Remembrance Day Ceremony for Lives Lost at Henricus During 1622 Virginia Indian Offensive

Today, Henricus Historical Park conducted a Remembrance Day Ceremony to pay homage to the lives lost at the Citie of Henricus during the Virginia Indian Offensive on March 22, 1622. During the ceremony, the Cross of Saint George flag representing England was raised and lowered to half-mast. A wreath was laid to remember the colonial and Virginia Indian lives lost. Names of the dead from Falling Creek, Colledge Lands, Sheffield's Plantation, Pierce's Plantation and Henrico Island were read aloud. A total of 65 people or 20-25% of the Virginia Colony population died during the raid. Names of the Virginia Indians who lost their lives are not known but were remembered. Bagpipes and a moment of silence closed the ceremony. Additional information about the 1622 Virginia Indian Offensive will be presented during an event at Henricus on Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a candlelight tour from 7-8 p.m. Please visit http://www.henricus.org/ for additional information.

Charles Lewis Grant Named Executive Director of Henricus Historical Park

The Henricus Foundation with Chesterfield and Henrico Counties are pleased to announce that Charles Lewis Grant has been named Executive Director of Henricus Historical Park after a nationwide search. Grant served as acting executive director since July 2010 and throughout the site's 400th commemoration. He previously served as operations manager of the living history museum for two years.

"It is an honor to represent the second successful English settlement in North America and educate visitors about the significance of the Citie of Henricus," said Grant. "I'm proud of the diverse talent, rich history and beautiful natural surroundings at Henricus Historical Park and the Dutch Gap Conservation Area."

During his tenure, Grant directed and managed the planning, operation and coordination of programs, staff and facilities. Prior to Henricus Historical Park, Grant served as president of Custom Collectibles, Ltd., and senior project manager at The American Historical Foundation. Grant has undergraduate and master's degrees from Radford University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, respectively.

Henricus Historical Park Bids Farewell and Thanks to Architect Tom McLaughlin

Henricus Historical Park mourns the loss of Mr. Thomas Kesler McLaughlin, Jr., who died at home on January 5, 2012, after two years of treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. McLaughlin served as town architect at Henricus Historical Park and designed several of the re-created colonial structures. He is survived by his wife, daughter, son, sister and brother-in-law, among his extended family. A memorial service will be held at the Branch House, 2501 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Va., 23220 on January 10, 2012, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Here is a link to his obituary from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesdispatch/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-kesler-mclaughlin&pid=155403552

John Pagano Named “Employee of the Year” by Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation

On December 16, John Daniel Pagano, historical interpretation supervisor at Henricus Historical Park, was named "Employee of the Year" for 2011 by the Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation. Pagano was nominated by Charles Lewis Grant, acting executive director of the living history museum. Grant selected Pagano for his instrumental efforts in helping the counties of Chesterfield and Henrico with the 400th anniversary of the Citie of Henricus. Pagano designed, choreographed, recruited and implemented special programs to highlight the unique "firsts" that occurred at Henricus. Four of the events were new and Pagano developed innovative ways to present these topics to the public. He single-handedly recruited 125 historical interpreters for the site's 400th commemoration during Publick Days in September. Throughout the year, Pagano represented Henricus in dozens of media interviews and at various public appearances. He became the historical interpretation supervisor at Henricus Historical Park in 2007. Pagano is a trained special education teacher and has worked as an actor and historical consultant on hundreds of films.

Henricus Militia Commander Receives Community Leadership Award

This month, Woodmen of the World Richmond/ Chesterfield Lodge 159 presented Dennis Strawderman with a Community Leadership Award. Charles Lewis Grant, acting executive director of Henricus Historical Park, was at the presentation to highlight Strawderman's exceptional civic service on behalf of the museum. A former Marine, Strawderman commands the all-volunteer Henricus Militia and often portrays Sir Thomas Dale who founded Henricus as a military fort in 1611. Militia service was compulsory for all free males capable of bearing arms in the colony. Today, the 23-member Henricus Militia offers infantry, artillery and colonial river commerce demonstrations for Henricus Historical Park and the surrounding community. To learn more about the Henricus Militia visit http://www.henricusmilitia.com/. Since 1952, Woodmen of the World lodges have expressed gratitude to outstanding citizens of the community - those who have gone the extra mile in civic service and community betterment efforts. Nationally, Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society is the largest fraternal benefit society with open membership in the United States (http://www.woodmen.org/).

Henricus Receives Livestock Donation from Chesterfield County Farm Bureau to Initiate "Agriculture in the Classroom" Partnership

Today Henricus Historical Park received two female adolescent goats from the Chesterfield County Farm Bureau to initiate a partnership with the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC). "Grasshopper" and "Doll Baby" are from O'Berry Farm, a Chesterfield County Farm Bureau producer member.

AITC is national program which brings agriculture education to life through real-world applications. Funded by Virginia's agriculture community, the foundation provides elementary and middle school educators with free teaching materials that are aligned with Virginia's Standards of Learning and can be integrated into current curricula. Henricus Historical Park will begin offering "Agriculture in the Classroom" programming this summer.

Participating in today's event were Charles Lewis Grant, acting executive director, Henriucs Historical Park; Howard Nester, Jr., president, Chesterfield County Farm Bureau; Karen Davis, executive director, AITC; and Pat and Cheryl O'Berry, O'Berry Farm. To learn more about SOL-aligned education programs for pre-K-12 at Henricus Historical Park, visit http://www.henricus.org/.

Life of Pocahontas at the Cite of Henricus

Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, first captured the attention of the English when she and other Virginia Indian children began visiting Jamestown in 1607. John Smith described her as playful, spirited and smarter than the other children. Later, Pocahontas was credited for saving Smith at the hands of her father. Captured by Samuel Argall in 1613, Pocahontas was originally taken to Jamestown. Sir Thomas Gates, fearful of reprisal from Powhatan, turned Pocahontas over to Sir Thomas Dale at Henricus. Dale instructed Rev. Alexander Whitaker to care for Pocahontas and instruct her in the ways of Christianity. While living at Henricus she converted to Christianity, was baptized and took the English name Rebecca. She met and was courted by John Rolfe, whom she married in April 1614. After their marriage, Powhatan signed a peace treaty with the English settlers which lasted until March 22, 1622. In 1616, Pocahontas traveled to England with her husband and infant son Thomas. While there she contracted an illness, possibly tuberculosis or small pox, and died at the age of 22. She remains buried in Gravesend, England. Learn more about the life of Pocahontas at Henricus Historical Park on Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.; free for members, $8 for adults and $6 for children 3-12).

Visit “Haunted Henricus” Event for Modern and Historic Ghost Stories

At Henricus this weekend, storytellers will relive English and Virginia Indian ghost stories. In addition, experts from Transcend Paranormal (aka R.I.P. Ghost Hunters) will share findings of recent paranormal activity at Henricus. Specialists have visited Henricus several times and captured a misty figure on video, experienced objects moving and discovered Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) in virtually every building onsite. EVPs have been recorded of people speaking, furniture dropping and cannons firing. Experts from Transcend Paranormal utilize electromagnetic field detectors, cameras, camcorders and voice recorders when conducting research. See proof of ghost activity at "Haunted Henricus: Things That Go Bump in the Night" this weekend (reservation required: (804) 748-1613). For more information, visit http://www.ripvirginia.com/.

Thomas Dale Students Get Behind-the-Scenes Movie Tour at Henricus

On Friday, October 14, nine drama students at Thomas Dale High School (TDHS) got a behind-the-scenes tour of the "To Have and To Hold" movie set at Henricus. Students were given the opportunity to learn how a large-scale move is made including meet-and-greets with the film's director, producer and stars and a glimpse into the wardrobe, make-up and catering facilities for the movie. TDHS is home to Chesterfield County's Visual and Performing Arts Specialty Center for students highly interested or talented in music, theater, dance or visual arts. "To Have and To Hold" is a colonial-era movie based on a best-selling American novel written in 1900. Filming at Henricus will conclude this week.

Set Design Underway at Henricus for "To Have and To Hold" Movie Filming

Crews have begun designing the set for the "To Have and To Hold" movie filming at Henricus. So far, an enormous gate and palisade have been created behind the Court de Guard and in front of the forge. Mount Malady has been transformed from a hospital into a church with pews, new landscaping and a steeple to be added shortly. A huge haystack has been built near the carpentry shop and period props have been placed around the Historic Citie for various scenes. The crew set up a base camp for the film production including tents and trailers in the unpaved parking lot. Henricus Historical Park will be closed to the general public from October 3-19 for the filming. Previously scheduled school field trips will take place as planned along with "School of the Musketeer" on October 7-9. People are encouraged to visit Henricus.org for further updates and additional details.