Topics Related to Somerset Place State Historic Site

Discover the history and culture of Lake Scuppernong’s Indigenous Community as we highlight American Indian Heritage Month. Interact with exhibits and demonstrations to learn about Indigenous ways of life.

We are saddened to announce that former Somerset Place Site Manager, Dorothy Spruill Redford passed away Saturday, September 30, 2023. There will be a public memorial at Somerset Place, in the former enslaved community on Monday, October 9th at 11:00 am. Dorothy will be laid to rest in Virginia following the public memorial service.

Come and experience history through arts, crafts, guided tours, and activities! This annual event will feature opportunities to learn about plantation life through historic trades and crafts, living history, hearth cooking, hands-on activities with historic interpreters, and tours of the plantation. We are excited to have Braima Moiwai, percussionist and storyteller from Sierra Leone, who will host interactive musical presentations. Enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides along the historic carriage drives. The Washington Underground Railroad Museum will be here again with their wonderful interactive presentation; the Newbold-White House will present on the history of Quakers and slavery; and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site will speak about the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island. Historians Chris Grimes and Gary Riggs will interpret antebellum-era and Civil War medicine. There will be a gardens and grounds tour hosted by Somerset's volunteer gardener, Mitchell Patrick. Lastly, enjoy folk music from Michael and Donna Fox of the Possum Hollar Old Time String Band. Various artists and vendors are invited to rent a space on the grounds to sell their wares or food items. Suggested donation of $5 for adults and $3 for kids is welcomed. Guided tours will be offered at 10:30a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 1:30p.m. and have a required fee of $2 for adults and $1 for seniors 65 and over and children ages 5-12. We hope you’ll join us to explore the diverse peoples, cultures, and histories of Somerset Place

Learn about some of the remarkable women who lived and worked at Somerset Place. This 60-minute guided tour will focus on the contributions that enslaved and free women made to the development, maintenance, and infrastructure of the plantation.