The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society

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

Our Exhibits

Photographer Russell “Rip” Payne (1916-1990) captured this historic moment one afternoon as children left an integrated public school for the first time in Charlottesville. Like most of the former Confederate South in the wake of the May 17, 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, white leaders in Virginia pledged a protest of “massive resistance” against any effort to desegregate public schools. On September 19, 1958, rather than accept integration, Virginia Governor Lindsay Almond ordered the all-white public schools closed in select communities, which included the City of Charlottesville. The move attracted national press attention. It was not until September 8, 1959, owing to a court order, that the schools were at last desegregated and children of color began to attend the formerly all-white schools in Charlottesville: nine at Venable Elementary and three at Lane High School, known collectively as “the Charlottesville Twelve.”

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society creates engaging and vibrant exhibits that interpret the history of Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville. Beginning in 1994, when we took up residence in the historic McIntire Public Library, the main hall has provided a venue for ground-breaking exhibits exploring our diverse collections and archives, the local heritage of Jewish life and culture, African-American history, the stories of Greek and Irish immigration to Charlottesville, art and architecture, businesses, education, medicine, and much more. We continue to offer regular exhibits, all free and open to the public.