Virginia Historical Society Podcast

On Thursday November 17, 2010, Gary W. Gallagher delviered a talk on "The Real Lost Cause: The Idea of Union in the Memory of the Civil War" at the Alexander W. Weddell Trustees Lecture. Next year we mark the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Only through the bloodiest conflict of our history did Americans resolve long-running disputes over Union and slavery. Ever since then, the significance of the war—its advent and its many outcomes—has stirred debate and study. In "The Real Lost Cause: The Idea of Union in the Memory of the Civil War," Gary W. Gallagher addressed the way North and South have reflected on the nature of what it meant to be a part of the United States of America. Dr. Gallagher is the Cavaliers' Distinguished Teaching Professor and Nau Professor of History at the University of Virginia and the author of "The Confederate War and Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War." (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On Thursday, November 4, 2010, Scott Reynolds Nelson discussed his book Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend. According to the ballad that made him famous, John Henry did battle with a steam-powered drill, beat the machine, and died. Folklorists have long thought John Henry to be mythical, but historian Scott Nelson has discovered that he was a real person—a nineteen-year-old from New Jersey who was convicted of theft in a Virginia court in 1866, sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary, and put to work building the C and O Railroad. There, at the Lewis Tunnel, Henry and other prisoners worked alongside steam-powered drills. In his book, Nelson pieces together the biography of the real John Henry. It is also the story of work songs, songs that not only turned Henry into a folk hero but also, in reminding workers to slow down or die, were a tool of resistance and protest. This lecture complements the VHS exhibition Organized Labor in Virginia. Scott Reynolds Nelson teaches hi

On Thursday, October 13, 2010, Kate Chenery Tweedy discussed her book Secretariat's Meadow. Secretariat, the great red stallion who became the 1973 Triple Crown winner, was born on March 30, 1970, at The Meadow, a historic farm in Caroline County. The new book, Secretariat's Meadow, celebrates the farm, the family—especially Chris Chenery and his daughter, Penny—and Secretariat. The story is told by Penny Chenery's daughter, Kate Chenery Tweedy, with the assistance of her coauthor, Leeanne Ladin. More than 300 photos, most of which have never been seen, offer a magnificent visual journey to complement this special story in one of America's greatest sports moments.(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On Thursday, October 28, 2010, Marie Tyler-McGraw discussed her book, An African Republic: Black and White Virginians in the Making of Liberia. The West African nation Liberia arose from the aspirations of the American Colonization Society, which attempted to persuade free blacks to emigrate from the United States to that colony. Ultimately, the colonization scheme failed, but Liberia endured. No state was more involved with the project than Virginia. Virginians figured prominently among both leaders of the ACS and among settlers building a new life in Africa. Though their paths rarely intersected, these black and white Virginians played key roles in founding Liberia. In this presentation based on her latest book, Marie Tyler-McGraw tells this compelling story of hope and misunderstanding, race and freedom. Also the author of a history of Richmond, Dr. Tyler-McGraw is an independent scholar and public historian. The lecture is co-sponsored by The Richmond Forum in conjunction with its November 6, 2010 pr

On Thursday October 7, 2010, Gerald P. McCarthy discussed the Virginia Environmental Endowment. Since its inception in 1977, Virginia Environmental Endowment has had a profound influence throughout the Old Dominion. This lecture will focus on the origins, mission, and accomplishments of VEE. Gerald P. McCarthy will examine the effects of the endowment's grants on Virginia’s environment and the people who have helped to make those results possible. Sometimes described as "venture capital for environmental improvement in Virginia," VEE has played a unique role in the development of environmental research, education, and civic engagement. This lecture will address each of these aspects of its work and the strategic approach to grant making that has made VEE a leader within the foundation world. Mr. McCarthy is executive director of Virginia Environmental Endowment. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On September 23, 2010, Scott W. Berg discussed his book Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. In 1791 George Washington asked Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who had been a French volunteer during the American Revolution, to design a new federal city on the Potomac for the young republic. Suffering from constant interference, L'Enfant persisted in his work for a year before being dismissed. Yet, his ambitious geometrical plan for the District of Columbia survived and endures to this day. In Grand Avenues, Scott W. Berg resurrects the cranky L'Enfant and reveals how his influence persists in the nation's capital city. Dr. Berg teaches English at George Mason University.(Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

On July 22, 2010, Jack Mountcastle discussed photos from the temporary exhibition Memories of World War II: Photographs from the Archives of The Associated Press. The exhibition presented a stunning array of photographs from the greatest war in human history. It included photographs of Hitler and Mussolini at their peak, Londoners during the Blitz, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, Allied leaders at Tehran, GIs in Normandy, and Marines on the black sands of Iwo Jima. Organized from the archives of the Associated Press, this exhibition presented a spectrum of 121 of the most dramatic photographs from all theaters of the war and the home front. In this lecture Brig. Gen. John W. Mountcastle (USA, Ret.) surveyed the most important of these images. Before retiring from active duty, Jack Mountcastle was the army's chief of military history in Washington, D.C.(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On June 10, 2010, Jeffrey W. McClurken, discussed his book, "Take Care of the Living: Reconstructing Confederate Veteran Families in Virginia." The Civil War ended in spring 1865, but for Confederate veterans and their families, its consequences persisted far longer as they began to pick up the pieces of their civilian lives in the devastated South. In his new book, Jeffrey W. McClurken assesses the wide-ranging effects of the war on Confederate veteran families in Southside Virginia. Coming to terms with postwar reality on an individual level meant reconstructing the household and seeking jobs and financial assistance. It also involved the state in providing replacement limbs for amputees, pensions, and homes for old soldiers and widows. These changes would influence the shape of southern society for generations to come. Dr. McClurken teaches history at the University of Mary Washington.(Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

On May 20, 2010, Internationally renowned historians and hosts Edward Ayers, Brian Balogh, and Peter Onuf present "Paying Up: The History of Taxation." From the very beginning, Americans have been arguing about whether their taxes are fair and just. The American History Guys will explored taxation's complicated and turbulent history—from the Stamp Act of 1765 to the Tea Party Movement of 2010—and discuss Americans' attitudes toward the Tax Man. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On May 27, 2010, James Horn discussed his book "A Kingdom Strange: The Brief and Tragic History of the Lost Colony of Roanoke". In 1587, a small band of men, women, and children put down the first tentative roots of English settlement on the sandy soil of Roanoke Island along the North Carolina coast, in what was then considered part of Virginia. In the face of dwindling supplies and hostile Indians, the English leader, John White, left his family and friends and re-crossed the Atlantic in a desperate attempt to assemble ships to rescue the failing colony. However, the threat from the Spanish Armada delayed his return until 1590, and when he did, the colonists had completely disappeared. In his dramatic new account, master historian James Horn revisits the tragedy of this first, failed effort at English colonization in the New World. He offers new evidence about what happened to the Lost Colony and its people. The author of five books on early American history, James Horn is vice president of research and his

On Thursday, May 6, 2010, the VHS held its annual Stuart G. Christian, Jr., Lecture in the Robins Family Forum. Elizabeth and Michael Norman discussed their book Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath, the gripping story of the 1942 battle for the Philippines, the surrender of 76,000 Americans and Filipinos to the Japanese, and the infamous Bataan death march.(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On April 10, 2008, Charles C. Mann delivered the 2008 Stuart G. Christian, Jr., Trustees Lecture. In his recent best-selling book, 1491, a groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Mr. Mann radically altered our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. In 'Tobacco, Mosquito, Slave,' Mann gave VHS members a preview of his next book, which will describe the creation of the first truly global network of trade and ideas—from the triangular trade linking Europe, West Africa, and the New World to the first trans-Pacific ties between the New World and East Asia. (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

On November 19, 2008, former VHS President and CEO Charles F. Bryan, Jr., delivered the Alexander W. Weddell Trustees Lecture. In this autobiographical lecture, Dr. Bryan reflects on the field of public history as it developed during the course of his own career. In this autobiographical lecture, Dr. Bryan reflects on the field of public history as it developed during the course of his own career. In 1988, he was appointed as President and CEO of the Virginia Historical Society. During his tenure, Dr. Bryan oversaw fund-raising campaigns that raised more than $110 million. These efforts have resulted in quadrupling the size of the Society's headquarters building and a significant expansion of educational programs statewide. In November 2008, Dr. Bryan retired from the VHS and was named president emeritus by the board of trustees. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On March 21, 2009, Daniel P. Jordan delivered the Stuart G. Christian, Jr., Lecture. Drawing on his many years as president of Monticello, Dr. Jordan reflected on the meaning of Thomas Jefferson within the broader context of his times and his enduring legacy for us today. Daniel P. Jordan recently retired as president of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, one of the most beloved historic sites in America. No other historian today has immersed himself more deeply into the multifaceted life of our third president. Drawing on his many years at Monticello, Dr. Jordan reflected on the meaning of Thomas Jefferson within the broader context of his times and his enduring legacy for us today. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

On November 18, 2009, Josiah Bunting, III, delivered the 2009 Alexander W. Weddell Trustees Lecture. The topic of his lecture was "George Marshall, His Men, and the Recovery of Europe." Mr. Bunting is the President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation in New York, Former President of Hampden-Sydney College, and Superintendent Emeritus of the Virginia Military Institute. (Introduction by J. Stewart Bryan, III, and Paul A. Levengood)

On October 20, 2006, Peter Henriques delivered this lecture at the 2006 symposium, 'Virginians in the White House.' Peter Henriques is Professor of History, Emeritus, at George Mason University. He specializes on Virginia history with particular emphasis on Virginia and the American Revolution and the Virginia founding fathers. Henriques's most recent work is Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington (2006). (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

On October 20, 2006, Mr. Berg delivered this lecture at the 2006 symposium, "Virginians in the White House." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, A. Scott Berg is the author of best-selling books on Maxwell Perkins, Samuel Goldwyn, Charles Lindbergh, and Katharine Hepburn. He is currently writing a biography of Woodrow Wilson. Mr. Berg holds a B.A. from Princeton University. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

On April 4, 2008, Beth Bailey delivered this lecture at the 2008 symposium, "Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline." The continuing tensions in Winchester over Patsy Cline provide the basis for Beth Bailey's lecture. She discussed Patsy Cline and respectability by looking at questions of sexuality and gender in the context of the importance of "respectability" in postwar American culture. Dr. Bailey is Professor of History at Temple University. She is author of Sex in the Heartland; she is co-editor of A History of our Time; she also wrote From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in 20th Century America and co-authored the twentieth-century chapters in A People and a Nation. (Introduction by Sandra G. Treadway, Library of Virginia) (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

On April 4, 2008, Mike Foreman and Warren Hofstra delivered this lecture at the 2008 symposium, "Sweet Dreams: The Life and Times of Patsy Cline." (Includes comments from oral history interviews) Mike Foreman is an adjunct assistant professor of political science at Shenandoah University and a history instructor in the School of Continuing Education. Mr. Foreman co-edited Images of the Past; he is the author of A History of the Nurses Training School, Winchester Memorial Hospital, 1903–1964; and is currently working on Some Worthy Women, featuring biographical sketches of pioneer women leaders from Winchester and Frederick County. Warren R. Hofstra is Stewart Bell Professor of History at Shenandoah University in Winchester. In addition to teaching in the fields of American social and cultural history and directing the Community History Project of Shenandoah University, he has written or edited five books on American regional history, including The Planting of New Virginia: Settlement and Landscape in the Sh

On March 29, 2007, Dr. Lankford delivered the Stuart G. Christian, Jr., Lecture. In early March 1861, civil war loomed. By late April, Americans had begun to kill their fellow citizens. Cry Havoc! The Crooked Road to Civil War, 1861 recounts in riveting detail the events that divided the states and reveals how quirks of timing, character, and place all conspired to transform the nation into a battlefield. Nelson Lankford, author of Richmond Burning, chronicles the eight critical weeks that began with Lincoln's inauguration through the explosion at Fort Sumter and the president's fateful response to it. (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)