Sept. 11, , 2011

RCC course examines Christ Church Parish’s place in history

For those who would like to learn a bit more about local history, “People and Places of Christ Church Parish,” just might be the vehicle. It's a course sponsored by the Rappahannock Community College Educational Foundation’s Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning (RILL), and will be taught by Robert Teagle from 1 to 3 p.m. on October 4, 11, and 18 (Tuesdays) at Historic Christ Church in Irvington, Lancaster County.

For most colonial Virginians, the parish was the center of their lives. It was defined in geographical terms as an area that supported a minister, functioned as a unit of local government, and was home to all kinds of people, many of whom never traveled beyond its boundaries. This course will profile various Christ Church Parish residents, along with the landscapes and buildings where they lived, worked, played and died, and will examine their politics, economy, health care, crime and punishment, recreation, and material culture.

Robert Teagle is the education director and curator at the Foundation for Historic Christ Church. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary, and a master’s degree in American history from Virginia Tech.

Advance registration is required to take RILL courses, with a tuition payment of $35. For more information on “People and Places of Christ Church Parish” and other upcoming courses, or to register, please call Sharon Drotleff at the RCC Educational Foundation office (804-333-6707, or toll-free at 877-722-3679), or e-mail her.

Christ Church, outside Irvington, Va.