Northampton Historic Preservation Society
Enriching lives through the preservation of historical sites and culture in Northampton County, Virginia.
Not a member yet? Please join the NHPS and support Northampton County historical preservation, advocacy, and education goals!
Northampton Historic Preservation Society's 2018 Annual Meeting/Holiday Dinner Featuring Dennis Custis
The NHPS Holiday Dinner and Annual Meeting was held at The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek on December 5th. In addition to the annual meeting and the election of the officers/board, Dennis Custis was on hand to provide stories about the history of the fascinating people of Northampton County.
Mr. Custis explained how many of the county's residents have contributed to county, state and country. He is a teacher of multiple generations on the Virginia Eastern Shore and one of it's top historians.
December 2017 - NHPS Annual Meeting/Holiday Dinner Featuring Dr. Bill Kelso
The NHPS Annual Membership Meeting and Holiday Dinner was held on December 6th at The Oyster Farm at Kings Creek. An annual meeting highlight was guest speaker Dr. Bill Kelso, the world renowned Director of Archaeology at Historic Jamestowne. Dr. Kelso’s well known archaeological projects at Jamestown, Monticello, and his earlier work at Pear Valley and Arlington Plantation, have made him a popular figure in Northampton County and Virginia. In 1993, he was named Director of Archaeology for Preservation Virginia’s Jamestown Rediscovery Project where he set to work immediately to find the exact location of the original fort of the Jamestown colonists on the James River.
By the end of 1996, he had uncovered evidence of palisades and the foundations of other structures that confirmed the identity of the fort. Since then, Dr. Kelso’s work has continued in Jamestown with the excavations of numerous additional buildings, including the settlement’s first church and the burial place of four Jamestown leaders, and the governor’s rowhouse during the term of Samuel Argall. Over two million objects have been found and catalogued. These objects reflect the lives and trials of the early English settlers. They reveal stories of hope, determination, desperation, and sometimes cruelty. Dr. Kelso is the author of numerous books on American archaeological projects, including his latest book, Jamestown, The Truth Revealed (May 2017).
December 2016 - NHPS Annual Meeting and Holiday Dinner Featuring Kellee Blake
On December 14th, the membership of the NHPS met at the yearly meeting portion of the Holiday Dinner at the Historic Eastville Inn in Eastville, VA. At this meeting, the slate of Officers and Board Members were elected for 2017.
Kellee provided an extensive presentation and slide show about the Civil War and how it impacted Northampton residents. The role of many of the families and historic properties in the County were addressed, including the Eastville Inn, and the personalities and actions of the soldiers representing both sides were revealed in great detail.
December 2015 - NHPS Annual Meeting and Holiday Dinner Featuring DeCourcy McIntosh
The annual dinner meeting for the Northampton Historic Preservation Society was held December 9th at Cheriton, Virginia. The featured guest speaker, Dick (DeCourcy) McIntosh, gave a thought provoking presentation encompassing his life and experiences on the Eastern Shore and an ongoing current public debate that impacts historical preservation: the uses and potential misuses of history. He warned that one must be careful with history and that “historic preservation” should mean preserving history, real history, as well as historical buildings.
December 2014 - NHPS Annual Meeting and Holiday Dinner Featuring David Brown
At the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Northampton Historic Preservation Society, David Brown spoke about how historic preservation is changing in the 21st century. Change can be seen in how people view preservation efforts individually as well as how a landmark might hold a place in a city’s memory. Landmarks are often imbued with meaning, memory and stories. He stated that preservation is about how we impact the relevance of people, how we affect the planet, and the challenge for preservation to represent all people.
The Northampton Historic Preservation Society held their Holiday Dinner and Annual Meeting on December 10th at the Mimosa Farm Barn, Cheriton, Virginia. Special guest speakers were Dr. Michael Barber, State Archaeologist of Virginia, Department of Historic Resources, and Mike Madden, Forest Archaeologist, U.S. Forest Services. They provided informative insights about the recent archaeological dig at the Eastville Court Green and others on the Eastern Shore.
Northampton Historic Preservation Society
P.O. Box 501
Eastville, VA 23347
email: nhps100@gmail.com