Events
Annual Hurricane Camille Commemoration
The Annual Hurricane Camille Commemoration will take place on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Oakland Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Presentations at 11 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. by Anne Witt, Geohazard Specialist for the State of Virginia, “Contrasting Hurricane Helene landslides in western North Carolina to Hurricane Camille” and Chuck Bailey, College of William & Mary Professor of Geology on “The Power of Water.”
Family Bible Scanning Day
The Nelson County Historical Society invites families to bring in family bibles and other materials to be scanned for the Society’s archives on Saturday, July 26, from 1-4 p.m. at Oakland Museum at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway near Colleen. There is no charge for this service. People can bring their own USB thumb drives or purchase one at Oakland for $5.
Natural Beauty of Virginia
Bette Dzamba, vice president of the Central Blue Ridge Chapter (Nelson County) of the Virginia Master Naturalists, will present a program on the natural beauty and biodiversity of Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 10:30 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum, sponsored by the Nelson County Historical Society.
Her program will include the stories of some of the many people who have studied nature in Virginia. These will include Thomas Hariot and John White, who wrote and illustrated “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia in 1588.”
The program will also cover the lengths that Thomas Jefferson went to in his obsessive quest to convince the French naturalist, Comte de Buffon, that North American nature surpassed that of Europe.
Ms. Dzamba will also recognize some less well-known naturalists from Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Wirt Robinson was a naturalist and West Point professor from Buckingham County whose field kit and tools are on display at Oakland. William A. Murrill was a mycologist with the New York Botanical Garden who wrote over 500 scientific articles and many books including some for children. “Billy the Boy Naturalist” is about his childhood north of Lynchburg. Lena Clemmons Artz, a botanist from Woodstock, would be celebrating her 133rd birthday on the day of the talk. The only member of her family to attend college, she obtained her Bachelor's degree at the age of 35 and then went on to earn her Master's degree at George Washington University before working as a school teacher and independent scholar.
Due to a limitation on the number of seats at Oakland, the Society requests attendees reserve a seat by emailing Rachel Deddens at rachel@nelsonhistorical.org for either the morning or afternoon sessions.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are always welcome. Oakland is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway near Tye River Elementary School.