The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society

Collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of our community!

Membership

“Encampment of the Convention Army,” an etching originally published in London in 1789. After the critical American victory in the Battles at Saratoga, New York in October 1777— a turning point in the War for Independence— thousands of British and their allied Hessian soldiers were taken prisoner. After having been kept in Cambridge for a year, nearly 4,000 of the enemy troops were marched hundreds of miles south to be kept in a rural area of Albemarle County, west of the town of Charlottesville. They arrived in the winter, January 1779 to what one survivor described as “truly horrible” conditions. This “Convention Army” established a prisoner of war camp known as the “Albemarle Barracks.” In 1781, as British forces marched on Virginia, the prisoners of war at the Barracks were moved north to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where they remained until released in 1783. The western road, from Charlottesville out to the Albemarle Barracks, is to this day still referred to as Barracks Road.

Become A Member Today!

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society was founded as a membership organization eight decades ago with community members uniting in a shared commitment to explore our history and to share what they learned. Membership is a statement of dedication to support our important work of collecting, preserving, and interpreting our history.

Starting January 2026, we will have a new membership and sponsorship program with core membership benefits that show our members and sponsors that we value their commitment!

 

Membership & Sponsorship Levels

 

All memberships will move to calendar year memberships and will be for the dates of January 1 – December 31 of each year. Any memberships purchased after November 1 will be applied to the approaching calendar year.

 

Membership Levels

 

Core Membership Benefits

These benefits apply to all membership and sponsorship levels outlined below:

– Two (2) free Walking Tour passes redeemable for any public, ticketed Walking Tour provided by ACHS staff or volunteers (based on availability) – expires at the end of the calendar year .
– Exclusive member pricing on special events and ticketed programs
– Invitations to members-only programs throughout the calendar year
– Copy of the annual Magazine of Albemarle Charlottesville History (MACH)

 

Student Membership – $25

Open to all active college or community college students

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)
– Access to twice-annual Student Member Happy Hours
– Research Reciprocity Program: Conduct two (2) hours of mission-based research for ACHS and receive your student membership for free!

 

Individual Membership – $50

Open to all individuals and applies only to one (1) person in a household

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

 

Family/Dual Membership – $75

Open to any family or household and includes two adults and all children under the age of 18 residing at the same address

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

– Two (2) additional free Walking Tour passes, for a total of four (4) passes per Family/Dual Membership – expires at the end of the calendar year

 

Sponsorship Levels

 

Supporter – $100-$499

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

– Four (4) additional free Walking Tour passes, for a total of six (6) passes per Supporter Sponsor – expires at the end of the calendar year

 

Patron – $500-$999

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

– Four (4) additional free Walking Tour passes, for a total of six (6) passes per Supporter Sponsor – expires at the end of the calendar year

– ACHS collectible gift bag

 

Champion – $1,000-$4,999

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

– Eight (8) additional free Walking Tour passes, for a total of ten (10) passes per Supporter Sponsor – expires at the end of the calendar year

– ACHS collectible gift bag

– Invitation to exclusive Champion Sponsor events

 

Guardian – $5,000+

– Includes all Core Membership Benefits (listed above)

– Eight (8) additional free Walking Tour passes, for a total of ten (10) passes per Supporter Sponsor – expires at the end of the calendar year

– Private Walking Tour for up to 10 people (based on schedule availability)

– ACHS collectible gift bag

– Invitation to exclusive Champion Sponsor events

 

 

Please use the secure online form to become a member using your credit card. If you would like to send a check instead, please mail your membership support to:

          Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society

          200 2nd Street, NE

          Charlottesville, VA 22902-5245

Gifts of stock and from donor-advised charitable funds are welcome. If you would like to discuss a major gift, legacy gift, a bequest, or planned giving, please contact us by email at [email protected] or call (434) 296-1492.

Thank you!

$ 50.00
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Donation Total: $50.00 One Time

PLEASE NOTE: This is the online form to become a Member of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, set at $45.00 per year. If you are interested in also giving a donation online that is more or less than that amount, you can visit our Support page right now. Click here.

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