After Mary Willing married William Byrd (1728-1777), she moved to Westover, the Georgian plantation home built by his father. She preserved the house and estate during the American Revolution, despite its occupation by British forces led by Benedict Arnold.
Mary Randolph, the author of the first American regional cookbook, was born at Ampthill plantation, where DuPont's Spruance Plant now stands (the house itself was later moved to a new location in the city of Richmond). Her work transformed cooking and household management in ways that continue to influence chefs and domestic supervisors today.
Opossunoquonuske, chief of an Appamattuck Indian town in the vicinity of R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rocks, near the mouth of the Appomattox River, was one of the first Indian leaders the English explorers met in 1607.
Undine Smith Moore described herself as "a teacher who composes," while educating her students at nearby Virginia State University about music theory as well as the contributions of African Americans to American music and culture. During the 1950s she and her husband commissioned Frederick T. Hyland, a protoge of Frank Lloyd Wright, to design their home on River Road, in Ettrick.
Bessie Niemeyer Marshall created detailed watercolors of plants as part of a WPA-funded project to create a wildflower and bird sanctuary at Lee Memorial Park, in Petersburg, during the Great Depression.
The first African American woman appointed chief deputy attorney general of Virginia, Cynthia Eppes Hudson grew up in the vicinity of Crewe, in Nottway County.
A nationally known writer of novels, short stories, and domestic advice, Marion Harland (the pen name of Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune) was born early in the 19th century in the Amelia County community known as Dennisville (later Denaro).
In addition to being the first woman elected to the Senate of Virginia, Eva Fleming Scott owned and operated her own pharmacy on Washington Street in Amelia Court House during the middle of the 20th century.
Lillian Lincoln Lambert grew up in the Ballsville community of Powhatan County, where she graduated from the segregated Pocahontas High School. She overcame racial and gender prejudices to become the first African American woman to earn an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
As a teenager, Edwilda Allen Isaac helped lead a walkout of students from R. R. Moton High School (now a museum) that contributed to ending school segregation in the United States.
A composer and sound artist, Judith Shatin champions music that blurs the line between acoustic and digital. She established the Center for Computer Music within the University of Virginia's music department housed in Old Cabell Hall, where she also teaches.
Debbie Ryan turned the University of Virginia women's basketball team into a national power and currently campaigns for research into pancreatic cancer. At University Hall, where UVA's women played until 2006, Ryan led her team to five perfect seasons in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, and 1995.
Felicia Warburg Rogan's efforts to promote Virginia's wine industry have earned her the title "the First Lady of Virginia Wine." In 2008 she closed her Oakencroft Winery, located west of Charlottesville on Oakencroft Lane, which had been producing wine for 25 years.
As a programs supervisor for the Virginia High School League, headquartered in Charlottesville, Claudia L. Dodson was dedicated to developing opportunities for girls' athletics across the state.
As director of the Virginia Indian Program, Karenne Wood, who lives in the vicinity of the Fluvanna County community of Kents Store, ensures that the history, traditions, and contributions of Virginia's Indians are incorporated into Virginia's historical narrative.
As founder and artistic director of the Latin Ballet of Virginia, headquartered at the Cultural Arts Center in Henrico County, Ana Ines King shares Latin American dance and culture with students and audiences across Virginia.
Virginia Estelle Randolph's innovative teaching techniques at her school on Mountain Road became the model for African American education throughout the South early in the twentieth century. Henrico County currently operates the Academy at Virginia Randolph for academically challenged students and a museum at the Virginia Randolph Cottage.
This Tour is a Digital Story Map.
Get a QR Code for this tour
A driving tour showcasing the Library of Virginia's Virginia Women in History honorees from the Central Virginia region (not including the city of Richmond).
