Events

We will present the Old Fashioned Village Holiday event on December 14, 2013. Check our newsletter for any upcoming events, or call the office for more information.

Newest publication: Virginia's Palmyra - The Shiretown of Fluvanna by David W.C. Bearr. Available now. Click for order form.

The Old Stone Jail Museum and the Holland Page Place Log Cabin are available for tours by appointment any time of the year. The museums are not open for regular tours between October to May. For more information on the Old Stone Jail Museum and the Holland Page Place Log Cabin, click these links:
Old Stone Jail Museum
Holland Page Place Log Cabin
Please call for an appointment to tour the Jail or the Cabin: Judith Mickelson 434.589.7910.

The Fluvanna County Historical Society is noted for its sponsorship of many community events. Here is a list of some of them. Additional information on these events can be found by contacting the staff at Maggie’s House.

• Lecture Series – the Society sponsors a series of lectures each year on subjects related to Fluvanna’s history and culture. 

• Old Farm Day – held the first Saturday of each October, this is the premier public event in Fluvanna County attended by hundreds of vendors and community groups and attracting thousands of visitors. Admission is a nominal fee. Rain date will be scheduled. For more info, please email oldfarmday@fluvannahistory.org, or call 434.589.9405.

• Old Fashioned Village Holiday Event in the Village of Palmyra held the second Saturday in December. Initiated just a few years ago, this event brings hundreds of guests to the center of Palmyra for a celebration of traditional Christmas.  It has become very popular and includes concerts, tours of the village and its historic sites, and the lighting of the county Christmas tree. All are welcome and event is free. We are very grateful to our many supporters! The Village Celebration will NOT be held in 2012.

• Please note that the Piedmont Crossroads Visitor's Center is now open at the Best Western Hotel at Zion' s Crossroads. Fluvanna County is represented with Orange and Louisa Counties.

• Annual Meeting – held in the fall this meeting usually is held at an historic Fluvanna site and includes a program of interest to our membership.

• Others – the Society is always planning new events to involve our members and the public.

Past Events:

Ashlawn-Highland's Monroe Interpreter, Dennis Bigelow as President Monroe.

President James Monroe Visits Fluvanna!

On a snowy Sunday, February 19, in the historic Courthouse designed by General John Hartwell Cocke, Ashlawn-Highland's Monroe Interpreter, Dennis Bigelow, took us back in time to 1828. Mr. Bigelow as President Monroe, clad in period dress, delivered his thoughts on war, politics and life as a public servant. He shared stories of his friendships with the founding fathers, as well as General Cocke and the Marquis de Lafayette. An enthusiastic audience, who braved the first snow of the winter, gave the President a standing ovation for his inspiring and very informative talk. Thank you, Mr. Bigelow, for your elegant performance portraying our fifth President, James Monroe.

The Society held its Second Artists' Studio Tour to Benefit the Society's Endowment Fund and to promote our fine Fluvanna artists on June 30, 2012. Painters, an iconographer, a potter and textile artists participated in this year's studio tour. Several artists exhibited in the village of Palmyra and at the historic Slave Chapel in Bremo Bluff, and the rest at their own studios. Participating artists included Rob Browning, Jan Crowther, John Hughes, Father Mefodii, Lindsay Nolting, Peg Redd, Ronald and Susan Salomon and Tom Tartaglino. The event brought out art lovers from Fluvanna, as well as Northern Virginia and other neighboring counties. Click for flyer.

President James Monroe Visits Fluvanna. Pres. Monroe, as interpreted by Dennis Bigelow, will share his thoughts on the War of 1812 and other topics of his day. Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 pm in the Historic Courthouse in the village of Palmyra. View invitation for more details.

7th Annual Holiday Village Celebration: Saturday, December 10, 2011

Old Farm Day at Pleasant Grove: Saturday, October 1, 2011

Historical Society Annual Fall Meeting: Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Civil War 150 Legacy Project. Archivists scan photogrpahs and documents related to the Civil War. Click for flyer.

Lecture: Saving Monticello: The Levy Family's Stewardship of Thomas Jefferson's Essay in Architecture. By Marc Leepson, Historian, Author and Journalist. Fluvanna County Courthouse on Court Square, Palmyra. Thursday, February 17, 2010 at 7:00 pm.
Click for invitation.

Book Signing with Don Payne, Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 2:00-4:00 pm.

Village Holiday Celebration, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Many activities for the entire family! Click for the flyer!

Artists' Studio Tour, Oct 30 11 -4, 2010. Click for brochure and ticket order form. (3.7Mb PDF)

Annual Fall Historical Society Meeting, Sunday, October 10, 2010at 3:00 p.m. at Sunny Side Farm Deborah Murdock
The Annual Meeting of the Fluvanna Historical Society will be held this year at Sunny Side Farm. Our hosts will be Mr. and Mrs. James Covington, who recently purchased the 550-acre farm and placed it under conservation easement “in perpetuity” with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Much work has been done on the barns and out-buildings; new fencing and jumps placed for active fox hunting. Sunny Side (formerly known as Ponderosa) was owned by the Holland family for many years. Bob Lum, who was our local surveyor, grew up here during the Lum family ownership. The frame house, located in the grove of oaks, burned in the 1980s. Across the road is the Holland-Page Place (ca. 1865) given to the Society by Mrs. Sara Holland Loving in 1998. A careful restoration was completed in 2006. This charming log house will be open following the meeting. Sunny Side is located three miles east of Palmyra on Court House Road (Rt. 601) on the south side just beyond the Holland-Page Place sign. Bring your lawn chairs.

15th Annual Old Farm Day, Saturday, October 2, 2010. (Always the first Saturday of October) Click for info!

6th Old Fashioned Village Holiday Celebration in the historic village of Palmyra on Saturday, December 11, 2010 beginning at 2pm with walking tours of the village and 3pm with horse and carriage rides and musical groups and much more.

Local Author's Book Signing with Anne-Marie Parrish - August 25, 2010. Anne-Marie served tastings of foods from her garden and kitchen from the new cookbook she authored entitled, From the Farm - A Cookbook.

The Old Stone Jail Museum 2010 Opening: click here for the flyer.

The Holland Page Place 2010 Opening: click here for the flyer.

Local Author's Book Signing with the Reverend Dr. Robert Henry Crewdson on Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Click for invitation.

In celebration of Black History month, the Fluvanna Historical Society welcomes Fluvanna-born Mary Moment Mack. Click for invitation.

Trey Dillard and his team of Black Clydesdales.

Our 5th Old Fashioned Village Holiday Celebration took place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, December 12 in the historic Court Square of Palmyra, the County Seat of Fluvanna.

Once again, Trey Dillard of Stage Junction Clydesdales of Fluvanna brought his magnificant team of Black Clydesdales and the antique carriage and gave rides around the village to delighted guests. Just Us sang joyful songs in the Palmyra United Methodist Church, while the Thessolonia and Cloverdale Baptist Church Choirs led by Chris Lewis, sang so beautifully and shared their engaging spirit.

Boxwood lights in front of the Old Jail. Both Holiday Celebration photos by Chris Lenicheck

All of the festivities of the day were well attended: The McGehee family gave walking tours and regaled the guests with great stories of historic Fluvanna; hot cider and homemade cookies kept children and grown-ups very happy; the guides at the Old Stone Jail Museum met with many guests and shared our county history, and Leslie Geer led everyone in chorus around the park. As you can see, the lighting of the boxwood in front of the Jail has become a glorious tradition. Everyone is welcome and there is no admission fee of any kind. This is our gift to the community. Come and celebrate the season with us next year.

Thank you to all the many volunteers who helped to make this year's celebration a great success and especially to Marvin Moss, Emily Gordon and the Fluvanna Garden Club, Garland Nuckhols and the staff at Fluvanna's Public Works Department, Janis and Don Shaneberger, and all the wonderful guides at the museum, sponsors of the event, the McGehee Family, Just Us, Chris Lewis and Trey Dillard and everyone else who gave of their time to make this day feel like a true holiday celebraton.

Model A Car Tour, September 21, 2009 at 9:00 am. Click for more info (PDF).

Museum Day, Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 1-4 pm, sponsored by the Smithsonian Magazine. Admission is free on this day and we welcome everyone to visit the Old Stone Jail Museum and the Holland Page Place.

Old Farm Day, Saturday, October 3, 2009.

Annual Meeting, October 11, 2009 3:00 pm at Byrd Hill. Click for invitation (PDF).

Old Stone Jail Open House, May 30 or May 31, 2009. The Holland Page Place opening Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:30 PM. Click for the flyer (PDF)

Alan Pell Crawford and Rick Britton lecture on President Jefferson, and book signing - click for invitation (PDF)

Laura Donahue Wins 2008 Jesse Hunt Award - click for news release (PDF)

"A Commonwealth of Traditions: Exploring Virginia's Folklife," a lecture by Jon Lohman. April 10, 2008 - click for flyer (PDF)

2007 Bridge Dedication - December 10, 9:00 am. - click for invitation (PDF)

Old Fashioned Village Holiday Event - click for flyer (PDF)

Holland Page Place Opening - May 26, 2007 - click for flyer (PDF)

General John Hartwell Cocke of Fluvanna Lecture - May 31, 2007 - click for flyer (PDF)