The Book Signing will be rescheduled. We will keep everyone updated.

FIRST RECORDED LISTS OF REGISTERED “COLORED” VOTERS (1867) FOR RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY

The Rappahannock Historical Society will host The Carver 4-County Museum’s traveling exhibit entitled, “African Americans and the Vote” for the community in honor of Black History Month.   The exhibit will be at the Historical Society Mon, Tues and Thurs from 11AM to 5PM during the month of February.  The Society will also be open on Saturday, February 8 and Saturday, February 22 from 1PM to 4PM to experience the exhibit.

Prepared by the Museum’s curator, Terry Miller, the exhibit is grounded in the XVth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution and includes the first recorded lists of registered “colored” voters (the year 1867) for Rappahannock County after the Civil War when Virginia was under Military Rule. The lists have been transcribed and enlarged for easy reading.  A photocopy of the original list for each of the five districts (Washington, Flint Hill, Sperryville, Amissville, and Woodville) will be available for visitors to review and enjoy.

The exhibit is enhanced with several artifacts including a late-1800s wooden voting box and several Harper’s Weekly engravings depicting African Americans voting.  The exhibit ends with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which was enacted to enforce the XVth Amendment, ratified nearly 100 years before. 

Questions?