1872 Forward: Celebrating Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech joined with the Town of Blacksburg and members of Native American communities to recognize the land-grant history of the university. New historical markers that share the history of the founding of the university were unveiled. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, Monacan Chief Kenneth Branham, and Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith honored and recognized the contested land, the peoples who have lived here, and the peoples who live here now.

Conversation moderated by: Emily Satterwhite, Associate Professor in Religion and Culture, and Director of Appalachian Studies program.  Liza Morris, Assistant Vice President for Planning and University Architect, will join Dr. Satterwhite to recount the Historic Markers project.

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands formally dedicated  Hoge Hall and Whitehurst Hall* which were renamed in 2020 in recognition of prominent members of the African American community during the 1950–60s. In addition, he honored members of the local and campus communities who have played such important roles in the university's progress from its originis to the present day. 

*Janie and William Hoge welcomed the eight pioneering Black male students at VPI into their home. James Leslie Whitehurst, Jr. became the first Black student allowed to live and eat on campus and the first African American on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.  

Conversation moderated by Michael Herndon, Director of University Summer and Winter Sessions, with Peter Wallenstein, Professor of History and author of Virginia Tech, Land-Grant University, 1872–1997: History of a School, a State, a Nation.

Virginia Tech, the Council on Virginia Tech History, Moss Arts Center, and the More Than a Fraction Foundation celebrated the diversity of the university’s history through poetry, storytelling, song, and dance. The evening highlighted and celebrated the cultures and traditions of Native Americans, African Americans, and European Americans. 

The evening included Dr. Menah Pratt with an original Virginia Tech Sesquicentennial poetry reading. Bintou Kouyate and Amadou Kouyate provided an introduction to the people who were enslaved here and to the historical culture of the Oyo, Igbo, and modern day Nigeria.  Musical performance by the Virginia State Gospel Chorale, dance from Virginia Tech’s Wahala, and poetry written by the late Dr. Karenne Wood from Monacan Nation were presented. 

Smithfield* is part of the story of American history, sitting at the intersection of colonial America, westward expansion, African slavery, and conflicts between Indigenous peoples and European settlers. A tour of the historic building and land provided an opportunity to gain perspective from the past, insight into the present, and inspiration for the future. 

* The Smithfield-Preston Foundation acknowledges and laments the role slavery played in William Preston's Smithfield and the ongoing racial injustice that stemmed from that institution across the United States. Enslaved African Americans and their achievements in the face of slavery’s oppression belong at the center of the Smithfield story. We pledge to redouble our efforts to tell these stories as we strive to foster a more honest reckoning with our racial history. The Foundation, along with all those associated with Smithfield, decries all forms of racism and intolerance, and fully supports the rights of all humans regardless of race, skin color, creed, gender, orientation, or ability. 

The Merry Tree, a well-known landmark in Blacksburg, has a long history. Many moments, celebrations, and ceremonies have been held under the branches of this oak as the Indigenous people hunted and gathered here before the Europeans displaced them in order to settle, eventually the enslaved people of Smithfield would gather to celebrate, mourn, hold religious services, and more. The Merry Tree was an especially significant part of the culture and tradition during that time for the enslaved Africans. Though the tree was recently destroyed in a storm, a sacred ceremony and celebration will honor its role in the life of the community.  

This afternoon of programming centered around the complex history of the space that Virginia Tech occupies. From the Native Americans who first called this place home, was a presentation about the history and traditions of the Monacan Nation. Through the descendants of the Preston family, who once lived at Smithfield and Solitude, the audience heard about the European history of the area. Fraction family members explored their ancestral story including arrival, enslavement, and exile.  Residents from nearby Wake Forest presented a history of how their ancestors established a freed African American community following the Civil War. 

*** DUE TO WEATHER THIS EVENT HAS BEEN MOVED TO HAHN HALL ATRIUM***

The Council on Virginia Tech History hosted a culminating reception in celebration of the weekend. The revitalized Solitude House and Fraction Family House provide a tri-racial space that recognizes the African American, Native American, and European American communities and their significance in the history of the Appalachian region, giving everyone a place to gather. This reception allowed for continue dialogue following the afternoon presenations.