Amherst County Museum, Second Stage and Elkwood Host Dr. Horace Rice for a Presentation on Native Americans

On Sunday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m. Dr. Horace Rice will talk on his book Patriot Pinn's Pearl, a historical fiction account that chronicles the lives of the Cherokee and Wiccocomico Native Americans. His focus will be the role of Patriot Native Americans during the Revolutionary War.

Dr. Rice will also provide information about the UCITOV -- The United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia. Pearl is a "symbol of suffering. Just as an oyster suffers and forms a pearl, the UCITOV people have suffered (invasion, dispersion, forced indentured servitude, Indian slavery, and paper genocide." 

The program will be held at Second Stage, 194 2^nd Street, at the corner of 2^nd and Washington streets and is open to the public with no admission fee. Refreshments will follow the program. Dr. Rice will be available to autograph his book.

Dr. Rice is himself of Cherokee descent, though not from the Buffalo Ridge area. He received his Masters and Doctorate of Education from the University of Virginia and worked at area schools including Bedford County and Monelison Jr. High in Amherst. He is the author of The Buffalo Ridge Cherokee: A Remnant of a Great Nation Divided, a work that explores the history of the Cherokee living in the Stapleton area of Amherst County. Dr. Rice argues that they were occupying that land before the Revolutionary War and through the years experienced a type of "paper genocide" that kept this remnant of the Cherokee nation an obscure and forgotten part of Native American culture. Dr. Rice has served as a historical advisor for the United Cherokee Indian Tribe of Virginia since 1992. 

The Program is made possible by The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust.

Second Stage is a not-for-profit organization that has been converting a historic church into a Center for Creativity and Community since 2015. Programs and performances are currently being planned for the 2017 season. For more information, call 434-94-0997 or visit their website at secondstageamherst.org.

Elkwood, an Amherst Salon, is owned and operated by Wayne Ferguson and Robert Reeves, history and art enthusiasts who support cultural activities in Amherst County.

Amherst County Museum and Historical Society is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to discover, collect and preserve objects related to the history and genealogy of Amherst County. The society exhibits, interprets and offers its collections to provide educational experiences for people of all ages.

For additional information on the program, contact Octavia Starbuck, Director, Amherst County Museum and Historical Society at 434-946-9068 or by the website email: staff@amherstcountymuseum.org.