Tag Archives: Rappahannock Community College

The Northern Neck and Beyond

Menokin 2015 Speaker Series Off To A Great Start

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Neither rain, nor cold, nor dark of night can keep a history-loving crowd from its appointed rounds.

That was the case last Friday evening when an overflow assembly of 120 people gathered at Rappahannock Community College’s Warsaw campus to here Dr. Richard S. Dunn speak about his recently published book, A Tale of Two Plantations: Slave Life and Labor in Jamaica and Virginia.

Earlier that afternoon, some of Menokin’s Trustees were on hand to greet Dr. Dunn and his family as they arrived from a previous engagement in Charlottesville. Sarah Pope, Executive Director, made a brief presentation about Menokin and it’s revolutionary preservation plan to conserve and interpret this National Historic Landmark.

Guests, staff and trustees mingled with the Dunns, giving them a taste of Northern Neck hospitality, and some personal insights into the Glass House Project.

Dr. Dunn and his wife, Mary Maples Dunn, are greeted by Sarah Pope, Executive Director of Menokin.
Even Dr. Dunn could not resist the charms of Helen Murphy, former trustee of Menokin.
Sarah gave an overview of Menokin’s bold plan.
Tayloe Murphy, Foundation President, spoke with Jim Rogers and Beverly Rowland.
Trustee Rosemary Basile King explains the Menokin landscape to Tod and Barry Salisbury.

Then it was off to RCC. People came from far and near to attend the lecture. With space at a premium, many arrived early to get a good spot. The auditorium was full to capacity, with an overflow room taking those who were unable to make reservations.

The lecture wrapped up with a Q&A from the audience and a book signing.

Dr. Richard S. Dunn
Shout out to RCC for being such a generous and helpful host.
A capacity crowd with a live feed to an overflow room.
Guests lined up to purchase the book and made donations to Menokin.
Dr. Dunn was a trooper and signed many, many copies!

Guests then attended a lovely reception hosted by Catherine and Tayloe Emery at nearby Mount Airy. Because Mount Airy and owner John Tayloe III were a focus of the book, it felt most appropriate for attendees to gather there to engage and be inspired.

Sarah Pope (l) and Catherine Emery (r) at the Mount Airy reception
Looking toward the carriage entrance from the porch at Mount Airy.
Gwynne Tayloe of Mount Airy discusses the portraits in the great hall with the Dunns.
Tod and Barry Salisbury enjoyed the evening.
Menokin staff Mavora Donoghue (l) and Alice French (r) enjoyed relaxing with Trustees Ro King (2l) and Penelope Saffer (2r).

The lecture was video-taped and I’ll be sure to post a link to you tube as soon as it’s ready to share.

Find out about upcoming events in the Menokin Speaker Series.

 

The Northern Neck and Beyond

Book Talk: A Tale of Two Plantations

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The Menokin Foundation and Mount Airy bring Historian Richard S. Dunn to the Northern Neck

Friday, March 20, 2015

LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING
3:30 – 5:00
(Copies will be available for purchase)
Rappahannock Community College
Auditorium, Room W122
52 Campus Drive, Warsaw, VA
(map)

RECEPTION
5:00 to 7:00
Mount Airy
Mill Pond Road, Warsaw VA
(map)

Seating is limited to 100. To ensure a space, please RSVP to menokin@menokin.org no later than March 16, 2015. If you need to cancel your reservation please let us know ASAP so that we may offer your space to another guest.

About The Book

A Tale of Two PlantationsA Tale of Two Plantations, a book the New York Times calls “a substantial achievement,” is the culmination of over 30 years of research and describes the differences between the slave societies in the Caribbean and in North America.  Dunn compares the lives of enslaved peoples on two massive plantations—Mount Airy in Warsaw, Virginia, and Mesopotamia in Jamaica—and tracks the slave populations on the two plantations in minute detail.  At Mount Airy, Dunn focuses primarily on those slaves owned by John Tayloe III, and then his son, William Henry Tayloe, from about 1809 up to the Civil War.  An accompanying web site to the book presents mini-biographies of 351 members of four big Mount Airy slave families, including 141 people listed in the 1870 U.S. census.  Mr. Dunn plans to emphasize that part of his research in the talk to our Northern Neck audience.

About the Author

Richard S. DunnRichard S. Dunn is Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor Emeritus of American History at the University of Pennsylvania. Among his publications are Sugar and Slaves in 1972; The Papers of William Penn, edited with Mary Maples Dunn, in four volumes published in 1981–1987; and The Journal of John Winthrop, edited with Laetitia Yeandle, published in 1996. He also designed the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and was its founding director.

Co-sponsored By:
A.T. Johnson High School Alumni Association
Essex Public Library Friends
Essex County Museum and Historical Society
Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society
Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula Preservation Society
Northern Neck of Virginia Historical  Society
Northumberland County Historical  Society
Rappahannock Community College
Richmond County Library
Richmond County Museum

The Northern Neck and Beyond

A Match Made in Heaven – Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School and Menokin

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In spite of the pristine scenery and recreation – not to mention the tranquil lifestyle afforded by living on the Northern Neck – this geographical area, along with the Middle Peninsula counties across the Rappahannock River are under-served in many ways.

The rural, agrarian economy means incomes – and tax revenues – are lower than the national average. Schools are not fancy, and faculty and students alike struggle with the dichotomy of gaining a quality education with very limited resources.

Therefore, we are very fortunate to have an excellent community college system, Rappahannock Community College, with three campuses in the region; one of those is right here in Warsaw. These campuses are also home to an academically  challenging program for high school students called The Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School (CBGS).

The Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School for Marine and Environmental Science provides high-ability students from the Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula with a rigorous curriculum through enrichment, exploratory, investigative, and career awareness experiences. Through the integration of math, science, technology, and research, woven with marine and environmental sciences, students have the opportunity to foster an appreciation and respect for environmental issues.

CBGS provides a community of learners the opportunity to explore connections among the environment, math, science, and technology in order to help develop leaders who possess the research and technical skills, global perspective, and vision needed to address the challenges of a rapidly changing society.

And here sits Menokin, ten minutes from the Warsaw campus, in the middle of a wildlife refuge and with access to Cat Point Creek, one of the most undisturbed tributaries of the Rappahannock. We are a 500-acre classroom teeming with opportunities for research, exploration, inspiration and education of all things Marine and Environmental.

It is, obviously, a match made in heaven. And the courtship began in earnest in early November when the CBGS sophomore class from the Warsaw Campus came for an introductory field trip. Instructors Jim Beam (no, I’m not making it up), Daniel Maxey and Bethany Smith lead their eager students through the property to snatch up as much of the experience as possible during their brief stay. With field notebooks in hand, students scribbled notes about archaeology, geology, flora, fauna and conservation. Brain’s churned with ideas for senior projects that will be serious business in the not-too-distant future.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with CBGS students and teachers, and encourage all with the same passion for learning to take advantage of the resources here at Menokin.