Welcome to the "Beta" site of Encyclopedia Virginia, an online resource being published by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities that explores the commerce, history, culture, arts, and sciences of the Commonwealth. "Beta" means that we are adding more content and that the interface, design, search, and other technical functionalities (while largely in place) are still being refined. In the meantime, please explore the site and give us your feedback!
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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, pre-colonial 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.
Civil War
Colonial History
John Kolp, instructor of U.S. History at Augustana College and former professor of history, U.S. Naval Academy
Literature
Pre-Colonial History
Twentieth Century History
