125 episodes
This Week in Virginia History Virginia Audio Collective
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- Society & Culture
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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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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Week of January 3: The Great Cold Wave
Episode Notes
This week in 1912, Virginia experienced a debilitating six-week cold snap, the longest and most severe in state history. Snow and plummeting temperatures contributed to train wrecks, water shortages, and even exploding water tanks.
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Week of December 27: Richard Slaughter's Memories
Episode Notes
This week in 1936, as a part of a national program collecting the stories of former enslaved people, reporter Claude Anderson talked with 87-year old Richard Slaughter. Slaughter had been born into an enslaved family in Virginia, but fled to freedom during the Civil War. During the interview, Slaughter recalled an encounter with none other than Abraham Lincoln.
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Week of December 20: The Second Battle of Saltville
Episode Notes
This week in 1864, the Union army destroyed the Confederate salt mines in Saltville, a blow to the Confederate army that marked a turning point in the Civil War.
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Week of January 10: The Inauguration of Virginia's 2nd Term Governor
Episode Notes
This week in 1974, Mills Godwin became the first and only Virginia governor elected for two (nonconsecutive) terms -- and he ran on different political tickets each time. He's often remembered for bolstering Virginia's public schools and creating the state's community college system. However, he played a darker role in Virginia's education policy as well. As senator and lieutenant governor, Godwin had been instrumental in the massive resistance laws that prevented school integration.
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Week of December 13: Williamsburg's Homespun Ball
Episode Notes
This week in 1769... when the House of Burgesses sponsored at ball at Williamsburg’s capitol building, Virginian women shunned fine Bristish fabrics and showed up in homespun gowns. This was seen as a patriotic act of defiance, and inspired women all over America to wear homespun in protest of British policies.
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Week of December 6: The Murder of Daniel Park
Episode Notes
This week in 1710... a prominent Virginia politician meets a grisly end. Daniel Parke quickly ascended to the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Governor's Council, before being awarded governorship of the Leeward Islands. But despite his political successes, his difficult personality won him enemies.
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