Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, 1774-1776

This collection contains the records of the five Virginia conventions that met before the creation of a new state government in 1776. The first convention was held at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg on May 30, 1774. Twenty-five members of the House of Burgesses gathered to protest the closing of the port of Boston by British authorities as a punishment for the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The convention met in open defiance of Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, who had earlier dissolved the House of Burgesses. The members expressed their support for Boston and called for the creation of a Continental Congress. The conventions continued to serve as an alternative government in Virginia through July 1776. For more information, please see this blog post.

Prior to scanning, the Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, 1774-1776 records were conserved to remove damaging cellulose acetate lamination that was causing the documents to degrade. Additional documents in the collection are currently being conserved. Once completed, images of the documents will be added to the digital collection.