Welcome

About CVHR

We are a group of professional and independent researchers specializing in the history of Central Virginia. Active since 2005, our focus areas include African-American history, genealogy, and place-based research.

CVHR is a member of the Piedmont Area Preservation Alliance (PAPA), an umbrella organization created by Preservation Piedmont to promote communication between Central Virginia organizations with an interest in historic preservation.

Join our Mailing List

CVHR membership is free and open to all.  Joining is as simple as subscribing to our mailing list using the form below. We won’t sell or give away your information, you can unsubscribe at any time, and we only send emails to advertise upcoming meetings or for occasional urgent communications.

Meetings

We meet monthly at 4 PM on the first Thursday of every month. Meetings from January through March are typically held virtually on Zoom. Meetings from April through December are typically held at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in downtown Charlottesville. Use the “Meetings” link at the top of this page to see information about upcoming and past meetings.

Next Meeting:

  • The Ten Largest Emancipations in Albemarle County with Sam Towler
    May 1, 2025 Ten years ago, Gayle Schulman did a draft index of where the emancipations of Albemarle can be located in the deed and will books of Albemarle. Building on this, Sam picked out the 10 largest emancipations of Albemarle from Gayle’s list and looked at them in detail and will present a summary.
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Questions?

If you have questions about CVHR, or would like to ask our members a research question, please send us an email using the link at the top of this page.