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Sure, Virginia history includes big moments, big battles, and big names. But the richer history is full of smaller events occurring in the fullness of time. The disenfranchised, the nonconformists, and just regular people making Virginia history. Week in, week out. This Week in Virginia History explores those stories, curated by Nathan Moore and culled from the vast archives at Encyclopedia Virginia.

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Check latest episodes from This Week in Virginia History podcast

Week of June 21: The Tenth President Turned Traitor

2022/06/21

Episode Notes This week in 1861... 10th President John Tyler was an avid and public supporter of slavery. Tyler believed that the institution of slavery could be remedied by its expansion to the western territories. In the years following his presidency, Tyler fought viscously for state sovereignty and the rights of slaveholders.

Week of June 14: Caroline Preston Davis broke an educational barrier

2022/06/14

Episode Notes This week in 1893... It was a man’s world at the University of Virginia, but times were changing. Caroline Preston Davis didn’t like the status quo and was determined to make her presence known as an accomplished math scholar.

Week of June 7: Williamsburg became the capital of Virginia

2022/06/07

Episode Notes This week in 1699... Jamestown had been the seat of power since its founding in 1607, but for the House of Burgesses, the smoldering and disease ridden town had become simply unbearable. Seeking a safer, healthier place to govern their budding nation, they set up shop temporarily at Middle Plantation. The end result was the birth of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Week of May 31: Catherine Foster was persecuted by UVA students

2022/05/31

Episode Notes This week in 1834... Catherine was a free Black woman who owned a bit of land near the University. One evening some rowdy students smashed flower pots and tried to break into her home. At the time, the faculty of the University turned a blind eye towards the incident, but today, Foster's existence is forever memorialized on Grounds.

Week of May 24: A Virginia Civil Rights Leader was arrested

2022/05/24

Episode Notes This week in 1961... You’ve probably seen the famous photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the cell bars in the Birmingham jail. But who was the man behind the camera? He was one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement and an avid advocate for the inclusion of Black history in public school curriculum.

Week of May 17: The Hillsville Massacrer gets his due

2022/05/17

Episode Notes This week in 1912... Floyd Allen was the head of a clannish mountain family in Carroll County who had a reputation for moonshining, feuding, and violence. When the time finally came for Floyd to face his history of misdemeanors in court, the Allen family was determined to not go down without a fight.

Week of May 10: The Siren of the Shenandoah was captured at sea

2022/05/10

Episode Notes This week in 1864... She was the siren of the Shenandoah. The Cleopatra of the Secession. Teenager Belle Boyd's passion for the cause led her to become an informal spy for the Confederacy during the Civil War. As a informant, Belle employed her innocent looks and girlish charms, slipping out of Union hands time and time again.

Week of May 3: Murder on the steps of justice

2022/05/03

Episode Notes This week in 1869... After emancipation, James Holmes rose to soaring new heights. As a politician, he advocated for free public schools and the right to vote for African American men. But these radical reforms prompted ridicule from white conservatives back in his hometown of Charlotte County. Holmes began to fear for his life.

Week of April 26: The first Black female doctor passed her Virginia exams

2022/04/26

Episode Notes This week in 1893... Sarah Garland Boyd Jones grew up among Richmond's Black elite. As a teacher, she could not ignore the medical disparities in the Black community as compared to the plethora of resources and care offered to the white population. She packed her bags, moved to Washington, D.C., and decided to make a change.

Week of April 19: The death of the All-American Gibson Girl

2022/04/19

Episode Notes This week in 1956... Irene Langhorne knew she was destined for greatness. Her stars aligned one fateful evening at Delmonico’s restaurant in New York where she met the famous illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. What followed was a passionate love that spurned one of history's best known illustrations of the modern Victorian woman.

Week of April 12: A premier scholar of African American history dies

2022/04/12

Episode Notes This week in 1950... Luther Porter Jackson's love for asking questions led him to become one of the most important scholars of African American history in Virginia. As a teacher, Jackson became aware of the racial stereotypes and Lost Cause narratives permeating the South at the time. In response, he became determined to unearth the stories of Black America.

Week of April 5: The Battles of Sailor’s Creek

2022/04/05

Episode Notes This week in 1865... After a crushing defeat in Petersburg, General Lee’s battered Confederate troops retreated south to North Carolina. But General Ulysses S. Grant wasn't done yet - he was determined to squash the rebels once and for all. The Union forces chased after the Confederate army, seeking out Lee's official surrender.