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Virginia Politics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

By Bob Holsworth
January 14, 21, 28, and February 4, 2010   |   Time: 5:30–7:00 pm

In 1949, the author V. O. Key described Virginia as a "political museum" piece. Yet for the last fifty years, the Old Dominion has been anything but. Virginia is an economically and politically vibrant state that is increasingly seen as a bellwether for national trends. This class examines the forces, the people, and the issues that have transformed Virginia politics. The course will focus on key elections, major policy innovations, and the principal challenges that face the state in contemporary times. It will pay special attention to the concerns that Virginia's new governor will have to address in 2010 and beyond. The class is taught by Dr. Bob Holsworth, one of the state's leading political analysts, founder of VirginiaTomorrow.com, and a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award Winner. He was also founding director of the Center for Public Policy and the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

$110/VHS members; $125/nonmembers
Register online or register by mail

George Washington at War

By Ed Lengel
February 11 and 18, 2010   |   Time: 5:30–7:00 pm

George Washington's military leadership, though often described, remains little understood. Was he a Fabian warrior, dedicated to preserving his army and avoiding set-piece battles, in hopes of outlasting the British? Or was he a gambler, prone to recklessly exposing his forces in pursuit of the all-elusive final battle that would crush Britain's military might and end the war? Edward G. Lengel, senior editor at the Papers of George Washington documentary editing project and author of numerous books and articles on Washington's military career, examines these and many other questions as he explores the nature of Washington's military leadership. Special emphasis is given to the Philadelphia and Valley Forge campaigns of 1777–78, and to facts and insights recently uncovered in the course of editing Washington's military correspondence.

$50/VHS members; $60/nonmembers
Register online or register by mail

Nelson County: Pharsalia, Oak Ridge, and the Saunders Brothers Orchard

November 11   |   8 am departure   |   $85/VHS member
Registration is closed. If you would like to inquire about the waiting list, please contact Kelly Winters at 804.342.9658.

This trip takes us first to beautiful Pharsalia, a Blue Ridge antebellum plantation home, circa 1814. Surrounded by apple orchards, vineyards, and rolling pastures, this home was built for William Massie, the youngest son of Major Thomas Massie, who was a distinguished veteran of the American Revolution. Many of the original buildings have been and are being restored and available to tour... the main house, slave quarters, smoke house, outdoor kitchen, laundry, ice house and necessity. The house is the subject of a popular new book by historian Lynn Nelson, Pharsalia: An Environmental Biography of a Southern Plantation, 1780–1880 (available in the VHS Pusey Museum Shop).

After Pharsalia, we travel to Oak Ridge. The mansion on this 5,000-acre plantation estate was first built in 1802 and acquired at the turn of the 20th century by Thomas Fortune Ryan, a Nelson County native who had become one of the ten wealthiest men in the nation. He made impressive alterations to the building and grounds—adding a formal Italian garden, rotunda greenhouse, and railroad station, among other features.

A stop at Saunders Brother Orchard will allow us to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves. Saunders Brothers began as a partnership among five brothers in 1915. Today, third generation brothers, Tom, Bennett, Jim, and Robert, with their dad, Paul, operate the wholesale nursery which now comprises nearly 350 houses. The 150-acre apple and peach orchard provides delicious fresh fruit for wholesale and local retail markets. At the Packing Shed farm market at Saunders Brothers, you will find one of the largest privately owned collections of farm antiques in the state of Virginia.