By Dr. Nancy Watson

Recent Articles

James Monroe Museum

James Monroe Museum

Although Monroe never lived in the building that now houses the museum, it contains the nation’s largest collection of artifacts, manuscripts, and personal belongings relating to America’s fifth president. In many ways, it serves as the closest equivalent to a presidential library, preserving the story of his remarkable life and public service. Monroe is perhaps […]

Fredericksburg, Virginia
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is one of those places I might never have visited or even learned about. If it had not been preserved by the National Park Service. Traveling to Richmond, Virginia, with a friend, I stepped into the world of a remarkable woman whose vision and determination helped transform the lives of countless African Americans […]

Richmond, Virginia
Monticello

Monticello

Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello reflects the depth and breadth of his extraordinary intelligence. Remembered as our third president and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s brilliance is clearly visible throughout his home. At Monticello, you encounter not only a statesman, but an inventor, writer, architect and visionary. Every room reveals his curiosity and […]

Charlottesville, Virginia
Booker T. Washington National Monument

Booker T. Washington National Monument

During our 1996 family road trip to Atlanta for the Olympic Games, one of the historic sites we stopped along the way was Booker T. Washington National Monument in rural southwestern Virginia. Tucked into the rolling countryside, the site preserves the birthplace and early childhood environment of one of the most influential African American leaders in […]

Hardy, Virginia