“Virginia’s 1774 Summer of Discontent and the Coming of the Revolution”
Presented by Jim Bish
Museum of Culpeper History
Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
St. James United Church of Christ,
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville
The next offering in the Lovettsville Historical Society’s 2025 Lecture Series will feature Revolutionary War historian Jim Bish, who will reveal the importance of the many local Resolves that were produced in the summer of 1774 in Virginia. The local commitment against the actions of England which emerged during 1774, became paramount in the later success of the Revolution.
Local residents reacted strongly to the pending abolition of their rights by the British. This democratic action was the first step to declaring independence two years later. In doing so, the county freeholders and inhabitants bought into the upcoming struggle, while producing a purely democratic set of documents which show a united clarity of purpose. Their collective local actions and their statements, county by county, have rarely been duplicated, previously or since.
Virginia and Maryland produced the most comprehensive set of Resolves compared to anywhere in the colonies leading up to the Revolutionary War. These Resolves fortified their commitment to the ever-strengthening common cause of America. During the 1774 summer of discontent, Royal Governor Dunmore’s actions helped to unify Virginians for the coming war, something that Massachusetts and the other colonies would need in the following years.
In 1989, Jim Bish helped to organize the Prince William County, Virginia Historical Society, known as Historic Prince William, where he served as the organization’s first president. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Historic Prince William. He worked at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for two years, and later served Prince William County as a member of the Prince William County Historical Commission. He currently operates History Happened Here Tours, and also volunteers with the Museum of Culpeper County, Virginia, where he also serves on their Board of Directors. Bish and his wife Rebecca currently live in Culpeper, Virginia.
A video recording of the September 14 presentation will be posted on the Lovettsville Historical Society website following the events.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome to defray expenses of the program and to support the activities of the Lovettsville Historical Society.
For more information, call 540-822-9194.