About Us

Founded in 1889, Preservation Virginia is the nation’s oldest statewide preservation organization and works to ensure the relevancy of the Commonwealth’s historic places. The multifaceted and impactful nature of our advocacy programs, six historic sites, and partnerships with other organizations has allowed us to create a holistic approach to saving the places that connect us to our diverse, complex history.

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is one of the most prominent Indian tribes to first meet Europeans on the East Coast of North America. This status is due in part to the prominence of Pamunkey Indians, especially Wahunsenacawh (Chief Powhatan) and Matoaka (Pocahontas), whose activities were integral to American history. The Pamunkey Indians long defended their rights as unique citizens of the United States, with treaty and legal privileges that date back more than four hundred years. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe played a vital role in England’s early settlements in North America, and documents preserved in the archives of the United States and England show the existence of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe since the first visit of Captain John Smith in 1607 when the English settled Jamestown.

The Pamunkey Indian Reservation, located along the Pamunkey River adjacent to King William County, Virginia, is the ancestral home of the Pamunkey people and one of the oldest recognized Indian reservations in the country. In the past, present, and future, the Pamunkey Indian Reservation is the heart of the Pamunkey community, possibly the only land left on the East Coast that has never been ceded, and it is the seat of a sovereign nation.

The mission of the Tribe is to preserve Rappahannock culture, social structures, and political structures while educating the public on the rich contributions that Rappahannocks have made and continue to make to Virginia and the Nation. State recognized: March 25, 1983.

Chief G. Anne Richardson was sworn in as the Chief of the Rappahannock Tribe in 1998. She is the first female Indian chief in Virginia since Cockcoeske became ruler of the Powhatan Confederacy in the mid-1600’s. She succeeds her father, Chief Captain Chawanta Nelson of 34 years as chief.

The Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Incorporated is an organized Tribe of Nottoway Indians. We live in the traditional territorial area of the historic Nottoway Tribe including Southampton County into Surry County and the Tidewater region. The governmental structure is democratic, based on an Iroquoian style of governance with a preeminent Tribal Council and ceremonial Chiefs.

Strategic Cultural Partnerships catalyzes W&M’s cultural and historic resources to generate new knowledge and advance understanding. Through partnership we bridge divides and create common ground in order to build a more just world.

Strategic Cultural Partnerships transcends the boundaries between past and present, scholarship and practice, and campus and community to illuminate our diverse stories and imagine our collective future.

Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state.

We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all better understand one another.

Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. As a non-partisan organization, we have been successful thanks to many years of strong bi-partisan commitment to our work at federal and state levels, as well as from the NEH itself.