Nearly 250 years ago — on Dec. 9, 1775 — American patriots led by Col. William Woodford dealt a devastating blow to attacking British regulars at the Battle of Great Bridge.
The clash between American forces and British troops was arguably the most consequential event to ever take place in Norfolk County. The lopsided victory drove Royal Gov. Dunmore from Virginia and freed the Old Dominion from direct British authority.
In an effort to spread the word regarding the upcoming 250th anniversary of the historic battle, the Norfolk County Historical Society of Chesapeake has produced a special set of posters to publicly assist with the promotion of the annual commemoration this year.
During the 18th century, broadsides — what we call posters today — were printed on single sheets of paper of various sizes. They were forceful and visually appealing, and often included clever illustrations.
Reenactors prepare for battle before a recent Battle of Great Bridge reenactment. They appear confident of victory. (Bob Ruegsegger/for The Virginian-Pilot)
Robert Hitchings and Kay Ziegler of the historical society teamed up to design posters — modern broadsides — that were printed on heavy paper stock to post in Great Bridge stores and shops to publicize the important historical milestone.
“With the 250th coming up, I thought that we needed to do something. This is a biggie,” said Robert Hitchings, president of the historical society. “I have a little artistic talent and I had a vision on how to do these posters. Kay had the technical know-how to put it on the computer.”
Hitchings took a phrase he coined and first delivered at a lecture at the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways Museum years ago. His address was so well-received that Hitchings added his concluding remark from the lecture to the contents of the 250th commemorative poster: “It was here that the seeds of democracy were sowed.”
He added the date of the battle, Dec. 9, 1775, and the name of the historical society to the text of the poster. He deliberately kept the design simple.
His minimalist approach to creating the posters produced attention-getting images inspired by period sketches and a brief but powerful message. The seeds that ultimately reached fruition in American independence were planted in Norfolk County during the Battle of Great Bridge that day.
In the fall, Hitchings and historical society members plan to offer the posters to shopkeepers to display in their store windows to remind people of the advent of the 250th anniversary of the battle.
“The Battle of Great Bridge took place seven months before the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed,” Hitchings said. “Most people don’t know that.”
Ziegler serves as the manager of the Wallace History Room at Chesapeake Central Library. She also is a board member of the historical society. Ziegler over the years has been closely involved with its programs, exhibits, and promotions.
This cannonball was excavated from the Great Bridge battlefield and donated to the Norfolk County Historical Society by Warren Gibson. (Bob Ruegsegger/for The Virginian-Pilot)
“Robert came up with the poster idea. I hadn’t really thought of making posters. I knew we were doing the court documents for the 250th — the computer stuff,” Ziegler said. “He had the idea and told me what he wanted. I put it all together. I can do graphics and rearrange pictures. You name it. I can probably figure it out on the computer.”
Ziegler said the the project is intended not just to promote awareness of the upcoming anniversary event, but to stimulate local recognition for the historical society itself.
“We don’t get a lot of recognition. People know about us, but they really don’t know where we’re located,” Ziegler said. “We were at the event on the Fourth of July. People came up to us. We met a different group of people than those we meet at the annual battle reenactment.”
The stunning victory at Great Bridge changed the political landscape in the colony of Virginia by driving Lord Dunmore’s minions out of the Old Dominion.
“Without the Battle of Great Bridge, we’d be speaking with a British accent. Everything would be totally different,” Ziegler said. “The war might have resulted in American independence, but we can never really know.”
