Roanoke Civil War Round Table - Readjusting the Old Dominion: The Forgotten Rise and Fall of Virginia’s “Readjuster” Movement

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Kevin C. Donovan

Civil War sentinel

Roanoke Civil War Round Table - Readjusting the Old Dominion: The Forgotten Rise and Fall of Virginia’s “Readjuster” Movement

Explore the powerful story of the “Readjusters,” a long-forgotten 1880s Virginia political movement that achieved remarkable socio-economic reforms for both whites and African Americans. Formed to battle the Commonwealth’s crippling debt crisis (including tens of millions in pre-Civil War debt, all totaling 1.2 billion dollars in today’s money) and its impact on public services, the Readjusters oversaw a transformative period in the state’s educational and infrastructural development that welcomed and benefitted citizens of all races and backgrounds.

Ironically, in a wonderful example of the old adage that “politics make strange bedfellows,” the multi-racial Readjusters were led by a former Confederate general, William (“Little Billy”) Mahone. Mahone had led Confederate forces at the Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864), an action outside Petersburg that started with Union forces exploding a huge gunpowder mine but ultimately included atrocities against attacking African American U.S. troops. Yet Mahone’s Readjusters not only welcomed African Americans into the party but supported their election to the state legislature and to local offices. (Mahone also later created what became the Norfolk and Western Railroad.)

Despite its initial dramatic accomplishments and substantial political power, following four years of political dominance from 1879-1883, the movement met a history-making end that, for more than a century, was stricken from Virginia history books. Who were these incredible Readjusters, and what legacy do they leave us today?

To present this little-known but fascinating story, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the Roanoke Civil War Round Table—winner of a Kegley Award for Heritage Education [see https://roanokepreservation.org/preservation-awards/]—will host Hunter Haskins.

Hunter Haskins is the Assistant Director of the Salem Museum & Historical Society. A graduate of Roanoke College, he double majored in History and Political Science while pursuing a concentration in Public/Applied History. Before joining the Museum, Haskins taught history and epistemology at the Carlisle School in Axton, and worked as a guide, interpreter, and blacksmith for Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute and Museum. He is an active member of the Fincastle Company Living History Interpreters. In his downtime, he likes to read, write, and hike. He lives in Salem.

Date, Time & Location: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 (7:00 pm), Chapel of the Residents’ Center at Friendship, 397 Hershberger Road, Roanoke, VA, 24012. Admission $5.00 for Non-Round Table Members (and becoming a Round Table member is welcome).