04/26/2026
"Lectures on the Lawn" return for 2026 on the first three Thursdays in June -- and the Rural Plains Foundation has got a great line-up of speakers for you to enjoy!
June 4:
Jon Kukla: “How Sunk is Britain!”: Virginia’s Turn to Independence, Spring 1776
Virginia’s defiance of Britain had not yet, in late 1775, become commitment to independence. That changed in early 1776, especially after Governor Dunmore’s artillery triggered the New Year’s Day Fire that destroyed Norfolk (reflected in the Declaration of Independence statement that King George had “ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns…”). “How sunk is Britain!” declared one essay. In his talk, Jon returns to "Lectures on the Lawn" to explore how by June 1776 many formerly loyal Virginians, under the leadership of Patrick Henry and others, embraced separation as members of the “United Colonies”.
Historian Jon Kukla is the widely-acclaimed author of numerous books, including "Patrick Henry, Champion of Liberty" and "Mr. Jefferson’s Women".
June 11:
Stephen Wilson: “St. John’s Church, Patrick Henry, and Liberty or Death: A Closer Look”
Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech in Richmond in 1775 was a turning point in the struggle for independence. That day, Henry stood out in a large assembly of charismatic leaders, many of whom arrived with dramatically different agendas than he had. Stephen Wilson of the St. John’s Church Foundation provides an inside look at the men who gathered there, the paths that led them there, and why Henry’s pleas prevailed (barely) in a crucial vote for self-determination.
Stephen Wilson has served since 2021 as Executive Director of the St. John’s Church Foundation, which works both to preserve the legacy of the “Library or Death” speech, and to help maintain and improve the historic church property.
June 18:
Katherine Ridgway: “Revolutionary Relics: Unearthing the Stories in Richmond’s Lee Monument Cornerstone”
In 2021, conservators unearthed a copper cornerstone box, and another lead box, buried for l34 years beneath Richmond’s Robert E. Lee monument. Katherine Ridgway of the Virginia Department of Historical Resources will talk about the removal of the monument, the opening of the two boxes, and the Commonwealth’s work to preserve the artifacts as well as inform the public about both the stories found in the boxes…and the stories left out.
Katherine is Chief Archaelogical Conservator for the DHR, following previous positions with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
All lectures are free and open to the public, and begin at 6:30 on the front lawn of the Shelton House, 7273 Studley Road, Mechanicsville. Feel free to bring chairs and a picnic dinner! (Rain location: Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road.)
