Join in the fun on Friday, May 13th for Petersburg's monthly (2nd Friday) celebration of the arts. Activities begin in Old Towne Petersburg at 6:00p.m. Art exhibits, concerts, dining, & specialty events galore. There are 15+ arts venues and 7+ music venues. Locations are clustered in a walkable loop, or you can take the free Arts Bus.
(804) 733-2400
Old Towne Area of Petersburg
Old, Bank, Bollingbrook, River & Sycamore Streets
Petersburg, Virginia 23803
"A Unionist at the Secession Convention: A Reading of Excerpts from the Speeches of Petersburg Delegate Thomas Branch"
May 13th
In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the Petersburg Department of Tourism, in conjunction with Friday for the Arts!, May 13, 2011, presents "A Unionist at the Secession Convention: A Reading of Excerpts from the Speeches of Petersburg Delegate Thomas Branch." This Civil War program will take place at the Siege Museum, 15 West Bank St., Petersburg, Va., 23803, from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Thomas Branch was born in Chesterfield County, Va. on December 23, 1802. He was a successful commission merchant and later became a broker and a banker.
On February 4, 1861, the citizens of Petersburg elected Thomas Branch, a conditional Unionist, to represent the city at the Virginia Convention of 1861. The convention convened in Richmond to debate whether Virginia should secede from the Union. As a member of the convention, he voted against Virginia's leaving the union, assenting only when the people who appointed him as their representative voted in favor of secession. Once the die was cast, he signed the ordinance of secession.
On April 17, 1861, the delegates at the Virginia Convention in Richmond passed an ordinance of secession by a vote of 88 to 55.
Join us for an historical evening with Wayne Tucker, museum interpreter for the Petersburg Department of Tourism, as he reads excerpts derived from the speeches that Thomas Branch made from the convention floor in 1861 with Alice Martin, also an interpreter, providing context for the speaker.
This event is free.
(804) 733-2402
