Farmville - Prince Edward  Historical Society P.O. Box 546 Farmville, Viginia 23901

(seated, left to right) Dale Bolt, Robert Flippen, Kay Whitfield (standing, left to right) Margaret Stockton, Rev. Willie Thompson, Jimmy Hurt, Edwina Covington, Julian Covington, Allison Martin, John Thomasson, Jo D. Smith, Richard Stockton, Billy Poulston (not pictured, Phyllis Guilliams)

• To promote the heritage of Prince Edward County and its environs
• To preserve local historic sites, artifacts, and records
• To promote tourism to the area
• To instill a sense of citizen pride in the area through historical research programs and writings

    The Farmville - Prince Edward Historical Society is an outgrowth of Historic Farmville, Inc.  Established in 1986 by businessmen and history enthusiasts, the purpose was to promote the preservation of downtown Farmville storefronts and to establish a designated historic area.  In 1996, Mrs. Marie DeLaney hand picked several new individuals, and a few from the Historic Farmville group, in order to reorganize and salvage that organization.
    The new group made changes to the bylaws, selected an entirely new group of officers and directors, established a purpose, and began operating as the Farmville - Prince Edward Historical Society.  Mrs. DeLaney served as president during the reorganization period.

    February, 1997 - January, 2003 -  William W. Poulston, president

    1998 - In anticipation of Farmville's Bicentennial celebration, the Society began a series of lectures pertaining to Farmville's past.  These were held each month, usually at the Farmville train station.  Meetings were announced by local radio and newspaper, welcoming the general public to come and enjoy local history.  You do not have to be a member to attend our public meetings.

    In the past six years, we have had approximately sixty public meetings of local interest.  In their order:

• Robert Taylor - History of Taylor Manufacturing Company
• Bob Flippen - Lithia Springs
• John Brinkley - History of Hampden-Sydney College
• Phil Blaker - History of Brooklyn Plantation
• Alan Pell Crawford - Author, upcoming book on the Randolph family
• Les Andrews - History of Farmville Manufacturing Company
• Fred Reid - Growing Up in Farmville
• Tony DeMuth - Morton and Venable Families
• Dr. James Jordon - Early Settlement of the Appomattox, pre Farmville
• John Osborn - Farmville Reminiscences
• Bob Flippen - Old Farmville Postcards
• Dr. Pace - LWU professor, History of Farmville by his students
• Jane Clark and Julia Cox - Allen Family of Prince Edward
• Frank Overton - Tour of the Prince Edward County Clerk's Office
• Dr. Georgia Coopersmith - LCVA Tour, Recollecting our Past, Farmville Bicentennial Display of Artifacts
• Joe Weinberg - Weinberg Family Business
• Robert Winthrop - Farmville's Main Street Architecture
• Bob Flippen - Jo Smith's Presentation on High Bridge
• Syd Newman - Farmville Aviation
• William F. Watkins - Law and Order in Prince Edward County
• Open Forum Discussion - guest panel Robert Taylor, Emilee Holladay, Mabel Cason, and John Osborn
• Visual Arts Display - Early Photography
• William Turnage - Bateau Boats of the Appomattox, he the Commander of the Lord Chesterfield
• Bob Flippen - Liquor and Temperance in Farmville, Old Bottles
• Rev. Willie Thompson - History of College Church
• Dr. James B. Gates - History of Sandy River Church
• Mrs. Olivia Hobgood - History of Mt. Pleasant Church
• Rev. Jones Doughton - History of Appomattox PE Church
• Rev. Willie Thompson - Old Buffalo Church
• Bernard Slayton - History of Spring Creek Church
• Lynn Henshaw - Family History Center, Census Records
• Betty Watson - Farmville Baptist Church History
• Julia Cox - Farmville United Methodist Church History
• Joe McCutcheon - History of Farmville Presbyterian Church
• Mrs. Natalie Jones - History of Briery Church
• William W. Poulston - Video Presentation of Cumberland County Historical, tape prepared by Julia Cox and Jo Smith, narrated by Bill Poulston
• Steve Wall - Farmville Memorabilia
• Alan Pell Crawford - author, Unwise Passions, Richard Randolph's Infanticide Story
• Mike Rice - Civil War Artifacts Display and Discussion
• Gregg Eanes - author, The Wilson-Kantz Raid, local Civil War History
• Tony Gage - author, Southside Virginia in the Civil War
• Dickie Cralle - Greenfront - History of the Cralle Family
• William W. Poulston - Presentation of the "Farmville Guard" written by Marie DeLaney
• Field Trip - High Bridge
• Field Trip - Old Briery Church
• Bob Flippen and Alicia Davis - History of Stanley Park and the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad
• Open Forum Discussion - guests were Tucker Doyne, John Osborn, and Robert Taylor
• Tour - Mary Doyne hosted tour of the "oldest house in Farmville"
• David Spears - Virginia State Geologist, Local Geology
• Joe Lively - author Passing of the Troops
• Dr. Bill Trout - Virginia Canals and Waterways - Buffalo Creek
• Dr. James Jordon - pre Colonizaiton in Prince Edward
• Tour - The Lockett House at Rice
• William W. Poulston - meetings discussing the Farmville Jaycees Historic Calendars
• Tour - Old Jail and Clerk's Office at Worsham by Elmira Chernault and Willie Thompson
• William W. Poulston - Collections of the Historical Society
• Society hosted a birthday party for the Farmville Train Station's 100th year, April, 2003
• Chuck Ironmonger and elements of the 23rd Virginia Infantry, Company I, Prince Edward Central Guard spoke about camp, equipment, and rifle usage during the War Between the States
• Society posted a website at www.fpehs.org.  Edwina Covington, serving as webmaster.

• The Society and its members worked with the LCVA in  acquiring items for the Bicentennial display.
• The Society placed bronze markers at the four corners of the original Town of Farmville, according to the Judith Randolph Survey.
• The Society and William W. Poulston gave several tours of Farmville to students of Fuqua School, Longwood University, the Girl Scouts, the DAR, and also on the day of Farmville's Bicentennial Celebration.
• The Society has solicited and is receiving artifacts pertaining to local history for eventual display and public access.
• The Society has answered many queries that have been sent to it and the Clerk's Office of Prince Edward County.
• The Society maintains videos and still photography of lectures and programs it has held.
• Our Society nominated Dickie Cralle for the  Virginia Preservation Award.  The Society documented and made slides for this submission.  Cralle's efforts were recognized by the Preservation Alliance of Virginia with the presentation of a bronze plaque.
• The Society helped fund the publication of Farmville's Past by the LCVA, which was proofed by Bob Flippen with computer graphics by Richard McClintock, both of whom are Society members.
• William W. Poulston narrated daily "Bicentennial Minutes" on WVHL during 1998.
• The Society wrote letters to the National Geodetic Society concerning the re-naming of Harris Creek.  Our position against the change prevailed.
• The Society attempted to locate the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Prince Edward County.
• The Society gave support to the Friends of the Appomattox River in their effort to clear debris and stop further erosion at the old Farmville-Powhatan Railway pier.
• The Society gave support through letters for Prince Edward County to secure a grant for the preservation of the old Clerk's Office at Worsham.
• William W. Poulston gave a talk on Prince Edward County history to Humanities Council members.