer was a poet, a civil rights activist, a teacher, librarian, wife and mother, and a gardener. More than thirty of her poems were published in her lifetime, making her an important figure of the black literary and cultural movement of the 1920s—the Harlem Renaissance—and only the second African American poet to be […]
The History Of Court Hill House
Lynchburg, located on the James River in the southern Piedmont area, was first settled by Quakers from Pennsylvania and the Tidewater area of Virginia in the 1750s. John Lynch, the merchant for whom the city is named, helped to establish the settlement along the James River with the construction of Lynch’s Ferry in 1757. By […]
The Curious History of Percival Island
Nestled in the James River, Percival’s Island Natural Area serves as both a piece of Lynchburg’s history and a natural resource for the community to enjoy. Once a private home and later a rail yard, Percival’s Island now offers the Lynchburg community a space for a variety of recreational activities. Before being named Percival’s Island, […]
The Quite Miraculous Story of Amazement Square
Turning back the pages of the J.W. Wood Building’s history, one thing becomes clear: the bricks and mortar that make up this unique, Civil War-era structure have meant many things to many people. Over the course of the past 150 years, the J.W. Wood Building has served as an infirmary for the Confederate Army and […]
Thomas Jefferson and the Poplar Forest Plantation
Poplar Forest is a plantation and plantation house in Forest, Bedford County, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson designed the plantation and used the property as a private retreat and a revenue-generating plantation. Jefferson inherited the property in 1773 and began designing and working on the plantation in 1806. While Jefferson is the most famous individual associated with […]
The Old City Cemetery Rose Garden
Old City Cemetery is home to the largest public collection of heirloom roses in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are over 425 different varieties planted throughout the grounds, representing all classes, habits, colors and fragrances of antique roses, or “Old Garden Roses”. Our rose collection consists mostly of “Old Garden Roses”, and also includes roses […]
Historic Sites Located In Lynchburg Virginia
Lynchburg is full of history, and even as the City marches ever forward into the future, it is important to remember where we’ve come from. One particularly formative time in Lynchburg history was the Civil War, during which time both Confederate and Union forces played an active role in the history of the area. Here’s […]
When Tobacco Was King of Lynchburg Virginia
There are multiple species of tobacco, which is in the same botanical family as eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and chili peppers. Nicotinia rustica and Nicotiana tabacum were domesticated in the Andes of Peru and Ecuador, and migrated north with the help of Native American farmers. Tobacco is not native to Virginia, but it was being grown in North America by […]
The Sandusky House and Wildflower Fields
Sandusky is a federal style home built in 1808 by Charles Johnston. Today, the home is open as a historic house museum and is currently under ongoing restoration to the 1864 period when the home was used as Union Headquarters by General David Hunter. Historic Sandusky is operated by the Historic Sandusky foundation in partnership […]
The Historic Old City Cemetery of Lynchburg Virginia
The Old City Cemetery, established in 1806, is one of the oldest public cemeteries in the United States still in use today. Mayors and other prominent civic leaders, along with the city’s indigent and “strangers,” are among the estimated 18,000 people buried here. Two thirds of those interred here are of African descent, both enslaved […]