Northampton Historic Preservation Society

NHPS 2019 Holiday Dinner and Annual Meeting

For more information about the NHPS 2019 Holiday Dinner and Annual Meeting, click HERE .

To register for the NHPS Annual Dinner/Meeting:

First select whether you are a member or nonmember. You will be given the option to select the number of people after you "Add to the Cart."
(If you are registering at two price levels, add the number at one price level to the cart by clicking on "add to cart" and provide the number of people at that price level, then return to the open NHPS website tab -- or open a new NHPS website -- and add to the cart the remaining people in your group at the second level.)

The program will assume you or your group would like the first item - Pork Buffet - so if individuals in your grouping wish to indicate the Vegetarian Option, add the number who prefer the Pork Buffet to the cart first, then go back to the open NHPS website or open a new NHPS page and add the individual(s) who wish to have the Vegetarian Option by selecting Member or Nonmember and "Vegetarian" below "Selection".

You can also do two separate transactions OR just let the program order the the first option - the Pork Buffet - and email us at NHPS100@gmail.com and let us know which individuals in your group prefer the Vegetarian Option so that we can pass that information on to Amy Brandt.

Any credit card may be used if you use the "Check Out" button over the phrase "Pay without a PayPal account".

2019 NHPS Lectures on the Lawn

Northampton County continues to provide amazing sites for the NHPS "Lectures on the Lawn" Series. More information about past lectures can be found on the "Past Lectures" tab at the top of this page. 2019 Lectures are featured below. Be sure to check this website should adverse weather conditions occur on the dates of the program.

Lecture on the Lawn at Prospect Hill - Held November 10th at 2:00

The Northampton Historic Preservation Society held a “Lecture on the Lawn at Prospect Hill” on Sunday, November 10th. Prospect Hill was part of a 1200-acre plantation belonging to Colonel William Kendall in the late 1600s and then a 675-acre plantation in the 1800’s. Mr. John W. Leatherbury built Prospect Hill around 1824. He was a wealthy prominent merchant whose trading interests extended to the West Indies and his activities included smuggling.

Prospect Hill has been vacant for many years. The owners have graciously offered it for a lecture on the lawn in its current, “as is” condition. Come to the lecture to learn about John W. Leatherbury, the history of this land, the house, its architectural features and the owners’ plan for restoration.

Lecture on the Lawn at Chatham - Held Sunday, October 13th

The Northampton Historic Preservation Society offered a “Lecture on the Lawn at Chatham” on October 13th. Chatham, a stately Federal-style house located on Church Creek, is celebrating its 200th birthday. Surrounded by almost 300 acres of land protected in The Virginia Land Trust, it was originally part of a land patent granted in 1640 and has been the home of only five families. Built by Brigadier General Pitts in 1818, a prominent citizen of Northampton County, it was attached to an earlier structure that now serves as a kitchen.

The house features a Federal-style, barrel-vault brick porch with limestone steps built on the footprint of an earlier porch. The ruin of the Quarters Kitchen now shelters a kitchen garden that is enclosed by old fencing and boxwood. Restoration began by the Wehner family in 1979, and a winery completes the property which has been a working farm for four centuries.

Dr. David Scott is generously donating his research notes for this lecture. They can be found at: Chatham Lecture.

Lecture on the Lawn at Eyre Rectory - Held September 29th

Eyre Rectory was built in the 1850’s as a rectory for the minister of Hungars Parish on six acres donated by Maria Robins and additional funds contributed by Mr. John Eyre of "Eyre Hall". This house served as a home for the ministers of Hungars Parish until about 1908 when a new rectory was built in Eastville, across Courthouse Road from Christ Church. Since then it has had a number of owners, including Dr. Raymond Brown who was a general practitioner in Eastville for many years.

The land where "Eyre Rectory" was built was originally given to the local Native Americans in the 1640s. They lived on this seaside land until the 1830s when they gradually sold their property to their more prosperous neighbors. The sad story of the Eastern Shore Native Americans will be addressed.

Dr. David Scott is generously donating his research notes for this lecture. They can be found at: Eyre Rectory Lecture.

NHPS Essay Contest Information

Please help support Northampton County's preservation efforts!

Already a member? Consider volunteering for the various NHPS activities.

If you wish to learn more about the Northampton Historic Preservation Society before becoming a member, receive our emails about our programs and exhibits by sending your email address to the link below and indicating you would like to be added to our mailing list .

Click here for: Membership Information

2019 Historic Eastville Walking Tour

Town historian and NHPS board member David Scott led the Northampton Historic Preservation Society’s Guided Walking Tour of Historic Eastville this year. In addition to a general informative overview of Eastville, he offered a new segment covering more houses on Willow Oak Road this year.

The walking tour started at the Court Green, one of the oldest in Virginia, where you can imagine how it looked at various times during its 300+ year history.

The Essay Contest has been extended to the fall of 2019. Click on the green button above to learn about the first NHPS essay contest for young historians

on the Eastern Shore. NHPS continues to foster an interest in historic preservation for students on the Shore.

NHPS Joins AmazonSmile Program - An Easy Way to Donate to NHPS

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon remembers your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation. You will have to enter Amazon and shop at smile.amazon.com for NHPS to receive a donation.