VMHC Lectures

On October 1, 2009, Julian Hudson delivered a lecture entitled "Prestwould: Gracious Living on the American Frontier, 1790-1830." Prestwould Plantation, built at the end of the eighteenth century in a post-revolutionary Georgian style, is located on the bluffs above the Roanoke River near Clarksville, Virginia. Dr. Julian Hudson, the executive director of the Prestwould Foundation, has overseen the restoration of this historic property by leading preservation specialists. His lecture illustrated the material culture represented by Prestwould, beginning with Sir Peyton and Lady Jean Skipwith and extending down four subsequent generations.

(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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 27, 2010, James Horn delivered the banner lecture "A Kingdom Strange: The Brief and Tragic History of the Lost Colony of Roanoke"

In 1587, a small band of men, women, and children put down the first tentative roots of English settlement on the sandy soil of Roanoke Island along the North Carolina coast, in what was then considered part of Virginia. In the face of dwindling supplies and hostile Indians, the English leader, John White, left his family and friends and re-crossed the Atlantic in a desperate attempt to assemble ships to rescue the failing colony. However, the threat from the Spanish Armada delayed his return until 1590, and when he did, the colonists had completely disappeared. In his dramatic new account, master historian James Horn revisits the tragedy of this first, failed effort at English colonization in the New World. He offers new evidence about what happened to the Lost Colony and its people. The author of five books on early American history, James Horn is vice president of research and historical interpretation and director of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg. This lecture was cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in Virginia.

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 March 4, 2010, Michael Kranish delivered a lecture on his book Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War. In his new book, Michael Kranish recounts Thomas Jefferson's difficult tenure as Virginia's governor during the Revolution. The story begins with the background of struggle against British rule, then the tumultuous outbreak of fighting and Jefferson's role in the Continental Congress, followed by his rise to the governorship. Influenced by Jefferson, Virginia provided for a weak chief executive, and the state was ill-prepared for invasion. When war came to the Old Dominion, the legislature fled the capital, and Jefferson narrowly eluded capture twice. Kranish describes his many stumbles as he struggled to respond to the crisis. "Jefferson's record was both remarkable and unsatisfactory, filled with contradictions," writes Kranish. As a revolutionary leader who felt he was unqualified to conduct a war, Jefferson never resolved those contradictions. But, as Kranish shows, he did learn lessons from the hard tutelage of war. This lecture is cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in Virginia.

(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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

According to some recent historians, Gen. Robert E. Lee was not a hero to southerners during the Civil War but only afterward. Robert K. Krick argues to the contrary that he was idolized as a great leader in the midst of the conflict, not just later when the defeated South groped to interpret what had happened. For thirty years, Mr. Krick was chief historian of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He is the author of many books including, most recently, Civil War Weather in Virginia (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

Few sculptors of the nineteenth century were as well known during their lifetimes as Moses Ezekiel, though he is little-known today. The first Jewish cadet at VMI, he fought in the battle of New Market in 1864. Encouraged by Robert E. Lee to pursue his artistic calling, Ezekiel studied in Europe and became the first American to win the coveted Prix de Rome. Keith Gibson will draw on his biography of Ezekiel to bring to life this luminary of nineteenth-century art. Colonel Gibson is executive director of museum programs and architectural historian at the Virginia Military Institute.(Introduction by Robert F. Strohm)

On January 24, 2008, Dean King delivered this Banner Lecture. In 1815 the American sailing ship Commerce ran aground on the northwestern shore of Africa. In his prize-winning book, Skeletons on the Zahara, Dean King recounts the misfortunes of the shipwrecked crew. They were captured by nomadic Arab slave traders and marched across the desert, subjected to heat, starvation, and cruelty. At last the survivors made it back to the coast where they were ransomed and freed. King, a Richmond writer, brings this once-famous adventure story, well known to nineteenth-century readers, back to life.

(Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

On May 28, 2009 John Ferling delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon." In 2007 John Ferling spoke at the VHS on his history of the Revolutionary War, "Almost a Miracle." Now he has drawn on his unsurpassed knowledge of that era to provide a fresh and provocative new portrait of the greatest of the Founders in "The Ascent of George Washington." Dr. Ferling is the author of an earlier biography of George Washington and numerous books on the American Revolution. This lecture was cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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 February 4, 2010, Muffie Meyer delivered a lecture entitled "Dolley Madison: A Documentary." In March, the "American Experience" history series on PBS will broadcast a new documentary on the life of Dolley Madison. Today’s event offers a preview of part of the documentary, along with commentary about the making of the film by the producer and director, Muffie Meyer. This event is jointly sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society and James Madison’s Montpelier. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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 April 16, 2008, Jay Winik delivered a lecture entitled "The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788–1800." As the 1790s began, a fragile American republic took its first uncertain steps, the Russian empire expanded, and France plunged into revolution. Jay Winik's new book, "The Great Upheaval," illuminates how events in these three nations combined to change the course of civilization. Mr. Winik is the author of the best-selling "April 1865." (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

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 21, 2009, Daniel P. Jordan delivered the 2009 Stuart G. Christian, Jr., lecture entitled "Jefferson in Perspective." Daniel P. Jordan recently retired as president of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, one of the most beloved historic sites in America. No other historian today has immersed himself more deeply into the multifaceted life of our third president. Drawing on his many years at Monticello, Dr. Jordan reflected on the meaning of Thomas Jefferson within the broader context of his times and his enduring legacy for us today.

(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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