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2015 SESSION
WHEREAS, in 2014, Southampton County Historical Society celebrated 50 years of working to collect, protect, and preserve artifacts and knowledge relevant to Southampton County’s unique and storied history; and
WHEREAS, Southampton County Historical Society traces its roots to 1964, when John C. Parker of Franklin sent letters to members of the community soliciting support for the formation of a local historical society; and
WHEREAS, the group that would become Southampton County Historical Society met in November 1964 and established its mission to seek out, arrange, and display facts and items of local interest; and
WHEREAS, Southampton County Historical Society held its first official meeting in the Walter Cecil Rawls Library and Museum in February 1965 and elected Charles Fox Urquhart, Jr., as president; the society resolved to make a list of all local buildings constructed prior to 1850, obtain documents related to the county’s past and arrange for their safekeeping, and restore old records at the Clerk of Court Office; and
WHEREAS, in April 1965, Southampton County Historical Society had 58 members and agreed to meet four times each year, including one joint meeting with the Southampton Archeological Society; by 1966, the society had achieved nonprofit status and grown to more than 100 members; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1960s, Southampton County Historical Society worked with the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission to identify possible locations for the landmarks registry and discussed writing a local history book; the society also considered an arrangement with Walter Cecil Rawls Library and Museum for the storage of local artifacts; and
WHEREAS, Southampton County Historical Society continued to expand in the 1970s, hosting over 200 people at a meeting in 1974; the society also acquired the Rochelle-Prince House as its permanent home; and
WHEREAS, in the 1980s, Southampton County Historical Society turned its focus to the study and preservation of artifacts related to Nat Turner and the Southampton Insurrection in 1831, and in 1989, the society acquired property for the construction of a museum; and
WHEREAS, Southampton County Historical Society held the grand opening of its museum in 1991, showcasing wood carvings made from the Sebrell Elm Tree, which was the largest elm tree in the United States before its death in 1988; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Southampton County Historical Society erected markers on the Nat Turner insurrection route and acquired numerous pieces for a Nat Turner exhibit; the society also acquired the Rebecca Vaughan House and the Blount Building for use as a museum; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Southampton County Historical Society hereby be commended on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Southampton County Historical Society as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for the society’s diligent contributions to the preservation of local history.