Historic Charlottesville and Albemarle County, VA

July 4th - Independence Day at Monticello

2010-06-25T18:57:00.003-04:00

One of the most touching ceremonies I've ever seen is Independence Day at Monticello, during which immigrants are sworn in as new citizens of the United States. It starts at 9 am on July 4th this year, and is free. So before your cookout and your fireworks, take a couple of hours and visit Monticello, the home of the man who helped start it all.

For more information, go to Independence Day at Monticello

June 23, 2010 - Batteau Night In Scottsville, VA

2010-06-21T21:54:00.005-04:00

The 25th Annual Batteau Festival runs from June 19 through 26, 2010. Boats begin arriving in Scottsville in mid-afternoon on Wednesday the 23rd and tie up at Scottsville's Ferry Street public boat landing. The public is welcome to come see the boats and their crews, who wear authentic costumes.

Scottsville Museum will be open on the 23rd from 1-8 pm.

For the history buffs among us, a batteau is a type of flat-bottomed boat invented here in Central Virginia by farmer Anthony Rucker (and named by Thomas Jefferson). The boats were flat-bottomed so they could navigate the Rivanna and James Rivers, which were shallow at certain times of the year. A batteau could normally carry about eleven hogsheads (a barrel that could contain about a thousand pounds of tobacco) to Richmond for sale.

The Batteau Festival begins each year at Lynchburg and ends at Richmond.

For more information on the Batteau Festival, see the website: http://www.batteau.org/

Free Museum Day, Sept. 25, 2010

2010-06-09T20:54:00.001-04:00

Last year, the Smithsonian sponsored “Free Museum Day”; I used my pass to see the Old Stone Jail Museum in Palmyra, VA.

This year’s Free Museum Day will be on Sept. 25th -- starting July 1st, you can choose the museum you want to see, and print out the free passes at this site:

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/index.html

Enjoy!

Now Available!

2009-12-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

The History Press, Charleston, SC.
ISBN: 978-1596291737

2nd Edition of Index to Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations to be Published

2009-04-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

McFarland & Co., Publishers announces the Fall 2009 publication of Jean Cooper's Index to Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations: Locations, Plantations, Surnames and Collections, 2d ed. (ISBN: 978-0-7864-3990-4). The Fall 2009 catalog will be available in June 2009 for pre-ordering.

Messiah Sing-In at Old Cabell Hall (UVa)

2008-12-04T22:06:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, December 9th, the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville will present the 41st Annual Messiah Sing-in, conducted by Donald Loach. The audience becomes the chorus, and the orchestra will play from the stage. Non-singers are welcome! Copies of the vocal score will be available for those who do not have their own, and orchestral parts will be available for instrumentalists. I can tell you that this event is great fun, and eagerly anticipated by musicians and would-be musicians as an integral part of the holiday season in Charlottesville.

Date: December 9, 2008
Time: 8 p.m. EST
Place: Auditorium at Old Cabell Hall on the University Grounds
Cost: $5 to benefit the University's choral ensembles

For more information: www.virginia.edu/music/Messiah

Virginia State Parks

2008-10-08T21:40:00.004-04:00

You may remember First Landing State Park and Chippokes Plantation State Park from my free tours that go along with Chapter 1 in the Guide. (Here's the link if you haven't seen it: My Favorite Places in Historic Tidewater Virginia.)

Here are a few events that will be happening in the coming month at these locations:

2008 Fall Festival at First Landing, Oct 18, 2008, 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Celebrate fall with programs covering harvesting, Native American ways of life, pirate history, games, hikes and hayrides. Take a night hike in search of the elusive screech owls that live in First Landing. Location - Picnic Area & Trail Center Phone - (757) 412-2300

Jones-Stewart Mansion Tours at Chippokes Plantation , Oct 10, 2008 - Sep 04, 2009 , 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Experience the comforts of an antebellum mansion and get to know the folks that called Chippokes home! Tours are family friendly and there is no fee to tour the Mansion. Open Saturdays and Sundays. While you are here, please visit the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum. Location - Jones-Stewart Mansion Phone - (757) 294-3625

Fossil Walk at Chippokes Plantation, Oct 11, 2008, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Oct 18, 2008, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Participants will hike through a journey millions of years in the making! The walk will be about 1.5 miles. Geology and natural history of the park will be discussed as well as fossil identification and methods to finding fossils. Location - Meet at River House parking lot Phone - (757) 294-3625

If you want to be kept informed of what's going on in your state parks, go to the Park Events page, and sign up for the electronic newsletter.

Corn Mazes in Virginia

2008-10-05T23:11:00.002-04:00

Mazes used to be very popular among the 18th and 19th century folks, and they seem to be making a comeback. Typically, a farmer will create a maze in a cornfield to make some extra cash from the crop.

One nearby corn maze is at Hess Greenhouse in Harrisonburg, VA, about an hour west of Charlottesville. Field trips to the maze can be scheduled anytime from August 10th through November 4th, 2007, and on most fall weekends, Hess is having a variety of harvest festivals. Check out the Calendar of Events to see what's happening.

Other Virginia mazes include the Corn Maze in the Plains, in Northern Virginia; the Corn Maze at Bridgemont Farm, in the northern Shenandoah Valley; and the Virginia is for Lovers Corn Maze in Midlands, VA.

James Madison's Montpelier

2008-07-28T22:01:00.003-04:00

Montpelier is a very interesting place. It was the home of James and Dolley Madison, who lived there with Madison's parents. Madison is related to Albemarle County, not only because he was a friend and protege of Thomas Jefferson, but because he was the first President of the Albemarle Agricultural Society. The house is also interesting because it was owned by the DuPont family from the late nineteenth century to 1983, when Marion duPont Scott died and left it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

After much study, the National Trust decided to restore the house to it's eighteenth-century look, removing all of the DuPont additions. Now, the restoration is complete and on September 17, 2008 -- Constitution Day -- Montpelier will hold a Restoration Celebration, open to the public.

On November 1st, Montpelier will host the Montpelier Hunt Races, a tradition started by Mrs. Scott in 1924.

Independence Day at Monticello

2008-06-26T22:58:00.006-04:00

In my opinion, there is no better day to visit Monticello than July 4th. Thomas Jefferson preferred to celebrate Independence Day rather than his own birthday (April 13th). As he said in his last political statement:

May [July 4] be to the world, what I believe it will be -- to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all -- the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form [of government] which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation also invites the public to Monticello every July 4th, to attend a Naturalization Ceremony for what is usually over 100 people who wish to become citizens of the United States. Here's a video clip on YouTube of Sam Waterston, as the speaker for the Naturalization Ceremonies in 2007, and a transcript of his speech.

NOTE: The speaker this year was actually the sitting President, George Bush.

I suggest you get there at least an hour early and take a walk around the mountaintop while waiting for the ceremony to start. Although you must buy tickets for the House Tour, the Gardens and Grounds Tour, and the Plantation Community Tour (all are included in one ticket), there is still plenty to see. If you feel like seeing everything, you can buy another ticket to see Montalto, the Jefferson property on the next mountain west that the Foundation acquired in the past couple of years.

What I like to do is take a walk through the vegetable garden, walk down Mulberry Row, and follow the path down the mountain. I always stop at the Monticello Cemetery, where there is a wreath-laying ceremony after the Naturalization Ceremony. It's a beautiful walk (about half a mile long, but not handicap accessible) and gives you time to contemplate the founding of our nation over two hundred years ago.

Charlottesville as the Center of the Universe - A meditation on books

2008-06-08T11:28:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, in conversations with people from Charlottesville or the University of Virginia, one gets the impression that we believe Charlottesville is the Center of the Universe. We don't actually believe that. Really.

Sometimes it just seems as if Charlottesville is the center around which all things move.

I was reading the Washington Post this morning, as I do every Sunday morning, and by some strange confluence of ideas, two of the books reviewed in the Post's Book World magazine have connections to Charlottesville, and there's a small blurb on Charlottesville in the Travel section of the paper. I'm always amazed at what varied topics are related to this area, so I thought I'd give those who have a "Charlottesville Reading List" the heads-up on these books.

Most closely related to this area, in my opinion, is The Billionaire's Vinegar; The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine, by Benjamin Wallace. Wallace gives a non-fiction account of intrigue and mystery that centers around several bottles of wine that purportedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson. The researchers at Monticello's Jefferson Library at Kenwood are involved in this mystery.

American Eye; Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, the Birth of the "It" Girl, and the Crime of the Century by Paula Uruburu, is a more distant connection. Nesbit, a showgirl, had had an affair with architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead, and White of New York, when she was only 17 and he was in his 40s. Nesbit eventually married millionaire Harry K. Thaw, who in 1906, murdered White by shooting him point-blank during a show at Madison Square Garden. What is the connection to Charlottesville, you ask? McKim, Mead, and White was the architectural firm that renovated the University of Virginia's Rotunda (in fact, the Rotunda was Stanford White's project), and which designed Carr's Hill (the University President's mansion) and Old Cabell Hall.

Another interesting book (it came out in 2006) is Archie and Amelie; Love and Madness in the Gilded Age, by Donna M. Lucey. Amelie was Amelie Rives, a granddaughter of Senator William Cabell Rives. She was a popular writer of sensational novels who owned Castle Hill on Louisa Road (Rt. 22) in Albemarle County. The story is fascinating, reminding us that even the rich can behave badly.

Monacan Indian Pow-Wow, May 16-18, 2008

2008-05-14T22:49:00.000-04:00

The Monacan Indians are having their 16th Annual Pow-Wow this coming weekend. Events include Indian dancing, drumming, arts, food. For more information, contact the tribal office, 434-946-0389, or see http://www.monacannation.com/powwow.shtml

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities has a great calendar on their website: http://www.virginiafoundation.org/calendar/, which lists even more events related to Virginia Indians.

Historic Garden Week in Virginia - April 19-27, 2008

2008-04-17T23:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend marks the beginning of this year's Historic Garden Week in Virginia. There are going to be a number of interesting gardens open in Albemarle County, among them Morven; Casa Maria, Ramsay, and other properties in the Greenwood area; and the University of Virginia Grounds and Gardens. I urge you to take advantage of these rare opportunities to see these private homes and gardens up close; Garden Week is usually the only time they are open to the public. Plus, the entrance fees help the garden clubs of Virginia continue the preservation of historic sites around the state.

For more details, check out the Albemarle-Charlottesville schedule.

Virginia Festival of the Book, March 26-28, 2008

2008-03-25T21:47:00.001-04:00

Hi, all! I'm very excited about participating in the Virginia Festival of the Book this year. They have over 365 authors making presentations on books and writing over a period of three days.

The event I'm taking part in is: Traveling Historic Virginia: Sites and Tales. This will be a panel of three authors (myself, Pamela K. Kinney, and Donna Akers Warmuth) talking about our books on traveling in Virginia. The event is to take place on Friday, March 28th, at 2pm at the Sun Bow Trading Company (110 W. South Street) in Downtown Charlottesville. (They have beautiful rugs too!)

Come and join us!

Bicycling Central Virginia in the Spring

2008-03-13T21:08:00.002-04:00

Now that the weather seems to be warming up, we can look forward to a lovely spring in Central Virginia. One of the pastimes that everyone enjoys is bike riding on the more than 800 miles of scenic bike trails in Virginia. The Virginia Dept. of Transportation offers a free state bicycling trail map that you can order online, or retrieve as a PDF map file and a PDF bicycling guide.

The trail that goes through Albemarle County is US76, which starts north of Richmond, goes west past Lake Anna in Louisa County, then swings south to Fluvanna County, and then west through Fluvanna and Albemarle Counties. The trail meets the Blue Ridge Parkway at Waynesboro, and follows it for 25 miles before turning into the Shenandoah Valley. In spring, this trail is beautiful! (And for those of us not up to biking across several counties, most of the trail follows paved roads accessible to automobiles.)

Enjoy!

On the Map: The Seymour I. Schwartz Collection of North American Maps, 1500-1800

2008-02-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

From Jan. 28, 2008 through Jan. 17, 2009, the Main Gallery of the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library will display an exhibit called "On the Map: The Seymour I. Schwartz Collection of North American Maps 1500-1800." Dr. Schwartz is a well-known surgeon and medical educator whose avocation is cartography. Over a long and distinguished career, he has been recognized as one of the foremost U. S. authorities on maps and has written five books on the topic. This exhibit offers an opportunity to see Dr. Schwartz's North American map collection, which he has donated to the University of Virginia Library. For more information on the exhibit, see the exhibit website.

Traveling Historic Virginia: Sites and Tales

2008-02-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

We've just got more information on the Virginia Festival of the Book panel that I will participate in.

Here's the link: Traveling Historic Virginia: Sites and Tales.

John Mosby Heritage Area, Feb. 9 & Mar. 8, 2008

2008-01-21T22:52:00.000-05:00

Though John Mosby was a native of Albemarle County, the John Mosby Heritage Area is located around Warrenton, VA (about an hour west of Washington, D.C. and 2 hours north of Charlottesville). This is the area where Mosby and his men were most active during the Civil War.

During February and March of 2008, the Grey Ghost Interpretive Group will be offering "Fireside Mosby" at the Rector House in Atoka, near Middleburg, VA. As the website explains, "These are stories from costumed interpreters portraying citizens and soldiers who lived in this area during the time of the Civil War." Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Check the website of the John Mosby Heritage Area for more information.

Spain and the U.S. in the Age of Independence: National Portrait Gallery

2008-01-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

There is a new show at the National Portrait Gallery called "Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848." According to the Washington Post, it is a collection of "some 70 portraits, maps, and treaties that attempt to shed some light on this still-shadowy corner of history."

While the National Portrait Gallery is not in Charlottesville or Albemarle County -- it's in Washington, D.C. -- this show sounds like it would be a lot of fun and educational, too!

New Albemarle Areas on the National Register of Historic Places

2007-12-18T23:09:00.000-05:00

The Southern Albemarle Rural Historic District has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places as of this month. It is the largest Historic District in the eastern United States, comprising 83,627 acres which contain 2,169 historic buildings, structures, sites, or objects, created in the period from 1729 to 1955.

In addition, the Martha Jefferson Neighborhood District, containing 118 historic buildings and structures, and Carr's Hill, the University of Virginia President's House, have also been added to the list.

Dec. 15, 10:30 am - Book Signing at New Dominion Bookshop

2007-12-13T23:21:00.000-05:00

Hi, all -- I'll be at the New Dominion Bookshop for one hour (or more if people keep buying books!) on Saturday. The Guide is a great gift for Christmas, especially if it's dedicated to that special person! See you there ...

Virginia Festival of the Book, March 2008

2007-12-13T23:05:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited! I just found out that I will be a participant in the Virginia Festival of the Book this coming spring. I'll be on a panel of authors talking about writing travel books. More details will be forthcoming on the Festival's website at http://www.vabook.org/.

First Saturday Bird Walk -- Ivy Creek Natural Area

2007-11-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

Greet December with a free early morning bird walk at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 1st, led by Teresa Shaner of the Monticello Bird Club. Meet at the parking lot of Ivy Creek Natural Area off Earlysville Road. For more information, call 434-973-7772 or check ivycreekfoundation.org

Monticello Holiday Signature Tours - December 2007

2007-11-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

These are hour-long, small-group house tours (including the Dome Room, which is never included in the standard 20-minute tour), which offer visitors an intimate look at how the holidays were celebrated in Jefferson's time, plus the rare opportunity to experience Monticello after dark. $40. 5:30pm and 5:45pm. Tickets required and must be purchased in advance. 434-984-9822. Check the Monticello website for more information and exact dates. http://www.monticello.org/visit/holiday_signaturetours.html

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree at Ash Lawn-Highland

2007-11-20T17:12:00.000-05:00

Every year Ash Lawn-Highland, the former home of President James Monroe, invites local families to come cut their own Christmas tree on the Ash Lawn-Highland property. This year, the fun begins on Saturday, November 24th, and goes through December 24th. Cutting is permitted from 11 am to 4 pm daily. A donation, which will be used to help preserve the historic Monroe home, is requested. Check in at the Gift Shop for directions to the cutting fields.

Holiday Open House at Wintergreen Winery

2007-11-20T17:04:00.000-05:00

Wintergreen Winery in Nellysford is having a Holiday Open House on Friday, November 23rd, from 10am to 5pm. Free wine tastings. For more information and directions, see the Wintergreen Winery website: http://www.wintergreen-winery.com/

Free Stuff!

2007-11-16T06:45:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited about the free stuff I just added to my author's website (www.jeancooper.com). One item is a free website that helps researchers find genealogical materials in the University of Virginia Library.

The newest item is My Favorite Places in Historic Tidewater Virginia, a supplement to my guide to Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This is a set of tours that were cut from the original manuscript because of page limitations, but which I believe are worthwhile for the traveler to the Tidewater area. Therefore, I offer it to you free, to go with my guide. Enjoy!

A Taste of Virginia, Nov. 5, Charlottesville

2007-10-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

The Inaugural Virginia AgriTourism Conference is being held in Charlottesville on Nov. 5-6th, at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center.

Registration for the conference itself is $85. However, on Monday, Nov. 5th, from 5:30-7:30 pm, the public is invited to A Taste Of Virginia reception. Tickets for A Taste of Virginia cost $5. For more information on the public reception, check out the website.

Virginia Film Festival 2007: Kin Flicks - Nov. 1-4

2007-10-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

Next weekend is the 20th Virginia Film Festival, with the theme "Kin Flicks." Tickets are still available from the Festival website.

Apple Tasting at Tufton Farm, Oct. 27

2007-10-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

As one of its annual fall events, Monticello is holding an "Apple Tasting" at Tufton Farm on Oct. 27. As it says on the Monticello calendar, "Tom Burford, Professor Apple, will provide numerous apple varieties, each introduced with a discussion of their history and culture. Participants will taste, savor, and, most importantly, rate each apple. Reservations required. Meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Tufton Farm nursery." Cost is $10 per person.

This is a great chance to see a Jefferson property that isn't always open to the public.

For more information about Monticello events (including Montalto tours), see the Monticello site (Interesting Links in the sidebar), and look at the calendar.

Where to Get My Book, or Amazon.com v. Barnes and Noble

2007-10-19T18:32:00.000-04:00

If you look to the sidebar under "Buy the Book," you'll see links for both Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Barnes & Noble has the book for $17.99 ($16.19 for B&N club members). I was told that, for some reason, Amazon is slow to get books from the History Press into its warehouses, so there are no new copies available. There is, however, a "used--like new" copy available on Amazon from an independent seller for $94.87. (Ed. note: These prices were good as of 10/19/2007.) Do not ask me why the seller decided on that price. I don't even know if that's one of the copies I signed! But I have to admit, I'm kind of flattered that I'm considered collectible.

If you're in Charlottesville or nearby, you can get copies at New Dominion Bookshop on the Downtown Mall and Barnes & Noble at Barracks Road Shopping Center. In Lynchburg, you can get them at Givens Books (where I'll be signing books tomorrow from 1-3pm).

Enjoy!

Crozet Music Festival, Oct. 20, 11am-8pm

2007-10-19T18:15:00.000-04:00

Here's another event that sounds like fun in Central Virginia. This Music Festival is being held at Crozet Park, and features blue-grass musicians such as the Hogwaller Ramblers, Terri Allard, and the Sons of Bill. Check out their website for details.

Chocolate Festival, Charlottesville, Saturday, Oct 20, 10am-4pm

2007-10-18T20:07:00.000-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I found a notice for a Chocolate Festival on the Virginia Tourism website!

A whole day devoted to chocolate! (I think I may have seen Nirvana.) The site is Lee Park, at Market St. and First St. NE in Charlottesville (across the street from McIntyre Library -- the home of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society).

The program will include chocolate tastings, learning more about chocolate and its history, a 5K run/2 mile walk (the better to work off those chocolate calories!), a variety of children’s activities, and baking contests. The site is handicap-accessible.

Charlottesville Spirit Walk - Oct. 26-28, 2007

2007-09-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Every year right around Halloween, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society has a Spirit Walk. The Spirit Walk is a guided history tour of historic Charlottesville.

Here's the information on the ACHS website:

"This year's Spirit Walk takes place on the evenings of October 26th, 27th and 28th. Tickets go on sale September 24th at the Society, and are $12 for adults, and $5 for children under 12 for tours before 8:00 p.m. Tours leave from the County Courthouse every 15 minutes."

For more information on the Spirit Walk, check out the ACHS site at http://www.albemarlehistory.org/spirit_walk_PR.htm. While you are there, why not take a look at the other wonderful online resources provided by ACHS as well.

Ideas for the Second Edition

2007-09-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

I've received a number of positive comments from people who've bought the Guide. However, some people are also telling me I forgot their favorite place in the county ...

Unfortunately, the publisher limited the book to 140 pages so that it would be useful as a portable guide, and I had to cut some of my favorite spots.

If your favorite Albemarle or Charlottesville site is missing, and you want to recommend a place that you think visitors should see while they are here, please email me (my email address is on my profile page) and tell me about it. I'm already thinking of a second edition ... or a second volume!

UVa Fall Lecture Series - James Madison and Robert E. Lee

2007-09-06T21:01:00.000-04:00

Here are two lecture series sponsored by the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies:

The first is "Madison and Montpelier" - about James Madison, the Father of the U.S. Constitution, and his famous home, Montpelier. Lectures on Tuesdays, Sept. 18 through Oct. 30, 2007, 7-9 pm, plus a Saturday after-hours event at Montpelier on October 20. Cost: $125.

The second, "Robert E. Lee at 200," explores Lee's life and his place in the memory of the nation. Lecturers include Gary W. Gallagher, Robert K. Krick, William C. Davis, and J. Holt Merchant. Wednesdays, Sept. 26 through Oct. 31, 2007, 7-9 pm. Cost: $110.

Register at www.uvaenrichment.info or call 434.982.5316

Special Event: New Dominion Bookstore

2007-09-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

New Dominion Bookshop on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville is sponsoring my first signing, which will take place on Sept. 6, 2007, from noon until 1 p.m. I hope that many of you can join me there.

An Introduction

2007-08-31T10:51:00.000-04:00

I'm very happy to announce that my book, A Guide to Historic Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia, will be available at the end of August, 2007, from the History Press of Charleston, SC.

This year has been a bit of a whirlwind. One day, I was calmly working at my computer, the next, I was doing research on this book. Along the way, I have learned more about Albemarle County and its history than I could ever have imagined; enough, in fact, to write a book twice the size of The Guide.