Currently facing development pressures, Thoroughfare is a historic African American community founded by formerly enslaved people that lies along Rt. 55 in western Prince William County at the edge of Haymarket.
African American history
Updating the Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District
PEC is working with community members in Albemarle County to research and document the history and associated historic resources of African American communities in and around the Southwest Mountains.
Update on the James-Brown Cemetery in Madison County
PEC hired an archaeological firm to undertake a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the James-Brown Cemetary in Madison County.
St. John School – Rosenwald Funded
St. John School in Albemarle County was one of thousands of Rosenwald-funded schools built and operated for the purpose of educating Black children across the rural South during segregation.
Eyes Turn Toward Richmond: What To Expect This Session
Beyond the biennial budget bill, where PEC plans to help lead the charge for increased and dedicated funding for natural resource preservation, there are a few key issue areas we’ll be watching closely over the next two months.
New Maddensville Historic Site
At the quiet, rural crossroads of Routes 610 and 724, barely beyond the threshold of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Culpeper, the once-booming area of Maddensville is arguably one of the most intriguing and historical locations in Culpeper County.
A Few Highlights From 2021
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a global economic slowdown, 2021 proved to be a year of new opportunity here at The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Webinar: Quarterly Keynote with Ebonie Alexander
On December 14, PEC hosted its final Quarterly Keynote of 2021, which featured a discussion on retaining and protecting Black-owned land.
Maddensville Historic Site, Civil War Memorial, is dedicated before a crowd of 200 in Culpeper
On the stunningly sunny and crystal clear, crisp morning of Saturday, Nov. 6, just ahead of Veteran’s Day, some 200 people from far and wide came together in rural Culpeper County, Virginia to dedicate a new Civil War memorial site honoring three United States Colored Troops killed nearby in 1864 and the contributions of the family of a free Black man, Willis Madden.
New monument to honor United States Colored Troops and African American contributions in Culpeper County
While a national reckoning with the impacts of long-standing Confederate symbolism has brought about the sweeping removal of many Civil War statues across the commonwealth, at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, just ahead of Veteran’s Day, a new Civil War monument will rise up in Culpeper County, Virginia. Along Madden’s Tavern Road near the once-booming crossroads of Routes 610 and 724, this granite obelisk will memorialize the ultimate sacrifice of three veterans, United States Colored Troops (USCT) who were captured and executed by 9th Virginia Cavalry troops just 300 yards away on May 8, 1864.