Join the Orange County African American Historical Society for an illuminating afternoon featuring two groundbreaking research projects exploring African American history in our region: Mapping and Uncovering African American Heritage in Central Virginia. The program will begin after a brief business meeting.

No RSVP required. Light refreshments will be served.

Part 1: African and African-Descended Histories at Germanna

Kelly Arford-Horne, Archaeology Site Director, and Jennifer Hurst-Wender, Executive Director of Historic Germanna, will share discoveries about the Gordon family's remarkable journey from enslavement to freedom and their migration to Liberia. Learn about recent archaeological findings that reveal the daily lives of enslaved people at the Gordon Plantation site, and how this research expands our understanding of 19th-century African American experiences in Orange County.

Part 2: Roots to Routes - Black Heritage Across Nine Counties

George Monroe Jr., Executive Director of the Montpelier Descendants Committee, together with Dr. Andrea Roberts and her team from the UVA Center for Cultural Landscapes, will present their innovative digital mapping project. Discover how they're documenting historic Black spaces and connecting with descendant families around James Madison's Montpelier. Learn how you can contribute your own family stories to this growing digital archive of Black history.