This Week in Virginia History
Sure, Virginia history includes big moments, big battles, and big names. But the richer history is made up of smaller events — the disenfranchised, the nonconformists, and just regular people making Virginia history. Week in, week out across centuries.
This Week in Virginia History explores those stories, curated and written by Miranda Burnett, currently hosted by Alana Bittner, and culled from the vast archives at Encyclopedia Virginia.
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1/3/23
Week of January 3: The Great Cold Wave
12/27/22
Week of December 27: Richard Slaughter's Memories
12/20/22
Week of December 20: The Second Battle of Saltville
12/19/22
Week of January 10: The Inauguration of Virginia's 2nd Term Governor
12/13/22
Week of December 13: Williamsburg's Homespun Ball
12/6/22
Week of December 6: The Murder of Daniel Park
11/29/22
Week of November 29: James Lafayette Petitions for his Freedom
11/22/22
Week of November 22: The Demise of Richmond's Electric Streetcars
11/15/22
Week of November 15: Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean
11/8/22
Week of November 8: Lord Dunmore's Proclamation of Freedom
11/1/22
Week of November 1: Virginia opens public schools
10/25/22
Week of October 25: the resignation of John B. Eastham
10/18/22
Week of October 18: Irene Morgan defies segregation laws
10/11/22
Week of October 11: The opening of the largest hospital in the south
10/4/22
Week of October 4: The escape of George and Rebecca Latimer
9/27/22
Week of September 27: Eyre Crowe publishes images of slavery
9/21/22
Week of September 21: The lynching of Thomas Smith
9/13/22
Week of September 13: The Gloucester County Conspiracy
9/6/22
Week of September 6: The Monticello Wine Company disaster
8/16/22
Week of August 16: Virginia gets a new governor
8/9/22
Week of August 9: The Sabotage at City Point
8/3/22
Week of August 3: Booker T. Washington at the Jamestown Exposition
7/26/22
Week of July 26: The birth of a civil rights icon
7/25/22
BONUS: Cville Puzzle Hunt episode
7/19/22
Week of July 19: The death of a woman of firsts
7/12/22
Week of July 12: General Pope’s short sojourn in Culpeper County
7/5/22
Week of July 5: The Witch of Pungo condemned to a ducking
6/21/22
Week of June 21: The Tenth President Turned Traitor
6/14/22
Week of June 14: Caroline Preston Davis broke an educational barrier
6/7/22
Week of June 7: Williamsburg became the capital of Virginia
5/31/22
Week of May 31: Catherine Foster was persecuted by UVA students
5/24/22
Week of May 24: A Virginia Civil Rights Leader was arrested
5/17/22
Week of May 17: The Hillsville Massacrer gets his due
5/10/22
Week of May 10: The Siren of the Shenandoah was captured at sea
5/3/22
Week of May 3: Murder on the steps of justice
4/26/22
Week of April 26: The first Black female doctor passed her Virginia exams
4/19/22
Week of April 19: The death of the All-American Gibson Girl
4/12/22
Week of April 12: A premier scholar of African American history dies
4/5/22
Week of April 5: The Battles of Sailor’s Creek
3/29/22
Week of March 29: The Defenders' Last Stand
3/22/22
Week of March 22: The Jamestown Massacre
3/15/22
Week of March 15: The Marquis de Lafayette came to Virginia
3/8/22
Week of March 8: The battle of the ironclads
3/1/22
Week of March 1: The first Black-owned bank in the U.S. opens in Richmond
2/22/22
Week of Feb 22: The Dahlgren Affair
2/15/22
Week of Feb 15: Shadrach Minkins was arrested in Boston
2/8/22
Week of Feb 8: An appeal to Jefferson for Black schools
2/1/22
Week of Feb 1: The Jefferson Family Feud
1/26/22
Week of Jan 25: Virginia’s black army regiment gets mustered out of service
1/18/22
Week of Jan 18: The "Lost Cause" narrative gathered steam
1/11/22
Week of January 11: America gets more than it bargained for
1/4/22
Week of January 4: Virginia’s first woman in Congress starts her term
12/28/21
Week of Decembrer 28: Holiday Horror
12/21/21
Week of December 21: The Slipper Slayer gets a Governor’s pardon
12/14/21
Week of December 14: George Washington died
12/7/21
Week of Dec 7: UVA's Company G disbanded
11/30/21
Week of Nov 30: Ferdinando Fairfax's emancipation plan
11/23/21
Week of Nov 23: Blackbeard’s reign ends
11/17/21
Week of Nov 16: Court orders two men sold into slavery
11/9/21
Week of Nov 9: The death of a 19th century founder
11/2/21
Week of Nov 2: Danville Massacre killed the Readjuster Party
10/26/21
Week of October 26: Death and funeral of Daniel Webster Davis
10/19/21
Week of October 19: Stonewall Jackson was unveiled
10/12/21
Week of October 12: Joseph Abrams freed his own family
10/5/21
Week of October 5: Charlottesville banned all public gatherings
9/28/21
Week of September 28: Virginia's first black school opens
9/21/21
Week of September 21: Virginia goes dry
9/14/21
Week of September 14: The declension of Prof. George Blaettermann
9/7/21
Week of September 7: Jamestown burns during the first rebellion in the Colonies
8/31/21
Week of August 31: Scandalmonger James Callender exposed Thomas Jefferson’s secret
8/24/21
Week of August 24: James T.S. Taylor joined the Union army
8/17/21
Week of August 17: Hurricane Camille makes landfall
8/10/21
Week of August 10: The death of Charles Venable
8/3/21
Week of August 3: Eugenics proponent declares most power in the state
7/27/21
Week of July 27: Farmville Civil Rights protests began
7/20/21
Week of July 20: Elizabeth Key Grinstead won her freedom
7/13/21
Week of July 13: A brutal murder – and a mob makes no efforts at disguise
7/6/21
Week of July 6: Virginia’s first sit-down strike erupted in violence
6/29/21
Week of June 29: Death of a founding father
6/22/21
Week of June 22: The Chesapeake-Leopard affair
6/15/21
Week of June 15: Five black men petition President Andrew Johnson
6/8/21
Week of June 8: The murder of a Founding Father
6/1/21
Week of June 1: A marriage changed U.S. law
5/25/21
Week of May 25: A dancing legend was born
5/18/21
Week of May 18: Major General Benjamin Butler feels his way into building Freedom’s Fortress
5/11/21
Week of May 11: England establishes its first permanent settlement in North America
5/4/21
Week of May 4: A former Confederate general puts on a US Army uniform
4/27/21
Week of April 27: Disaster in the Virginia State Capitol
4/20/21
Week of April 20: Robert E. Lee resigns from the U.S. Army
4/13/21
Week of April 13: Jefferson Society gives a speech advocating for emancipation
4/6/21
Week of April 6: Washington family sells Mount Vernon
3/30/21
Week of March 31: Seventeen people
3/23/21
Week of March 24: US Supreme Court strikes down the Virginia poll tax
3/16/21
Week of March 17: Joseph Fossett finds out he will be freed
3/9/21
Week of March 10: George Washington searches for his runaway enslaved cook Hercules
3/3/21
Week of March 3: Slavery ended in Charlottesville
2/23/21
Week of Feb 23: Professor Gordon Blaine Hancock argues against the Racial Integrity Act
2/17/21
Week of Feb 16: Shadrach Minkins escapes from the clutches of the Fugitive Slave Act
2/9/21
Week of Feb 9: Restored Government of Virginia ratifies the 13th amendment
2/2/21
Week of Feb 2: Making lynching a state crime in Virginia
1/26/21
Week of Jan 26: Forced sterilization patient Carrie Buck dies
1/19/21
Week of Jan 19: Patsy Cline skyrockets to fame
1/12/21
Week of Jan 12: A Virginia author's book is banned
1/5/21
Week of Jan 5: The British are Coming!
12/29/20
Week of Dec 29: Claudius Crozet was born
12/22/20
Week of Dec 22: George Washington resigns from the army
12/15/20
Week of Dec 15: Maggie Walker passes away
12/9/20
Week of Dec 8: Virginia militias defeat the British
12/1/20
E1 Week of Dec 1: John Brown executed for treason
11/24/20
Week of November 24: Fluvanna women demand an end to slavery
11/17/20
Week of November 17: Shrady agrees to make Robert E. Lee statue
11/10/20
Week of November 10: UVA students expelled for rioting
11/3/20
Week of November 3: Virginia women vote
10/27/20
Week of October 28: The burning of UVA's Rotunda
10/20/20
Week of October 21: Albemarle County elects an African-American man for the first time
10/9/20
Week of October 13: A Female Civil War Spy in Richmond
9/29/20
Week of September 29: The Wreck of Old 97
9/22/20
Week of September 22: Virginia's first African-American member of congress
9/15/20
Week of September 15: Virginia's governor closes schools rather than integrate
9/8/20
Week of September 8: The murder (probably?) of Ambrose Madison
9/1/20
Week of Sept 1: Henry Box Brown publishes the story of his escape
8/25/20
Week of August 25: President James and Dolley Madison and their slaves escape the White House
8/18/20
Week of August 18: Charles Venable and the Lost Cause
8/11/20
Week of August 11: Lee statue and Unite the Right rally
8/5/20
Week of August 4: Farmville civil rights arrests
