VMHC Lectures

On August 2, 2018, David Cox delivered a banner lecture, “‘Keep It a Holy Thing’: Lee Chapel’s Greatest Challenge.”

The chapel that Robert E. Lee built on the campus of what was then Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, almost did not survive to its 150th anniversary this year. In the early 1920s, an energetic president wanted to tear it down to create a vast monumental building to honor his famous predecessor. An unlikely combination of “a little group of willful women,” a crusading newspaper editor, alumni, and Lee aficionados from around the country managed to save it for posterity, even as they redefined its meaning in ways that abide today.

David Cox, a visiting professor of history at Southern Virginia University, teaches American and religious history. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Lexington, where, from 1987 to 2000, he was rector of R. E. Lee Memorial Church. He is the author of The Religious Life of Robert E. Lee and Lee Chapel at 150: A History.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On July 12, 2018, Kitty Snow delivered the banner lecture, “From Richmond to France: Images and Stories of Richmond and Her World War I Soldiers.”

When America entered the Great War in 1917, many of Richmond’s “soldier boys” had never been out of the city, much less the country. Most went to Camp Lee and then boarded ships for France. One of those young men was Leon Stilson. His father, streetcar driver Harry Stilson, photographed his son and other Richmond boys as they went off to war and came home. He photographed them with family and in parades and celebrations. Harry’s great-granddaughter, Kitty Snow, will share images and stories of those young men and Richmond during the war and after the Armistice. Some did not come home, so the Stilson collection also gives you passage on a Gold Star Mother Pilgrimage to France.

Kitty Snow is the owner of Home Team Realtors and a part-time historian. She is the author of "From a Richmond Streetcar: Life through the Lens of Harris Stilson," "On the West Clay Line," "Up and Down Church Hill," and "From Richmond to France: Images and Stories of Richmond and Her World War I Soldiers."

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On June 14, 2018, Ellen Schall Agnew delivered a Banner Lecture, “Farm to Easel: Queena Stovall’s Evolution as an Artist.”

Self-taught Virginia artist Emma Serena “Queena” Stovall started painting and was “discovered” in 1949 at the age of sixty-two. Over the next two decades she recorded on canvas in meticulous detail the rural life, labors, activities, and people surrounding her home near the Blue Ridge mountains in Elon, Virginia. Stovall’s discovery came ten years after that of famed folk artist Anna Mary Robertson (“Grandma”) Moses in 1939, and at the cusp of dramatic changes in the art world with non-objective art gaining notoriety and popularity in such major art centers as New York. Sandwiched between Moses’ bucolic New England scenes and the world’s changing social, political, and economic order following the World War II, Stovall’s evolution as an artist proves a fascinating study. Ellen Schall Agnew will consider Stovall’s place within this spectrum of twentieth-century art through the personal relationships she established and fostered within the art world with professional artists, art dealers, and scholars. Insights into how Stovall was viewed as an artist and how Stovall saw herself as an artist will be examined through personal correspondence and print media during the years she painted.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On June 26, 2018, John Ferling delivered a Banner Lecture, “Jefferson, Paine, and Monroe: The American Revolution’s Authentic Revolutionaries.” He discussed American history and his book, "Apostles of Revolution: Jefferson, Paine, Monroe and the Struggle Against the Old Order in America and Europe."

Some American revolutionaries in 1776 desired little domestic change and some who thought they wanted political and social transformations were quickly frightened by the changes that accompanied the American Revolution. But Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and James Monroe were real revolutionaries. Not only did they long for changes in the fabric of America that could never be realized while the colonies remained under Britain’s thumb, but they also hoped the American Revolution would inspire revolutions that would sweep Europe free of monarchies and aristocracies and expand the rights of the people. Jefferson, Paine, and Monroe were active in both the American and the French Revolution, activism that brought them face to face with dangers of many kinds. Dr. John Ferling’s lecture explored the careers and relationships of these three Founders, why they became revolutionaries, how their thinking evolved after 1776, and which was the most radical.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On May 31, 2018, the Honorable John Hager delivered a Banner Lecture, “Best Seat in the House.” Since being struck by polio in 1973, John Hager has enjoyed life as a participatory sport — in the game, not on the sidelines. Life for him has been whole and exciting by doing not observing, and his “up close and personal” involvement with so many individuals, organizations, and groups has been enriching and fulfilling. In this lecture, John Hager talks about his life and how what some see as a handicap has instead been an enabling, not disabling, opportunity to serve others. At times he has found himself and his wheelchair in the front, often in the middle, and sometimes in the back of the room, but they were all the best seat in the house.

The Honorable John H. Hager served as the 37th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002, as an assistant secretary within the United States Department of Education from 2004 to 2007, and as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from August 2007 until May 2008. He is the author of Best Seat in The House.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On May 22, 2018, Lord Alan Watson delivered a Banner Lecture about his book, “Churchill’s Legacy: Two Speeches to Save the World.”

Having first helped bring victory to the Allies in 1945, Winston Churchill went on to preserve the freedom of the world by gaining the support of the United States in the restoration of Europe. In Fulton, Missouri, Churchill alerted America to the reality of ‘Uncle Joe’—a tyrant determined to dominate Europe at any cost. Churchill called for an Anglo-American alliance based on their shared values and the deterrent of America’s possession of the atomic bomb. Churchill also urged the Americans to recognize the debt they owed Britain for opposing Hitler in 1940, as so brilliantly portrayed by Gary Oldman in the film, Darkest Hour. In Zurich, Switzerland, Churchill boldly proposed a partnership between France and Germany: a United States of Europe. The hatred stirred up by the war had to be replaced by partnership for Europe to recover its economic vitality and regain its moral stature. Together, the Anglo-American Alliance and a United States of Europe led by France and Germany would have the power to “smite the crocodile” of Soviet ambition. Churchill’s concepts remain as relevant now as then.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On May 16, 2018, Bobby Ukrop and his coauthors participated in a moderated discussion about their book, “The Diamond—Miracle on the Boulevard.” Born out of crisis, the community-wide effort to build the region’s sparkling jewel, “The Diamond,” showed what could happen with regional cooperation, a public-private partnership, and grassroots support of the citizenry. The Diamond opened on April 17, 1985, having been built in the off-season. It was a miracle! How did it happen and what can we learn about vision and teamwork from this Miracle on the Boulevard? Co-authors Bobby Ukrop, Randy Hallman, and Phil Stanton discussed their book with Jamie Bosket, President and CEO of the Virginia Historical Society.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On May 9, 2018, Dr. Paul Finkelman and Dr. Edward L. Ayers engaged in a conversation about Dr. Finkelman’s latest book, “Supreme Injustice: Slavery in the Nation’s Highest Cour" and the entanglements that alienated three major justices from America’s founding ideals and embedded racism ever deeper in American civic life.

The three most important Supreme Court Justices before the Civil War―Chief Justices John Marshall and Roger B. Taney and Associate Justice Joseph Story―upheld the institution of slavery in ruling after ruling. These opinions cast a shadow over the Court and the legacies of these men, but historians have rarely delved deeply into the personal and political ideas and motivations they held. In "Supreme Injustice", the distinguished legal historian Paul Finkelman establishes an authoritative account of each justice’s proslavery position, the reasoning behind his opposition to black freedom, and the incentives created by circumstances in his private life.

Dr. Paul Finkelman is the president of Gratz College. He is the author or editor of numerous articles, monographs, and reference books in American legal history, with a specialty on the court cases regarding slavery, including Defending Slavery: Proslavery Thought in the Old South: A Brief History with Documents; Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Brief History with Documents; A March of Liberty: A Constitutional History of the United States (two volumes); and, most recently, Supreme Injustice: Slavery in the Nation’s Highest Court.

Dr. Edward L. Ayers is the author of the Bancroft Prize–winning In the Presence of Mine Enemies and other works of history honored as finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. A recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President Obama, Ayers is Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and president emeritus at the University of Richmond. His most recent book is The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America.

This lecture is cosponsored with the John Marshall Foundation, Preservation Virginia’s John Marshall House, and the American Civil War Museum and is free to their members.

Dr. Finkelman’s appearance is made possible through the generous support of the Roller-Bottimore Foundation.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On May 1, 2018, Francis Gary Powers, Jr., presented a Banner Lecture about his book, “Letters from a Soviet Prison: A Son’s Search for the Truth.” For the past twenty-five years, Francis Gary Powers, Jr., has lectured on, taught, and researched the Cold War; in particular the U-2 Incident of May 1, 1960, in which his father was shot down while flying a CIA U-2 spy plane over the former Soviet Union. In 2017, Powers, Jr., published his first book, which includes his dad’s letters to and from family while incarcerated, family photos sent to him in prison, and other correspondence that provides a unique firsthand account of the U-2 Incident, shoot down, imprisonment, and events that led up to his father’s exchange for Soviet Spy Rudolph Abel in 1962.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Experience a heaping helping of culinary history in our April 6, 2018 Banner Lecture by Toni Tipton-Martin about her book, “Inside the Jemima Code: The Joy of African American Cooking.” Overshadowed by the demeaning stereotype of an illiterate “Aunt Jemima," this lecture transforms America’s most maligned kitchen servant into an inspirational and powerful model of culinary wisdom and cultural authority.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.