Northampton Historic Preservation Society
Interpreting life in Northampton County, Virginia through the preservation of historical sites and educational programs.
2019 Historic Eastville Walking Tour
Town historian and NHPS board member David Scott led the Northampton Historic Preservation Society’s Guided Walking Tour of Historic Eastville this year. In addition to a general informative overview of Eastville, he offered a new segment covering more houses on Willow Oak Road this year.
The walking tour started at the Court Green, one of the oldest in Virginia, where you can imagine how it looked at various times during its 300+ year history.
Ancestry Workshop with M. K. Miles Held on March 2018
The NHPS was pleased to welcome genealogist M. K. Miles as host of the NHPS ancestry workshop. Mr. Miles, an Eastern Shore native and author of the MilesFiles, is well known by researchers and historians around the world. Despite the brisk wind outside, attendees enjoyed the day learning about ways to access their family's journey through history.
Walking Tour of Historic Accomack - October 2017
Great day in Accomack and Onancock. Enjoyed a visit to the Saint James Episcopal Church in Accomac with tour guide Drummond Ayres. Followed by a tour of the Accomac Historic District - significant for its well preserved architecture and rich history as a government center for over 300 years.
The Roman Revival style of the Francis Makemie Presbyterian Church, built in 1837, was next on the tour. The history and furnishings of the Church was highlighted by Fitzhugh Godwin, Chairman of The Francis Makemie Society. He also addressed the recent archeological dig at the Makemie Monument Park. Francis Makemie founded the organization. Then the group went on to lunch at Onancock's Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant.
NHPS Guided Walking Tour of Historic Eastville - June 2017
On June 25th, in the 2nd year of the well-received NHPS Guided Walking Tour of Historic Eastville, town historian and NHPS board member David Scott continued to add new material to his informative presentation. In addition, new research pertaining to the "forgotten" history of the Eastville Court Green jails during the 1800’s and 1900’s, was featured in a presentation by Joyce Kappeler.
Looking at the Court Green, one of the oldest in Virginia, you can imagine how it looked at various times during its 300+ year history. Eastville features commercial and residential architecture within the historic district which showcases a significant collection of high-style and vernacular buildings. Picture Eastville as the bustling city it was while in the midst of an economic, agricultural, and transportation boon and Courthouse Road was a major thoroughfare in the county. In fact, did you know that by 1921, Northampton and Accomack were considered the richest agricultural counties in the United States?
October 2016 - Bus Tour of Historic Jamestowne
Since the discovery of the original James Fort walls by Dr. William Kelso in 1995 Historic Jamestowne has attracted world attention by continuing to unearth the lost remains of America's first permanent English settlement. Last year, Archaeology magazine once again named them for one of the Top Ten discoveries of 2015 for their landmark excavation efforts and identification of four early burials. In 2016, they began focusing on the excavation of the historic church of 1617 where the first elected assembly met in a landmark step toward the founding of the United States. On Tuesday, October 11, 2016 the Northampton Historic Preservation Society visited the recently excavated site of the oldest successful settlement in the New World.
The morning included a guided tour by Joe Burkart with the Tidewater Virginia Historical Society and remarks from Dr. Kelso, now the Director of Jamestowne Rediscovery, about his remarkable path to unearthing the south palisade of the original fort. An exclusive guided tour of the 7500 square foot Archaearium, which houses over 4,000 artifacts, was also included. The building itself was carefully placed over the original site of the Jamestown Statehouse and the 17th-century structural features are visible through glass sections in the floor.
Following lunch, the group headed to Colonial Williamsburg to visit two connected museums, the first being the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. A guide was on hand to help navigate and answer questions regarding the special exhibit: "We Are One: Mapping America's Road from Revolution to Independence. On loan from the Boston Public Library this 90 map exhibit traces America?s story from the French and Indian War all the way to the creation of our great nation. At the second, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, a guide interpreted the "American Ship Paintings" exhibit. In the mid-19th century, ship captains and owners commissioned artists to depict their sea-going vessels in all their glory.
To watch a shoret video about the NHPS Jamestown-Williamsburg bus trip go to: https://vimeo.com/682286190 or click on the video picture below.
Amazing "Artifacts & Arrowheads " Program Held October 2016
An interactive exhibition of Eastern Shore artifacts with local archaeologist David Duer was held on October 23rd. He shared his insights and personal collection which illuminates thousands of years of Eastern Shore history. Mr. Duer has been exploring the Shore for over 30 years. His discoveries comprise a fascinating and diverse collection of artifacts and treasures which reveal much about life in the region. It was an exciting journey that helped participants to connect to the early peoples of the Shore and the factors that contributed to the "amazing" artifacts that can be found.