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From March through November, the WCHS offers a full schedule of luncheon events with interesting historical presentations on old Warwick County, Mulberry Island, Newport News and other topics of interest. 

We offer bodacious box lunches from a longtime local favorite establishment, Dino's.  Offerings include either a Sandwich or Salad Box for $15.  

Place your order prior to the event and pick up at the door. (Optional) 

Sandwich Box

Sub roll with choice of ham, turkey, roast beef, chicken salad or meatball, plus cheese, lettuce, tomato... 

Bag of chips, brownie and beverage 

Salad Box

Green house salad with shredded Mozerella or Caesar salad.  

Dressing (Ranch, house, honey mustard).

Brownie and beverage.

Order online or by calling Mary K at (757) 525-7372.  Please place your order by noon the day before the program - those who prefer are welcome to bring their own meal, brown bags okay!  

•  March 20 - A Personal Journey of the American Indian Residential Boarding Schools through the lens of one family. In the early 1880s, young Native Americans from the Dakotas Territory were sent to Hampton Institute to be assimilated. This  involved leaving their families and forsaking their heritage by giving up their native tongue, wearing Western clothing; adopting the white man's customs; learning English, how to read and write and a trade. Some, unable to conform with the new lifestyle, went back to the blanket. Others accepted and incorporated the changes, choosing to live within two cultures. Speaker Joanne Faulkner, State Chair of the DAR Indian Schools Committee, will share the fascinating story of her great grandmother Frances White Cow who left the Western Plains to come study and live in Virginia. 
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• April 17 - Homer L. Ferguson - Homer Lenoir Ferguson (March 6, 1873 – March 14, 1953) was an author and businessman. He was president of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, VA., from July 22, 1915, through July 31, 1946. Join the WCHS to find out more on this influential man. Presentation by William Fox. Luncheon to be held at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh beginning at 11:30 am.  
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• May 15 - Collis Huntington Newport News historian and author, J. Michael Moore presents an expose on Colis Huntington, merchant, railroader and builder, and the founder of the modern city of Newport News. Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested in Theodore Judah's idea to build the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. Event will be held at the Lee Hall Depot, Wednesday, May 15, 2024 beginning at 11:30 am. 

• • June 19 - Jamestown Brides: Mail Order Brides or Entrepreneurs? - Kelly Parker Who were these 17th century women who left Britain to become wives for tobacco planters in the new colony? Why did they  decide to leave their lives to venture to a new and uncharted territory? Were they prepared for the hardships and the unknown? Join us as we explore the lives of the Jamestown Tobacco Brides with author and historian Kelly Parker. Luncheon to be held at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh beginning at 11:30 am. 

•  • July 17 - The Songs of Suffragists - The Music and Stories of the Women's Suffrage Movement," presented by songstress, Deborah Soderholm. This is a unique educational and musical presentation. Luncheon to be held at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh beginning at 11:30 am.  

• • Aug 21 - Potluck, Lunch with Collis Huntington, presented by Albert Burckard Appropriate near this anniversary of my great success in extending my pioneering railroad into your fair city, I wish to dispel some malicious inaccuracies about my character and temperament. It’s said I'm “…vindictive, sometimes untruthful…interested in few things outside of business and resistant to the idea that (my) railroad enterprises were… burdened with public obligations.” Preposterous! I heartily welcome this extraordinary opportunity to return, at your gracious invitation, to refute these impertinencies! I will now present to you, for your honest appraisal, not only my wondrous accomplishments benefitting the entire nation, but more specifically, what I personally consummated making Virginia’s Lower Peninsula not only a major world -renowned coal exporting port but also home to the greatest shipbuilding enterprise ever known. At the end of my elucidation, I trust your good judgement will prevail. Without my own extraordinary personal endeavors, you would not be as prosperous as you are today. Now listen closely. I will conclude with a short examination of your comprehension. In your modern era, I believe you say “quiz.” Ridiculous expression! Meeting begins at 11:30 am with our annual potluck at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh. 

•  • Sept 18 -   Straight from the Horse’s Mouth...Bridles, Stirrups and Bits in Colonial - Lunch event with Military Historian, Steve Henry. Virginia Horse culture was long a part of Warwick County history.  Indeed, horses, an integral part of human history, have been key players in everything from transportation and communication to trade and war. Luncheon to be held at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh beginning at 11:30 am. 

• • Oct 16 - The Continuing Exploration of Mulberry Island—by Ft. Eustis Archaeology Cultural Resources  Join the Warwick County Historical Society as we learn more about the history of an ancient part of old Warwick County with a presentation by Fort Eustis Cultural Resources Management's expert archaeologist, Dr. Christopher McDaid and his team of  experts. Get the latest findings of their research and explore the richness of this historic area that now comprises the Fort Eustis military base. Presentation begins at 11:30 am on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at Warwick Courthouse in Denbigh. 

• • Nov 20 - German Soldiery vs. Local Patriots – 1781, presented by Albert Burckard King George III’s Teutonic “auxiliaries" and other Germanic troops engaged in combat on both sides of the lower James River in  the latter stages of the American Revolution. Hessian and other Rhenish royalty “letted” professional regiments to the  Crown in return for gold, but the individual soldiers saw little of it. More than one-third of all the King's forces in America were comprised of troops from several Protestant states in German-speaking areas of Europe. And on the Continental side,  Catholic France deployed regiments at Yorktown. At war’s end, the second in command of all British forces in America was a  German Prince. Following the 1783 Treaty of Paris, more than 12,000 of these German soldiers chose to settle here in the colonies rather than return. On the Peninsula at Yorktown and on the Southside at Mackie’s Mill, Ansbach, Hessian and Alsatian  infantry played significant combat roles. Luncheon to be held at Warwick Courthouse beginning at 11:30 am. 

The society holds work sessions at the 1810 Warwick Courthouse on Wednesdays (other than luncheon meeting dates) cataloguing Warwick's history and a variety of other needed tasks. Join us on Wednesdays from noon to two pm to get your hands dirty in old Warwick history! 

Our meetings and events are open to the public. Bring a friend, a guest or just come by yourself to meet a fantastic group of local history aficionados, historians, genealogists and explore local history topics with a very fine group of members. We hope you will find a place with us and become a member after you try us out a time or two.