Stay tuned for MORE DETAILS & OTHER Upcoming Events!

New Historic siteS book IS AVAILABLE!

In 2020, PNNMP committed to producing a second edition of the popular “Historic Sites in Virginia’s Northern Neck & Essex County,” a treasure trove of information on houses built by the state’s first inhabitants. The University of Virginia Press, who published the first edition, has now published the Second Edition! in coordination with PNNMP.  All of the counties have been re-inventoried, including diligent field and literature research.  We are pleased to report that 43 “new” sites have been located giving this new edition a grand total of 487 historic site profiles, along with expanded and updated material reflecting the most current knowledge of the historic sites.  It’s available from Amazon and local historical societies and museums.

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PAST EVENTS – 2023

LUNCH AND TOUR OF THE MORATTICO WATERFRONT MUSEUM, October 7, 2023. Tina Bustos, MWM Curator, her husband Marsell, and Connie Conley, MWM Corresponding Secretary joined us for lunch and casual conversation, followed by a docent-led tour of the museum and a self-guided tour of the village.  The Morattico Historic District is a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

PITT, PEALE AND THE PATRIOTS SYMPOSIUM, September 9, 2023, Stratford Hall Council House.  This afternoon symposium provided an in-depth look at many fascinating aspects of the portrait of Whig statesman William Pitt (1708-1778). Pitt, an active proponent of American colonial rights, who was especially against the Stamp Act of 1765. The keynote lecture by Dr. J. Patrick Mullins of Marquette University explored the historic importance of the portrait and its emblemology. Other distinguished speakers includeed Lucinda Dukes Edinberg (Curator, Hammond-Harwood House Museum), Bradley Stevens (realist painter and accomplished portraitist), F. Carey Howlett (Conservator of Historic Furniture and Architectural Interiors), and Sandy Jensen (Conservator of Gilded Objects).

On July 20, Brianna Morris, Executive Director of the Westmoreland County Museum, gave a talk on the 1767 portrait of Sir William Pitt, Lord Chatham of the British House of Commons, which hangs in the Westmoreland County Museum. She discussed how a group of Westmoreland County patriots commissioned a work of art that documents an important point in the revolutionary era.

A great 2023 Annual Meeting! PNNMP held it’s Annual Meeting Saturday, March 11, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Warsaw. It featured a talk by Calder Loth, Senior Architectural Historian, Retired  from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources on Palladianism with a focus on its influence on Virginia architecture, with specific examples on the Northern Neck. In addition, past President Ed White gave a debut of the newly-published Second Edition of Historic Sites in Virginia’s Northern Neck and Essex County, A Guide, which he authored. He was also presented with a Chesapeake cup in honor of his many contributions to PNNMP over the years, including his long service and leading role as President. Grants for the year 2022 were also distributed. A grant was given to David Bostic to help repair the floor system support of two rooms at Wilton, a mid 18th century house in Westmoreland County. A grant was given to Page L. Knight for repairs to Arlington Farm. The main block dates to the 18th century with additions added in the mid 19th century.

Other Past Events

PNNMP REACHED A MILESTONE IN 2022! Preservation Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula is pleased to announce its ten-year mark as an organization dedicated to the furtherance of historic preservation in Virginia’s Northern Neck and Essex County. The all-volunteer, nonprofit charitable corporation was organized in 2012 but had been doing good works long before that as a branch of APVA/Preservation Virginia. It is particularly unique in its grant program which has awarded $48,146.00 to institutions and individuals to assist them in maintaining the treasures of the past. Grants are made annually to individuals and organizations for all aspects of building preservation and restoration and document, fabric and art conservation. This program expanded with recent generous support from Mason and Lula Cole Charitable Trust.

Despite the public health challenges of the last couple of years, PNNMP has continued its programs of speakers and tours, including:

•  We held a tour of Arcadia House and Garden in Heathsville.
• Amy Connolly, Collections & Exhibits Manager, Stratford Hall, spoke on the conservation of a circa 1790 silk waistcoat owned by Thomas Lee Shippen (1765-1798.) The project to conserve the light green silk waistcoat trimmed in blue and yellow, with working pockets and a deep stand-up collar, received support from the PNNMP Competitive Grants Program in 2021. Its owner was a grandson of Thomas Lee (1690-1750), the original owner of Stratford Hall.
• David Butt spoke on Mitigation of Rising Damp at Yeocomico Church, 1233 Old Yeocomico Road, Tucker Hill.
• Karen Hart, Executive Director of the Lancaster Historical Society/Mary Ball Museum, and Melanie Marquis, Programs and Operations Assistant, gave an overview of the Historic District in Lancaster, with a tour of the Old Clerk’s Office and Old Jail.
• We sponsored a tour of   Yeocomico Church (1706) at 1233 Old Yeocomico Road, Tucker Hill, Virginia 22488. Yeocomico is the fourth oldest standing church in the Virginia. David Butt, a woodworker and preservationist, who is rebuilding the fabric of the church was the guide. The work he has undertaken exposed the original walls that have only been seen two times before. They date from 1655 and 1655 to possibly 1656.
• Also on the tour was Arlington Farm (1790) in Kinsale, a late eighteenth century frame house owned by Page Lees Knight.
• We also are continuing our important grant program to help preserve the important historic resources of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula – one of the first settled areas in Virginia where George Washington was born.

Stay “in the know” and support preservation efforts in the historic Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula by becoming a member!