Friends of Webb-Blessing

02/11/2024

Excited for next Sunday's Jefferson County Historical Society WV event in Charles Town! So many amazing people are contributing including Arthena Roper, Priscilla Rodd, Bob O'Connor Books LLC, Carmen Bratton, Lynn Bell Pechuekonis, Tanya Dallas Lewis, Nick Powers of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

11/07/2022

Coming up Thursday evening in Middletown ... history lovers in our group might want to check out this talk from Kenyette Spencer Mills, a descendant of Abraham Spencer, a potter who was free and Black. The talk is sponsored by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and registration is open through Wednesday. Admission is by donation

This Thursday at 7 p.m., head to Middletown to learn about the Battle of Cedar Creek from Kenyette Spencer Mills, descendent of free Black potter Abraham Spencer. Ms. Spencer Mills will read from the 1915 book Battleground Adventures in which her ancestor, Serena Spencer, recorded her remembrances of the battle. Shannon Moeck, park ranger of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, will discuss the Battle of Cedar Creek’s larger impact on the community.

Pay what you can. Register by November 9 here https://bit.ly/3FUrH8Z or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 240.

This presentation takes place at the historic St. Thomas Chapel in Middletown, near where Serena Spencer and her family lived during the Civil War. Program proceeds will be donated to St. Thomas Chapel. Presented by Belle Grove Plantation, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park, and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

10/21/2022

Wishing George Rutherford a happy birthday today! He's done so much to make the world a better place -- including helping to rescue the historic Webb-Blessing site by co-founding the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society

11/02/2020

"White" isn't about biology -- but about identity. What if we started to embrace ALL of the amazing stories of West Virginia?

West Virginia native Jeff James has written a book with one of 2020's most provocative titles: "GIVING UP WHITENESS." Elizabeth Gaucher takes a deep dive into the genesis and themes of the book in "5 Questions" with the author.

06/13/2020

George Rutherford kneels Sunday during a vigil at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town where hundreds demanded justice in the death of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police. Brian M. Christopher took this photo for the Jefferson County branch of the NAACP. Rutherford, an 85-year-old veteran and retired educator, has served as the president of the Jefferson County chapter of the NAACP since 1974. He also is one of the founders of the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society, the entity responsible for saving the historic Webb-Blessing House.

06/12/2020

Charles Town's Webb-Blessing House is on this tour. We've have so much important history around us. Hope you'll check it out!

This walking tour explored historic Charles Town, West Virginia and includes numerous historic homes and buildings as well as several museums.

05/13/2020

Are you a history lover looking for something to delve into as the Covid-19 pandemic rolls on? You will find plenty of fascinating items when you explore the Jefferson County Museum's online collection. (And we'd love to hear back about what caught your eye!)

This database provides access to the Jefferson County Museum's collection of objects, photographs, archives, and published material related to the history of the county.

02/26/2020

This Bible inscribed by abolitionist John Brown and given to Charles Town resident John Blessing just before Brown's 1859 ex*****on is at the heart of our work at the Friends of Webb-Blessing House. There is so much history here -- we must preserve and unearth the untold stories. Please join us and lend your talents and energy!

02/14/2020

This Black History Month, pause to consider what a unique treasure Charles Town's Webb-Blessing House is: A dwelling for a family of free African Americans decades before the Emancipation Proclamation and also a home with a direct tie to abolitionist John Brown. Please consider joining the Friends of Webb-Blessing as we work to preserve this incredible Charles Town history.