The Nelson County Historical Society and Oakland Museum

08/31/2026

Talk on Emigrants from Central Virginia to Liberia Saturday, Sept. 20

The Nelson County Historical Society is co-sponsoring with the Nelson Heritage Center a presentation on the history of local African-Americans who emigrated to Liberia after the Civil War. Joe Stinnett, former editor of the Lynchburg News and Advance, has written Out of Virginia, a detailed history of the period that saw both former slaves and freed persons join this movement. The presentation is set for Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Heritage Center at 1653 Thomas Nelson Highway, Arrington. The event is free and open to the public.

In October 1865, six months after the Civil War ended, more than one hundred of the Black residents of Central Virginia, including Nelson County, left their homes to cross the ocean and begin their lives anew. Their destination was Liberia. They risked everything for the chance to live as full citizens, educate their children, own land, and make a good living—all of which they felt they stood a better chance to do outside the United States, despite their newfound freedom. Why did they leave so soon after the dream of emancipation had finally been realized? And what happened when they ultimately disembarked in West Africa? Out of Virginia tells their story.

This presentation includes photographs and other art work of the Virginians who participated in this movement.

Joe Stinnett

08/16/2026

Links to YouTube videos of Hurricane Camille Remembrance Program at Oakland Museum on Aug. 15, 2026.

https://youtu.be/ijqyUwB4yYM Camille Documentary Preview centered on Massies Mill.

https://youtu.be/FK5hnQkzVvM Old Roseland and Rt. 151 area residents relate stories of Hurricane Camille, aided by photos and aerial studies of flooding and landslides.

Residents of Old Roseland and nearby locations share stories and re...

08/10/2026

Special Fundraiser Book Sale Camille Commemoration Day at Oakland Museum on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Torn Land by Jerry & Paige Simpson (bids start at $250); Roar of the Heavens by Stephan Bechtel (bids start at $50).

Copies of these two books were recently given by a donor who requested that they be sold to benefit the Nelson County Historical Society. Torn Land is considered a scarce regional history book that is difficult to find on the secondary market. Both copies are in good condition.

Bids will be accepted beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15. Each book will be sold to the highest bidder at 3 p.m. You must be present to make purchase.

Oakland Museum is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway, across from Tye River Elementary School.

08/10/2026

REMINDER:The annual Hurricane Camille Remembrance Day will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oakland Museum, sponsored by the Nelson County Historical Society.
Presentations of each of the following will be made at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Camille Room: Brenda Oakcrum and Jennifer Oakcrum Thomasson will present a preview of a documentary they are making about the impact of Hurricane Camille on the Massies Mill community. The focus of the documentary is to engage with the community and interpret personal stories that have been told but not previously recorded. Audiences will be encouraged to share their stories.

Tavern Room: Lynn Giles McClain and David Hight will discuss their experiences during Camille. They will be joined by Anne Witt (VA Dept of Geology and Mineral Resources). Lynn will share photographs she took mid-day on the morning after the flood. Anne will demonstrate how 1969 aerial images can be integrated into Google Earth imagery. If members of the audience have property of interest along a major highway or stream, the society’s data base may have an image that can be shown.

Oakland Museum is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway across from Tye River Elementary School. Admission is free.

Old Roseland after Camille

08/03/2026

The Nelson County Historical Society will present a Hurricane Camille Anniversary Program on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Oakland Museum. Local residents, descendants of residents, and State Agency professionals plan to have an interactive conversation with visitors to discuss how the natural disaster impacted the county. Unpublished and recently digitized photographs will be shown. Oakland is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway across from Tye River Elementary School.

Camille Room 11 a.m. to noon & 1:30 to 2:30 p.m:
Brenda Oakcrum and Jennifer Oakcrum Thomasson will present a preview of a documentary video they are making about the impact of Hurricane Camille on the Massies Mill community. The documentary will put personal stories into the physical damage context. They have recently interviewed family and friends and have researched existing oral histories. The focus of the documentary is to engage with the community and interpret personal stories that have been told but not previously recorded.

Tavern Room 11a.m. to noon:
Lynn Giles McClain and David Hight will discuss their experiences during Camille. They will be joined by Anne Witt (Virginia Department of Geology and Mineral Resources). McClain lived on the bluff overlooking the confluence of Hat Creek and the Tye River in ‘Old Roseland” (the community where the Post Office stood prior to the flood). She and a neighbor, both home from college, investigated the damage not knowing at the time that people were missing up both streams. Lynn will share photographs she took mid-day on the morning after the flood. Witt will demonstrate how 1969 aerial images can be integrated into Google Earth imagery. If members of the audience have property of interest along a major highway or stream our data base may have an image that can be shown.

1:30 to 2:30 p.m:
Hight lived just a half-mile north of “Old Roseland” and was also home from college. He too was out investigating as he needed to get to his summer job with VDOT. David will use photographs, including detailed aerial images, to relate the damages he encountered. Before he could get to the Amherst office his initial assignment was helping to clear Rt. 151 from Roseland north through Brent’s Gap. Witt will be on hand to show 1969 aerial images in Google Earth.

07/26/2026

Revolutionary Nelson Presentation
https://youtu.be/c026vqmUH4o

Join Library of Virginia historian Eric Johnson for an engaging history talk rooted in the firsthand accounts of the Revolutionary era, based on local residents of all backgrounds sharing their stories via legislative petitions and narratives of their war service. Today, those petitions and narratives — along with maps, wills, newspapers and other documents — are preserved at the Library of Virginia, and in this talk, Johnson will share these local glimpses into Nelson's past.

07/22/2026

REMINDER: Revolutionary Stories of the Nelson County Area

The Nelson County Historical Society will present “Revolutionary Stories of the Nelson County Area” on Saturday, July 25 at 2 p.m. at the Nelson Memorial Library in Lovingston.

Curious what life was like in the area that is now Nelson County during the American Revolution? Join Library of Virginia historian Eric Johnson for an engaging history talk rooted in the firsthand accounts of the Revolutionary era. Throughout the war and its aftermath, local residents of all backgrounds shared their stories via legislative petitions and narratives of their war service.

Today, those petitions and narratives — along with maps, wills, newspapers and other documents — are preserved at the Library of Virginia, and in this talk, Johnson will share these local glimpses into Nelson's past.

Hear how area residents navigated the wartime experience at home and in the service, argued for religious liberty, and managed shifting county boundaries during a time of profound change. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with our local history and see the Revolutionary era come to life through the words and stories of the people who lived it.
Nelson Memorial Library is located at 8521 Thomas Nelson Highway in Lovingston. Oakland Museum will close at 1 p.m. that Saturday so visitors can join us at the library meeting room.

07/05/2026

REMINDER: This coming Saturday, July 11, from 1 – 3 p.m. at Oakland Museum, A Conversation with Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr., portrayed by Tom Nelson, a descendant of the signer of the Declaration of Independence for whom the county was named. Free and open to the public. Oakland is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway across from Tye River Elementary School.

06/29/2026

July 11 -Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. at Oakland Museum
Conversation with Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr. portrayed by Tom Nelson, a descendant of the signer of the Declaration of Independence for whom the county was named.

05/22/2026

Mark Your Calendars - Upcoming Events at Oakland Museum

Sat June 27 - Natural History presentation with Susan McSwain 2 p.m.
Sat July 11 - Gov. Thomas Nelson & the Declaration of Independence Program with Tom Nelson, descendant of the governor.
Sat. Aug. 15 - Annual Hurricane Camille Commemoration with focus on Massies Mill with documentarians and residents.
Sat. Oct. 17 - Earl Hammer Jr. Day with Kami Cotler.
Oct. 22-24 - VA250 Mobile Museum at Oakland Museum

More details to come.