Invitation to Join Proposed Northern Shenandoah Valley Branch of APVA

The group of individuals signing this letter will be hosting an organizational meeting of a proposed Northern Shenandoah Valley Branch (Clarke, Frederick, Warren, and Winchester) of the APVA on Monday, June 30th, at 5:30 pm at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester.

The APVA is our primary state-wide, citizen volunteer, non-profit general preservation organization in Virginia. It was founded in 1889 and its first major activity was the rescue of the site of Jamestown, which it still owns and sponsors, along with about thirty other of the some of the most historic sites in Virginia. Its primary work since the beginning has been to enlist citizens state-wide in the cause of advocacy for historic preservation, and not just of “famous” or elite sites, but of all the places and landscapes that have been important to Virginians over the last 400 years. APVA and its members and local branches address not only decision-makers in state and local governments, but also private companies and individuals whose decisions affect the historic fabric and landscapes that have been and continue to be part of our lives. It is also an important educational and research organization, with annual conferences, Preservation Trades weekends, periodicals, the annual “Most Threatened List”, programs of archeology, study, and interpretation at the many sites it owns or controls, and much more.

At the organizational meeting on June 30 we will:
– introduce everyone
– hear more about APVA from a representative, who will answer questions
– hear from one or more of the organizing committee about the plans
– sign up new members (and list current APVA members)
– elect initial board and officers, and appoint any committees needed initially
-set a meeting schedule (quarterly is the usual for local branches of APVA, but it is up to us)

For more information please download the full text of the letter in PDF format here and visit the APVA website at http://apva.org/.