WITNESS TO A CENTURY

Built in 1944-45, Fairlington in Arlington County was a prototypical suburb of the middle twentieth century. Here, colonial revival homes spring up in what was formerly a farm field. Rural life giving way to urban/suburban was a major theme in twentieth-century Virginia. (National Archives, 80-G-30825)

Let's imagine we could view the twentieth century on a videotape. What would we see? Life in Virginia in 1900 was dominated by the rhythms of the land-planting and harvest, sunup and sundown-as it had been for hundreds of years. Most people worked on farms, and many were born and lived their entire lives within a tight geographical radius. Virginians were also confined by the visible and unseen barriers of Jim Crow, segregating virtually every aspect of society. Now, let's fast forward through the next one hundred years. Images of two world wars and a great depression would flicker by, generally replacing poverty with relative affluence. The placards and demonstrations of the civil rights movement would make their appearance on the screen as well, marking a profound transformation in social relations. Farmland would be plowed under and give way to growing cities and sprawling suburbs. Technological innovation would also be a constant theme, changing the way Virginians communicated with each other and experienced the world: telephone, radio, television, Internet. When the tape ends in the year 2000, we would see a Virginia fundamentally altered: few in the state making their living from agriculture, African Americans fully involved in the political process, and the commonwealth home to a dizzying array of cultures and ethnicities.

Although looking at the twentieth century in the way described above is just a hypothetical exercise, it will soon be a reality. The VHS recendy learned that it has been awarded a highly competitive major grant from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to produce a documentary entitled Witness to a Century. Partnering with the Community Ideas Stations (Richmond and Charlottesville public television), the VHS will create an hour-long program that examines the immense changes that occurred in Virginia in the century just passed. Instead of simply relying on old moving pictures and photos, Witness to a Century will use the memories of centenarians-those who lived through the actual events in question-to tell the story. These first-hand accounts will provide a compelling human dimension to large events. Pre-production work is underway, and broadcast is expected in 2008. Afterward, special educational packets including the documentary will be created for use in senior centers to encourage recollection and discussion among older Virginians about an era that has only recently passed but that is still only partially understood.