Middletown, VA
Saturday was opening day for Belle Grove Plantation after a winter break. I’ve been there many times, but I wanted to see the new quilts on display. These were stitched at community events and venues as part of a project to honor the memories of the enslaved workers who kept Belle Grove flourishing from 1783 to 1851.
Names of 270 people are on the quilts, organized by family groups. Their names were discovered through years of research using local records, news articles, and other sources.
In the next room is an archaeology exhibit called “Unearthing Enslaved Lives.” I’ve been following the research here for quite a few years. Historians, archaeologists, and students have done an impressive of reconstructing stories that were almost lost to time.
The property is on the Cedar Creek Civil War battlefield.
If you happen to go back a little closer view of the quilts would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I forgot that your wife is a quilter. She might like this article from the National Trust. https://savingplaces.org/stories/carole-gary-staples-belle-grove-memorial-quilt-project
Delete...this country was built with slavery.
ReplyDeleteGreat exhibits, the quilts look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the last scene and photo.
Take care, enjoy your day! Have a wonderful week!
How great to hear that 270 people may be remembered for their contributions, and their names and lives honored.
ReplyDeleteDear Linda, what painstaking yet fascinating research went into this exhibition! I always find it wonderful when hidden figures are, so to speak, "unearthed" and given a visible place in history.
ReplyDeleteI also read the spring story that your sweet Charlie tells and looked at the photos. Please give him a few gentle scratches from me!
All the best from Austria,
Traude
It looks like a lovely place, and I'd go there a lot too!
ReplyDelete