In celebration of Pride Month, Oatlands will host historian Amy Bertsch for a special program exploring the life and legacy of Hannah Nokes, a Loudoun descendant who made headlines in the 1930s for gender nonconformity. This conversation will introduce audiences to a remarkable local history and invite reflection on identity, belonging, and the ways LGBTQ+ histories have long been part of our communities, even when they were misunderstood, marginalized, or left out of the historical record. Visit oatlands.org for details.

Belle Grove is hosting its inaugural Descendant's Day in 2026. The day will begin at 9 a.m. Walnut Springs Christian Church, 1905 Oranda Road, Strasburg, Virginia 22657 for a brief service honoring Benjamin Tanny a man enslaved at Belle Grove who was baptized and joined this church in 1831. It will be followed by a short memorial walk along Meadow Mills Road, the route that Mr. Tanny would have taken to walk the two miles to church. From 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Belle Grove with food for sale, genealogy, and local history information, “Once Upon a Time”—a roundtable with our Elders, and gospel music by local choirs.

Jerome Bias, historian, cook, woodworker, and heritage professional, will join us in a discussion of woodworking and Black American expertise. Bias will talk about how he ties the lived experiences of the enslaved to the material objects that are typically present in historic house museums—the window sashes, door trim, paneling—all made by skilled artisans who were enslaved based on legal system where people could purchase another group of people based on skin color. Bias will discuss how working with wood bears witness to the lives of enslaved and allows their experiences to be made whole. Bias will also discuss plans for the trade workshop Montpelier he is running in September of this year.

For Juneteenth, local author and historian Kevin Grigsby will lead a special Reclaim Your Story tour focused on the lives of the people enslaved at Oatlands and Bellefield, including his ancestors Jacob and Sophia Moten Howard. This tour offers an opportunity to learn from a descendant researcher whose work helps restore names, stories, family connections, and lived experiences to the history of this landscape. The program will invite visitors to reflect on freedom, memory, and the ongoing importance of descendant-led storytelling at Oatlands. Visit oatlands.org for details.

Join us at Woodlawn this spring on the third Saturday of the month for our Coffee and Conversation series, blending scholarly research with community dialogue. This session explores how Woodlawn’s antislavery Quaker colony navigated the Civil War while caught between Confederate raids and Union occupation. We will examine how these pacifist citizens and their African American allies made difficult choices to survive and aid the Union. Tickets include an expert lecture, complimentary refreshments, and an exclusive preview of the new exhibit Friends Gather Here.

Tickets: $50

In 1846, Quaker families from Pennsylvania and New Jersey came to Woodlawn to build an antislavery community grounded in equality and nonviolence.They modeled these values through innovative farming and free labor, working alongside paid laborers to demonstrate an alternative to slavery in Virginia. There, they settled among a small free Black community already living nearby. This exhibition explores the parallel lives, shared aspirations, and evolving relationships between the Woodlawn Quakers and their free Black neighbors.

This program for VA250 brings together descendants of four National Trust Historic Sites for a one-day convening (speakers, workshops, fellowship). Save the date and check back for more information.

Join us for a four-day hands-on educational experience in which you will work side-by-side with heritage blacksmiths, carpenters, and framers to learn the trades and skills employed by the Montpelier enslaved community. This program is based on extensive documentary and archaeological research into the expertise of skilled Black artisans at Montpelier.

The week will start with two and a half days of heritage-furniture making with historian Jerome Bias. This event will culminate with the Sept 19th trade festival held at Montpelier on Constitution Day.

Belle Grove is partnering with descendants, African American investigative genealogists, and historians to create an exhibit about Monday Robinson, a formerly enslaved man who navigated his and his family’s freedom in the decades before the Civil War. His complex story highlights resilience and survival that are deeply meaningful to his family members today. The exhibit will be at Belle Grove September 26-October 16 before traveling to museums and libraries around the region.

Registration link to be posted closer to the event date. Visit www.bellegrove.org for more information.

More details to follow.

The Montpelier Archaeology Department is investigating an 18th-century Blacksmith shop that was run by Moses, an enslaved blacksmith owned by James Madison, Sr. During this special two-day program, we will be hosting Jeffery Mabry and Paul Fritz (local blacksmiths with knowledge of the historic trade) to demonstrate basic blacksmithing techniques and learn about collecting oral history regarding tradespeople in the post-emancipation era.

There is an optional week-long program October 12-16.