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  • Katharine Cornell: A Legend of American Theater

    • Collections
    • Hampton Roads History
    • Military
    • Women's History

    Katharine Cornell was a leading lady in American theater; eventually she led the charge for New York’s American Theatre Wing to perform Broadway shows for troops stationed in Italy during World War II.

  • Celebrating Women’s History Through Needle and Thread

    Saturday, March 18, 2023 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

    Join us for a special program as we celebrate Women’s History Month to recognize women’s contributions to history, culture and society.

  • Sisters in Arms

    • Collections
    • Cultural Heritage
    • Hampton Roads History
    • Military
    • Photography
    • Women's History

    November is Native American Heritage Month! Today we’d like to celebrate that by honoring two Navajo sisters who served at the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation (HRPE) during WWII.

  • The Remarkable Mrs. Captain McGuire

    • Collections
    • Cultural Heritage
    • Women's History

    In early 2019, an East Carolina University student, Jacquelyn Hewett, studied one of the figureheads in our Collection for her American Maritime Material Culture history class. The information she uncovered was enlightening and indicated that a change in the attribution of ship name was in order. While confirming her research, I uncovered the story of a wonderfully awesome woman I thought I would share with you!

  • HRPE during WWII: Innovators in Aviation

    • Military
    • Military Conflict
    • Photography
    • Technology
    • Women's History

    WAVES fulfilled various positions and worked at Naval bases across the US, ranging from yeoman to chauffeur, baker to pharmacist, and artist to aircraft mechanic. Most WAVES worked in naval aviation units–maintaining aircraft, testing parachutes, and working as domestic air traffic controllers or weather specialists.

  • On the Same Team: LGBTQ+ in the Navy

    • Cultural Heritage
    • Military
    • Women's History

    While the military at this time was officially against allowing LGBTQ+ identifying people into the military, they also were desperate for more service members. So in some ways, there was a similar mentality to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of the 1990s and 2000s.

  • HRPE in WWII: Hawaii comes to Hampton Roads!

    • Cultural Heritage
    • Military
    • Women's History

    While the Women’s Army Corps was founded on May 15, 1942 (then the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) they did not recruit women living in Hawaii until October of 1944. This was because Hawaii was technically still a territory, and did not become a state until 1959.

  • Beyond the Frame: Uniquely Jane

    • Art
    • Beyond the Frame
    • Collections
    • Women's History

    A square painting filled to bursting with spectacular color and energy hangs on a rack in painting storage. Every time I pass this rack, it catches my eye and I say to myself “I need to wait on this one”. But these pieces have a special way of working themselves into my head and so on a gloomy late winter day I decided it was time.

  • BEYOND THE FRAME: Uniquely Jane

    In this episode of Beyond the Frame, we are mesmerized by this colorful paradise. A symphony of bold, brilliant hues dance and dazzle through the quick but sure brushstrokes of "Gloucester Harbor" by Jane Peterson.

  • Fierce and Feminine: Female Pirates That Roamed the Seven Seas

    Hear the fascinating stories behind some of history’s most famous and lesser-known pirate queens who ruled the seas.

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