Northampton Historic Preservation Society Educational Videos

The Northampton Historic Preservation Society Announces the Availability of Three Educational Videos on the Website
Posted on 01/30/2020
Northampton Historic Preservation Society logo 

The Northampton Historic Preservation Society (NHPS) has produced three educational videos about important historic places in Northampton County, Virginia. The videos are free to watch and share and are available on the NHPS website.

NHPS is also pleased to announce that The Cabell Foundation has awarded a one-to-one $50,000 grant challenge. grant to support the restoration and preservation of  the 1907 jail building on the Northampton County Court Green in Eastville, Virginia. Please consider helping NHPS restore the 1907 Jail for use as a museum. 1907 JailWith the restoration of the 1907 Jail, the Northampton County Court Green is certain to be one of the most intact and restored court greens in the Country. The museum will feature the role jails played in county governance in Eastville, Virginia from Colonial times until today. 

To watch the videos and learn more about the history of Northampton County, Virginia or to make a donation, please visit the Northampton Historic Preservation Society website. 


The Last Jail on the Northampton Court Green

screenshot of Last Jail video

When it was determined the 1914 Northampton County Jail could not be saved, NHPS looked for ways to retain its history. NHPS produced a video providing a view of how prisoners were held in the “state of the art” jail built in 1914 and the many other jails that existed for over 300+ years on the Court Green in Eastville. The film highlights: the history of Northampton jails and punishment, a booming economy that influenced early 20th century changes in Northampton, the construction of the 1914 Jail, and how the 1914 Jail functioned for close to a century. This video was made possible with the generous support of Virginia Humanities.

 Virginia Humanities Logo


Northampton County Historic Court Green Tour in Eastville

screenshot of Court Green video

Take a quick six-minute tour of the Northampton County Historic Court Green in Eastville with us! The Northampton Historic Preservation Society provides an overview of the historic buildings dating back to the 1731 Courthouse on this tour. These historical buildings make the Northampton County Historic Court Green one of the most intact in the country. The Northampton County Court Green in Eastville is on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, Northampton County is known for its unique records—the nation's oldest continuous court records. Northampton’s records date from 1632 to the present day; no other Virginia county can make such a claim.


Pear Valley: A Rare Treasure in Northampton County

screenshot of Pear Valley video

Dr. Garrison Brown will take you on a tour of the historic Pear Valley property in this video. Pear Valley represents what was once a common building in the rural landscape of the Chesapeake region. The yeoman planter’s cottage has been dated to 1740. Pear Valley has been designated as a National Historic Landmark, becoming one of 121 Virginia and two in Northampton. This places Pear Valley in the company of Virginia’s Monticello, Montpelier, and Bacon’s Castle as a property officially recognized by the U.S. government for its national historic significance.