Centre Hill Museum to Host Lecture on the
History of African American Music in Petersburg
 
In honor of Black History Month, Petersburg’s Centre Hill Museum will host an evening lecture beginning at 7:00 P.M. on Friday February 22nd. Dr. Ethel Norris Haughton a member of the music faculty of Virginia State University will give a presentation titled “Musical Activities of Petersburg’s Black Residents in the Late Nineteenth Century.” The lecture will be followed by a special evening tour of Centre Hill, a historic residence built in 1823, now a city museum.
 
Within less than a decade after the Civil War, Petersburg’s residents, black and white alike, actively engaged themselves in musical pursuits. Despite the fact that resources of Petersburg’s black residents were far less than those of its white residents, they pursued music of a high quality. They enhanced the music in their churches, provided music lessons for their children, and organized music societies. They presented concerts that featured local talent and internationally known black concert performers, including soprano Sissieretta Jones. Their noteworthy efforts helped to establish a musical foundation for the music program at Virginia Normal & Collegiate Institute (now Virginia State University).
Dr. Ethel Norris Haughton is a native of Petersburg, Virginia. A product of the Petersburg Public School System, she earned the Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in Music History from The Ohio State University.   The title of her dissertation is Music in the Black and White Communities in Petersburg, Virginia, 1865-1900. Dr. Haughton was appointed to the music faculty at Virginia State University in August 1994 where she currently holds the rank of Associate Professor. Dr. Haughton is a member and the organist at Petersburg’s Gillfield Baptist Church.
 
Admission to the lecture and the tour are free though reservations are encouraged. Reservations may be made by calling (804) 733-2401. Centre Hill is located at 1 Centre Hill Ave. in Petersburg. Parking is available in the north lot behind the museum. For more information visit the City of Petersburg’s website www.petersburg-va.org or call (804) 733-2401.
Alyson L. Taylor-White
804-920-2783




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