About Us

Introduction and a Brief History

Encyclopedia Virginia is a publicly accessible online publication of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. As a web publication, the Encyclopedia adds an entirely new dimension to the work done by VFH over the last thirty years. With the mission to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth by creating learning opportunities for all Virginians, VFH brings together the resources and content to make the Encyclopedia a valuable tool for exploring the people, history, government, economy, and culture of Virginia.

Encyclopedia Virginia is the first and ultimate online reference work about the Commonwealth; it aggregates in a single resource information on Virginia history, business, politics, and geography, plus the state’s proud heritage in the arts, religion, culture, and folklife. As the Encyclopedia grows, it will also explore areas of science, medicine, education, and technology and interpret the state’s significance to the people of Virginia, the nation, and the world.

The first phase of Encyclopedia Virginia focuses on topics related to Virginia literature, Civil War history, and twentieth century history. Soon to follow will be content on subjects relating to folklife and, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, precolonial history and colonial history. To help contextualize these entries, the Encyclopedia offers users sound and video excerpts where it can, images and maps, links to articles on related topics, cross-referencing and search functions, and suggested readings for further research. With each publication phase, Encyclopedia Virginia will introduce new topics that will be covered comprehensively and authoritatively.

In 2001, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded VFH a $50,000 grant to study the feasibility of creating a comprehensive online resource focused on the culture and heritage of Virginia. From this planning process, VFH learned it was well suited to bring together the agencies, resources, content, and technology to make the Encyclopedia a reality. With generous support from the Virginia General Assembly, Dominion, and other private donors and with endorsements from organizations such as the Virginia Cultural Network, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Library of Virginia, VFH has been bringing together institutions and individuals to make this publication a success.

Staff

  • Matthew Gibson, Editor
  • Peter Hedlund, Programmer
  • Margaret Lewis, Primary Resources Specialist
  • Caitlin Newman, Associate Editor
  • Brendan Wolfe, Managing Editor
  • Donna Lucey, Media Editor
  • Matthew Gaventa, Media Editor (emeritus)
  • Tori Talbot (emerita)
  • Karen Wikander (emerita)

Section Editors

Civil War

  • Peter Carmichael, Director of Civil War Institute, Gettysburg College

Colonial History

  • John Kolp, instructor of U.S. History at Augustana College and former professor of history, U.S. Naval Academy

Jefferson

  • J. Jefferson Looney, Editor-in-Chief, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series

Literature

  • Casey Clabough, Associate Professor of English, Lynchburg College

Precolonial History

  • Michael Barber, State Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Historic Resources
  • Helen Rountree, Professor Emerita, Old Dominion University
  • E. Randolph Turner, Director of the Tidewater Regional Office, Virginia Department of Historic Resources

African American Experience During Reconstruction (1863–1902)

  • Stephanie Shaw, Associate Professor of History, Ohio State University
  • Brent Tarter, Library of Virginia

Twentieth Century History

  • Larissa Smith Fergeson, Associate Professor of History, Longwood University
  • John Kneebone, Associate Professor of History, Virginia Commonwealth University

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Edward L. Ayers, President, University of Richmond
  • Daryl Dance, Professor of English, University of Richmond
  • Penelope Kaiserlian, Director Emerita, University of Virginia Press
  • Paul A. Levengood, President and CEO, Virginia Historical Society
  • Thad Tate, Professor Emeritus of History, College of William and Mary
  • Sandra Gioia Treadway, Librarian of Virginia
  • Robert Vaughan, President, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
  • Peter Wallenstein, Professor of History, Virginia Tech
  • Walter R. T. Witschey, Director Emeritus, Science Museum of Virginia

Technology Advisory Board

  • Joshua Greenberg, Program Director for Digital Information Technology and the Dissemination of Knowledge, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
  • Daniel Pitti, Associate Director, Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, University of Virginia
  • Christine Ruotolo, Manager Digital Services and Technology Support, Alderman Library, University of Virginia
  • David Seaman, Associate Librarian for Information Management, Dartmouth College
  • Patrick Yott, Associate Dean, Digital Strategies and Services

Copy Editors

  • Ann Henderson
  • Monica S. Rumsey
  • Emily J. Salmon

Fact Checkers

  • James J. Baillie
  • M. Teresa Doherty
  • Pamela Foreman
  • Gregg Grunow
  • Maria Scinto

Additional Editors

  • Katherine Harbury
  • Erika Howsare
  • Lisa Romano
  • Erika Seay 
  • Bland Whitley

Editorial and Graduate Assistants

  • Katherine Agnew (emerita)
  • Emma Earnst (emerita)
  • Erin O'Hare (emerita)
  • Amanda Prestowitz (emerita)
  • Jason Moran (emeritus)
  • Peter Luebke (emeritus)
  • Veronica Hylton (emerita)
  • Betsy Chunko (emerita)
  • James P. Coleman (emeritus)
  • David Zimring (emeritus)