^{William "Billy" Flora (c. 1755–1820) was a free Black Patriot from Virginia. His bravery at the 1775 Battle of Great Bridge is portrayed in the award-winning film "Liberty Fever" at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.}

Come celebrate Juneteenth at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown! Join us for performances and tours that celebrate both the 18th century connections to Juneteenth as well as the legacies that echo through to today.

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Juneteenth

Juneteenth is rooted in Galveston, Texas, where in June 1865, word of the Emancipation Proclamation was finally shared with some of the last enslaved people to hear they had been freed. However, the Proclamation’s first reading in a Southern state was on the Virginia Peninsula, in the city of Hampton in 1863. In the preceding centuries, enslaved people sought freedom through the courts, military service and other forms of self-emancipation.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, visitors can explore the contributions of both well-known and little-known participants in the Revolutionary War from the first shots fired at the Boston Massacre to the decisive victory at Yorktown and points in between.

Stories of enslaved and free African Americans including both Patriots and Loyalists are shared throughout the galleries, like that of Benjamin Banneker, a free African American who became famous in the 1790s as a scientist and writer. Accounts of Billy Flora, an African American hero of the Battle of Great Bridge in 1775, and James Lafayette, an enslaved African American from New Kent County, Virginia, who successfully spied on the British for American forces, come to life in films and an interactive exhibit.

Jamestown Settlement

Juneteenth celebrates liberation from a system of slavery with origins in Jamestown, Va. – as the place where the first recorded Africans in 1619 were brought after landing at Old Point Comfort and where the first slave laws enacted in the mid-17th century impacted the lives and status of Africans and their descendants.

Museum guests can explore African and African American experiences in 17th-century Virginia through expansive gallery exhibits, dramatic films and engaging interactives that share the story of Virginia Indian, English and West Central African cultures.

Using period artifacts and innovative technology, exhibits share historical accounts of the first documented Africans taken from their homeland in Ndongo (Angola) in 1619 to life in the Virginia colony and the evolution of a new African American culture. The “From Africa to Virginia” multimedia presentation chronicles African encounters with Europeans, impact on African culture and the development of the transatlantic slave trade.

The documentary film, “1607: A Nation Takes Root,” is shown every 30 minutes in Presentation Hall. The film traces the evolution of the Virginia Company that sponsored the Jamestown colony, examines the relationship between the English colonists and Powhatan Indians, and chronicles the arrival of the first recorded Africans in 1619 – including the story of Angelo, one of the first African women named in Jamestown’s historical record.

Juneteenth Community Events

Learn more about organizations in the Greater Williamsburg Area with a common goal to educate, commemorate and celebrate the end of slavery in America, and explore a full calendar of Juneteenth events.

About the Museums

Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days. Jamestown Settlement is located on State Route 31 near the Colonial Parkway in James City County, just southwest of Williamsburg and adjacent to Historic Jamestowne. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown, near Yorktown Battlefield and Historic Yorktown.

The museums allow visitors of all ages to enjoy extensive indoor gallery exhibits and outdoor living-history areas to connect with the stories of our shared history. Admission tickets can be purchased online or in person. Plan your visit today or call (757) 253-4838 for more information.