Featured stories
Cardinal News 250 is a special journalism and community storytelling project exploring the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and America’s founding through the history, people and culture of Southwest and Southside Virginia. Featuring original reporting, Virginia history stories, Revolutionary War coverage, Appalachian history, local heritage, historic landmarks, museums, genealogy, podcasts, community events and educational content, Cardinal News 250 highlights the important role rural Virginia communities played in shaping the nation. Focused on Southwest Virginia history, Southside Virginia history and the lasting legacy of the Revolutionary era, the project connects readers with untold stories, regional traditions and compelling journalism rooted in Virginia’s past and present.
Want to explore more? Check out our podcast as well as our collection of Cardinal News 250 stories below and join us in rediscovering Virginia’s rich history.
Cardinal News 250 Podcast
Dive deeper into history with our podcast, hosted by Dutchie Jessee, where historians, journalists and others bring these stories to life. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, and catch the latest episodes in our monthly newsletter.
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Cardinal news 250 story collection
Who declared for independence first — North Carolina, or this Virginia county?
Cumberland County claims the honor by one day over Charlotte County, and says its resolution was more definitive than an earlier one from North Carolina.
How a Petersburg churchyard became the final resting place of a British general
Mary Bolling presided over her estate even as the British occupied it, and a British general died in her home.
Dispatch from 1776: Are we already independent? Some counties want Virginia to formally declare a split.
Cumberland and Charlotte counties have issued calls for a formal break from Great Britain.
Podcast: 250 years of Montgomery County
Dutchie Jessee sits down with Montgomery Museum Executive Director Sherry Wyatt to explore how a vast frontier county formed in 1776 became the New River Valley community we know today.
Cardinal is launching 250-themed trivia nights, searching for graphic novelists
Here’s an update on how our Cardinal 250 project is expanding.
Freedom was paved with confiscation
Virginia eventually seized and sold off an estimated 53,000 acres, plus personal property, which in some cases included enslaved Africans.
Italian vintner came to Virginia to produce wine; he made his legacy by sowing American freedom and ideals.
Philip Mazzei, who befriended Thomas Jefferson and became his neighbor, and who rubbed shoulders with Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, George Mason and other influential figures in the American Revolution, has been honored in the United States too for his patriotic service during and after the Revolutionary War.
Podcast on Richmond museum exhibit about dissent during the American Revolution
The Richmond museum has an exhibit on the complicated stories of Virginians during the American Revolution, from Loyalists who remained faithful to the British Crown to enslaved people seeking their own freedom.
Dispatch from 1776: Continental Navy sent to defend Virginia; it unexpectedly raids the Bahamas instead
The raid to seize British gunpowder and weapons partially avenges Lord Dunmore’s seizure of gunpowder from Williamsburg.
An army of ghosts haunts Prince Edward County history
Local legend says that 70 French soldiers from the Revolutionary War are buried at Kingsville. But were they really? Historians dig into the story to separate fact from folklore.
Podcast about the mystery of French soldiers supposedly buried in Prince Edward County
This episode digs into one of Virginia’s most persistent legends: the claim that 70 French soldiers are buried in Kingsville near Hampden-Sydney College after dying of smallpox during the American Revolution.
Angus McDonald, the man who turned down George Washington
The Winchester merchant and land speculator was an experienced military leader from two wars. George Washington begged him to serve in the Revolution, but McDonald refused. Why?
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The project is made possible in part by funding from the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission.
Learn more about this multi-year series of events
Established by the General Assembly in 2020, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) serves to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Learn more about their other projects.
Contribute to Cardinal 250
Share a tip: Is there an untold story of the revolution we should cover?
Share memorabilia: Do you have artifacts from this period that you wish to share? Send photos to us at news@cardinalnews.org.
