Each year, NNVHS commemorates the 1766 signing of the Leedstown Resolutions, and the armed Sons of Liberty Tappahannock Demonstration which it sparked (read more about the historical background on these events). These dramatic events spawned the "Sons of Liberty" and were early precursors to the Declaration of Independence a decade later.
In 2011, the Society's annual celebration featured a special members-only "Tea & Liberty" event at historic Mahockney Plantation, one of the houses featured on the 2011 Virginia Historic Garden Week in April. Mahockney is a significant 18th century dwelling (see more about the house here), as the home of Col. William Roane and Col. Francis Waring, two Essex County signers of the Leedstown Resolutions.
Richard Henry Lee, author of the Leedstown Resolutions, was a frequent Mahockney visitor and planned the Resolutions with Roane and Waring and others, along with the armed Tappahannock Demonstration against the Stamp Act.
Living history interpreters made this year's event lively and memorable. NNVHS Board member Bob Bailey and NNVHS member Ted Borek enlivened the event by portraying signers William Roane and Francis Waring, while NNVHS member Jami Borek portrayed Molly Roane Ritchie, sister of William and wife of Archibald Ritchie, famed Tappahannock merchant and Stamp Act supporter.
Col. Francis Waring represented Essex County in Virginia's House of Burgesses, following in the footsteps of his father Thomas Waring, who held the seat from the 1730s.
In the House of Burgesses, Waring served alongside Roane, his friend and later Mahockney owner, as well as many of the most famous names in Virginia's colonial and revolutionary history: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, and Patrick Henry.
According to a memoir by Roane’s son Spencer Roane (born at Mahockney and later Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court), Richard Henry Lee was a frequent visitor at the house, and together Waring, Roane and the Lees all planned the 1766 events in opposition to the hated Stamp Act.
Watch this short video about the event!
The 2011 event was a smashing success, as attendees enjoyed a variety of teas and cakes while listening to the robust clash of ideas circa 1766 in the debate over rights and independence. We're already looking forward to the 2012 commemoration....