Join us for a free book talk by Katherine Ridgway, editor of “The Buried Cause: Unearthing Hidden History in the Lee Monument Cornerstone,” which casts a modern light on memories and artifacts of the Civil War.

In December 2021, a copper box filled with artifacts that had been buried for 134 years beneath the statue of Robert E. Lee on Richmond’s Monument Avenue was opened with great ceremony. Newspaper articles from 1887 had dubbed these mementos of Lee and life in the capital during and after the Civil War “cornerstone contributions.” In “The Buried Cause,” historians, curators, preservationists and other experts from across the Commonwealth come together to analyze these individual contributions, which include Masonic and military calling cards, copper coins gathered by the young sons of a Confederate veteran, a photograph of a memorial window in the Confederate Memorial Chapel, Southern bonds and currency, muster rolls, medals, reunion programs and more. The book’s essays reveal to readers the lives of the people who donated the objects, the ceremonies that enshrined them, and the communities disregarded and unaccounted for in this material snapshot of the past.

Ridgway is the state archaeological conservator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. She works with professionals and the public around the Commonwealth to promote the preservation of the state’s rich cultural heritage and led the team that opened the containers found under the Robert E. Lee Monument on Monument Avenue. 

A book signing will follow the program. This is a free event, but registration is required. Limited free parking is available underneath the Library at 800 East Broad Street. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov