Virginia Vignettes

Dr. Albert Johnson, who lived and had his medical office at 814 Duke St. for 46 years, was one of the first licensed African-American physicians in Alexandria. Active in community organizations, including the local black chapter of the Odd Fellows, Johnson helped raise money to build Alexandria Hospital, finished in [...]

Virginia holds two claims to a day of thanksgiving predating the widely popularized “first Thanksgiving” at Plymouth in 1621. Upon arrival of much-needed supplies from England in the spring 1610, following the Jamestown settlement’s “starving time” – the winter famine in 1609-the settlers greeted Lord De la Warr on the James River with a service [...]

Frying Pan Meetinghouse, located in Fairfax County, is one of the oldest racially-integrated Baptist churches in Virginia. The church was established in 1775 and was granted permission to construct a structure by land owner, Robert “Councillor” Carter, in 1791. Though they maintained separate seating, black and white congregants worshiped, were baptized, and buried together, irrespective [...]

For one solid century, from 1866 to 1966, Christiansburg Institute provided education, inspiration, and community for African Americans working to better themselves in the face of adversity. Located in southwest Virginia’s Montgomery County, Christiansburg Institute was founded in 1866 by Captain Charles Schaeffer, an agent of the Quaker Freedmen’s Bureau. It was the first school [...]