Educate and Inspire!

New Knowledge!

May through July 2025 saw archaeology on the site of the lost and found 1799 Main House. This season was made possible by a grant from the Anne Mullen Orrell Charitable Trust and a generous gift from Cooper and Tamara Wamsley. Because of this philanthropic support, we were able to conduct a longer season than usual in order to reach the floor of the cellar, about five and a half feet below ground. The results allow us to sequence the building of the "north shed" addition on the 1818 Guesthouse, and to further witness the intense fire that destroyed the main house. The biggest surprise? Abundant clues about the furnishing of the main floor room that collapsed into the cellar! More details will be forthcoming as the result of lab analysis.

At left, archaeologist and recent W&M graduate Charlotte Russell displays an escutcheon, which is a piece of hardware from a cabinet door or drawer.

We Explore History!

We welcome visitors year round to consider history in new ways. Now on the eve of national and statewide 250th commemorations, we are especially aware that the ideas of the nation's founding are a unique force that drives us as a country. Because of this, we seek to explore history in a truthful and detailed way, and we do so in order to understand our present and our future.

This year our history explorations:

Brought a collaboration with the American Friends of Lafayette, to interpret events of 1824-5.
Added new patterns of daily spoken interpretation to reach more visitors with frequent presentations and discussions.
Installed a new timeline of Monroe's life and career.
Installed a digital component to the "Unfinished Revolutions" gallery.
Brought the VA250 Mobile Museum to Highland during the Albemarle County Fair.
Hosted a VA250 pop-up exhibit called Give Me Liberty!
Hosted cast members and creators from Gabriel, a powerful and inspiring musical about Gabriel's Rebellion.

History isn't just about the past. Come visit, and learn about history that is all around us.

Growing in the Garden

The vegetable garden at Highland was a hub for collaboration and learning in 2025.

A partnership with the Piedmont Master Gardeners created a section of the iconic vegetable garden that was used for public programs about seeds, gardening, and native plants.
The vegetable garden also provided learning opportunities in a summer program for local youth.
Nearly 500 pounds of Highland produce was donated to local food banks and a local community center, the majority grown and harvested by the Piedmont Master Gardeners.
The focus on gardening is a confluence of our emphasis on ecology and conservation, and a vision by the Highland Council of Descendant Advisors to teach about food traditions, including growing, preserving, and preparing vegetables.

Events & Programs

Highland serves many communities, from far-traveling visitors taking in presidential sites to locals who come to learn and participate in a variety of activities, and William & Mary students in classroom and research settings.

We celebrated Highland's 4th annual Descendants Day in June, with speakers, storytelling, information tables by regional partners, genealogy, music, and food. It was a day of remembering and imagining.
We added Fall Feast, a public event that brought together public historian Lisa Armstrong's W&M students, community partners, and a traditional African American Thanksgiving meal.
The trial run of a youth program also joined students with community partners and agricultural and food activities.
Ecology programs again offered opportunities to interact with the environment and history: walks, talks, book group discussions occurred year round.
The Albemarle County Fair meshes with our focus on the interplay between the environment and culture in land management, agriculture, and food traditions.
We hosted a public screening of The Piccirilli Factor, a thought-provoking film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley of Heritage Film Project.

We hope that you find something to explore or participate in at Highland. We welcome you!

Celebrating 50 Years

Together with the local W&M alumni network, we have been celebrating Highland’s 50th year of stewardship by William & Mary, which was James Monroe’s alma mater. The video below shares the meaning of this institutional structure and the 50th anniversary events featuring Highland’s stunning research story, geology’s great reveal of deep history presented by W&M professor Chuck Bailey, and classroom and community projects around food traditions. The final 50th anniversary event will be held on February 21, 2026, featuring Highland's environmental conservation approach and some of the many productive collaborations with W&M’s Institute for Integrative Conservation. Please plan to join us!

50th Anniversary Video

A warm thanks to Gene Runion for his photos throughout; additional photos by Highland staff and students.

Descendants' Programs

The fourth annual Highland Descendants Day was the Descendant Council's vision brought to life. It was filled with music, food, speakers, many community partners, and storytelling by Sheila Arnold. Horace Scruggs created a new video to share the dynamic work of HIghland's Descendants Council. View the video here.

We introduced Fall Feast as a new public event, with the themes of food, health, and history. Highlights included community partners' booths, presentations by William & Mary students and public historian for Highland, Dr. Lisa Armstrong, and a traditional African American Thanksgiving meal.

We walk together in this work. Please join us.

Descendants Day 2026 is scheduled for June 6!

We believe in the power of history for today's communities.

For more information visit the Highland website

Highland is a division of William & Mary

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