Photos courtesy of Glencoe Mansion
RADFORD – Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery will host a panel discussion, “The African American Experience After Emancipation,” Wednesday, Feb. 5. as part of the opening of a new exhibit.
Titled “Building a New Life,” the exhibit covers the Reconstruction Era, the pivotal period after the American Civil War.
“We’re exploring the time both as a political movement and as a lived experience, with special emphasis on the African American perspective, especially as it relates to Southwest Virginia.,” said Scott Gardner, Glencoe Museum’s director.
The exhibit and discussion are made possible through a grant from The Commonwealth History Fund administered through the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and funded by Dominion Energy.
The evening will begin at Glencoe Mansion, where visitors can view the exhibit from 4 to 5:45 p.m. immediately followed by a Panel Discussion at 6 p.m. in the Radford City Council Chambers next door in the Municipal building. The panel will be comprised of three experts in the field – Drs. Hilary Green, Michael “Mickey” Hickman and Dan Thorp.
Green, who is participating through the support of Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, is a James B. Duke Professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College. Her new book is “Unforgettable Sacrifice: How Black Communities Remembered the Civil War.”
Michael “Mickey” Hickman is President of the Calfee Community and Cultural Center Board of Directors located in Pulaski, and he is also the chair of its museum and history committee. Hickman retired after 42 years with Pulaski County Public Schools where he worked as a principal, high school history teacher and coach.
Dan Thorp is an associate professor of history at Virginia Tech. He is the author of four books and nearly two dozen articles on a range of topics in 18th and 19th-century American history. His most recent works have focused on the history of African Americans in Montgomery County during and after the era of slavery.
The exhibit and discussion are part of a multi-faceted project at Glencoe made possible by funding from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. The grant also has allowed the facility to increase accessibility through the installation of a stairlift and has underwritten protective window coverings to help mitigate light damage to valuable artifacts.
The exhibit and panel discussion are open free to the public. Glencoe Mansion regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. There is no admission fee.
Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery
