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Current exhibit: Traveling Exhibit: Celebrating Charlottesville's 200th Anniversary
Previous display: 2010
Next display: Images

Description and Background

The Society is currently hosting a new exhibit produced by Celebrate250, Charlottesville’s
official 250th anniversary committee, that chronicles the City’s bicentennial observances in 1962.
This new exhibit which will be displayed throughout 2012 at different locations after it leaves
the Society, features the photographic work of Ed Roseberry. Developed under the guidance of
Steven G. Meeks, the material in the display was compiled by Jennifer Slaughter and Lindsey
Gore with design work done by Rick Bickhart.

In 1962 the citizens of Charlottesville enthusiastically devoted vast amounts of energy and
time into celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Charlottesville’s founding. The seven panels
of the exhibit illustrate and explain various aspects of the celebration. The Tourist Center,
completed in 1962, provided a central landmark for promoting Charlottesville. The Bicentennial
Commission took charge of the enormous amount of planning that had to be completed in
order to enact all of the festivities. A significant amount of musical talent was enlisted to
celebrate Charlottesville’s Anniversary throughout the year in a Concert Series. Two societies
were formed with the goal of promoting the celebration: the Order of the Cavaliers and the
Bicentennial Belles. A significant part of the Cavalier’s duties was to enforce the mandate for
male citizens to grow out their beards, culminating in a burial of Mr. Ray Zor, a razor. One of the
most elaborate parts of the celebration was the pageant encapsulating over 200 years of history
entitled “Let Freedom Ring” that ran during the summer of 1962. The Anniversary Queen
was selected to be crowned at each of these performances by a competition to sell tickets to the
performances. To commemorate the year’s uniqueness, several items were commissioned to be
made as Souvenirs. Looking ahead to future anniversaries, citizens of Charlottesville buried a
Time Capsule to be opened fifty years later for Charlottesville’s 250th Anniversary.

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Visitor Comments:

Tom Hartsell says - March 13, 2012

I uploaded the old 8mm movies my father made of the
Beard Judging Contest held at McIntire Park back in 1962. This was the culmination of the above mentioned burial of Mr. Ray Zor

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHoJw3rAkCs