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Curious what life was like in Middlesex County during the American Revolution? Join Library of Virginia historian Eric Johnson at the Middlesex County Historic Courthouse for an engaging history talk rooted in the firsthand accounts of the Revolutionary era. Throughout the war and its aftermath, local residents of all backgrounds shared their stories via legislative petitions and narratives of their war service. Today, those petitions and narratives - along with maps, wills, newspapers and other documents - are preserved at the Library of Virginia, and in this talk, Johnson will share these local glimpses into Middlesex's past.



Hear how Middlesex area residents argued for religious liberty, navigated the complexities of enslavement, and pushed back on moving the courthouse during a time of profound change. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with our local history and see the Revolutionary era come to life through the words and stories of the people who lived it.



Eric Johnson is the coordinator of the VA250-funded Ideas in Action project at the Library of Virginia, focused on bringing Revolutionary-era documents and the stories they tell back to the communities from which they came. Prior to joining the Library of Virginia, Eric served for twelve years as head of the multimedia center and makerspace at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries. Trained in public history and the digital humanities, he has also worked at the Scholars’ Lab at the University of Virginia Library, Monticello, the University of Richmond, and the Smithsonian. Eric holds master’s degrees in American history from George Mason University, library and information studies from Florida State University, and cartography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.