2023 Programs
All events are open to the public and free unless tickets or registration noted.
“Lincoln, the Founding, and an America Worth Saving ” | February 16 - 2:00 p.m.
Author Lucas Morel, professor of politics at Washington & Lee University, argues that the most important influence on Abraham Lincoln’s thought and practice was what Lincoln learned from the leading figures and documents from the birth of the United States. Morel’s work of intellectual history demonstrates that to know Lincoln well is to understand thoroughly the founding of America. Tickets $25.
Volunteer Spring Training | March 28-30 - 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Join the HCC&M volunteer team for our annual spring training as we get ready for the 2023 visitor season. Enjoy engaging presentations on the history of Christ Church and colonial Virginia by leading scholars. Participate in hands-on workshops with your fellow volunteers. Play HCC&M Jeopardy!TM and win a prize. Coffee and goodies served daily with lunch on 3/30 to conclude the program. Anyone from the community interested in participating or learning more about volunteer opportunities at Historic Christ Church & Museum is encouraged to attend. Contact the office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Kirkin’ of the Tartan Service | April 23 - 1:30 p.m.
Traditional Scottish blessing & celebration. Full tartan/Scottish church service. Bagpipes, drums, and marching parade with the Kilmarnock District & Pipe Band and the St. Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg.
"The Foundations of Democracy at Historic Jamestowne" and Reign & Rebellion Exhibitions | May 3-4
On May 3 join Jamestown Rediscovery's Director of Archaeology Dave Givens as he explores the Rediscovery team's latest findings on the excavations in the 1617 church where Virginia's first General Assembly met in July 1619. Enjoy a light supper and refreshments in the courtyard at Historic Christ Church & Museum as we delve deep into the earliest site of the oldest continuous representative legislative body in the western hemisphere. The next day volunteers and friends travel by bus to Jamestown for a personal tour of the site with Givens and to tour the new Reign & Rebellion exhibitions at Jamestown-Yorktown museums. Tickets: Dave Givens Presentation, Reception and Bus Trip - $150.00. Dave Givens Presentation & Reception only - $35.00. Bus Trip to Historic Jamestowne and Reign & Rebellion exhibitions only - $125.00. Click here for event details: Givens Jamestown 2023. Click here for tickets:"The Foundations of Democracy at Historic Jamestown" and Reign & Rebellion
65th Annual Meeting of the Foundation for Historic Christ Church, Inc | May 11 - 4:00 PM
Memorial Day Service | May 29 - 11:00 a.m. (Music); 11:30 a.m. (Service)
Sponsored by the Northern Neck Chapter, Military Officers Association of America; the Foundation for Historic Christ Church, Inc.; and Grace Episcopal Church, Kilmarnock.
Virginia in the Seventeenth Century – Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning | June 1, 8, 15 - 10:00 a.m. - Noon
This course looks at life in the Virginia colony over the seventeenth-century. Themes include early exploration and settlement, interactions between Virginia Indians and English colonists, tobacco culture, the development of representative government, immigration and demographics, servitude and slavery, architecture, women, the Church of England, rebellion, family, disease, and more. From its near collapse during Jamestown’s early years to its transition to a slave society as the century closed, the course examines the profound transformations that shaped Virginia in its first hundred years.
Offered in partnership with Rappahannock Community College’s Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning program (RILL). Instructor: Robert Teagle, HCC&M Executive Director. Registration here: rappahannock.edu/foundation/lifelong-learning
Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence with Patriotic Music | July 1 - 10:00 a.m.
Join us for a patriotic celebration and reading of the Declaration of Independence inside Historic Christ Church with patriotic music.
Hands-On History Day | July 21 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Step back in time with this exciting program in colonial Virginia history. Make a brick by hand, write with a quill pen, dig for artifacts, make a grave rubbing, play colonial games, dress in 18th-century clothing, create a silhouette portrait, build a brick wall and more. Enjoy a pizza party for lunch and take home a souvenir bookmark, Museum Activity Book, and knapsack. Ages 6-12. Pre-registration required: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
"Raise the Roof" at Historic Christ Church & Museum | June 22, 2024 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
"Raise the Roof" has been rescheduled from September 23, 2023 to June 22, 2024
Join us as we "Raise the Roof" at Historic Christ Church & Museum's 8th-Annual Fall Festival in Weems, Virginia. Enjoy an array of craft beers, delicious BBQ or vegetarian fare, homemade ice cream, and live music. Your ticket includes a souvenir cup & two craft beer (or wine) tickets, one serving of BBQ (or veggie fare) with fixings from Willaby’s, homemade ice cream from Short Lane Ice Cream and awesome music by the Rob White Trio and En'Novation, all at one of Virginia’s most historic sites. Additional beverage and meal tickets may be purchased at the event. Soft drinks & water provided. Please bring your photo ID and your own lawn chairs or blankets. No pets or coolers. Rain or Shine Event. Funds benefit preservation of Historic Christ Church (1735), a National Historic Landmark. Tickets $60 for adults, $20 under 21, and free for ages 5 and under. Purchase tickets here: "Raise the Roof"
"Oyster Wars of the Chesapeake Bay" | October 21, 2023 - 4:00 p.m.
Join Chesapeake historian and author Kate Livie at the 2023 John H. Hunt II Chesapeake History Forum as she shares stories of money, mayhem and murder from the Oyster Wars. For 50 years following the Civil War to the turn of the century, oystermen and packing houses profited off the bounty of the Bay in a great oyster gold rush that created cities, sparked conflict, and transformed the Chesapeake's economy and culture. From shanghaied immigrant deck hands "paid off by the boom" to skipjack-and-Fishery Force gun battles on the Chester River, Livie will explore the fascinating history of the Bay's wildest era.
Enjoy fresh oysters, handcrafted cocktails and a light supper at this special evening of Chesapeake history. Tickets $60.00. Purchase tickets here: Oyster Wars
The Holly & the Ivy | December 4 - 3:30 p.m.
Celebrate the season at Historic Christ Church with traditional songs, carols, and music. Join in this seasonal songfest in the beautifully “greened” church. Featuring members of The Chesapeake Chorale and the Christchurch School Cantorion. Dress warmly. Refreshments follow. Admission: two non-perishable items for Healthy Harvest Food Bank.