Vote Now for Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts

This year's program is proudly supported by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) in partnership with VAM. The generous support from the VMHC allows VAM the opportunity to more meaningfully support member institutions and their submitted, endangered artifacts for conservation. 

Vote for your artifact! We're asking YOU to help us pick the most deserving artifact for conservation. Our Selection Committee selected the top 10 nominees across the state of Virginia and D.C. Now, use your VOICE to cast your vote.

Honorees will be recognized at the 2026 Virginia Association of Museums Annual Conference. 

About the Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program: Museums, archives, libraries, historical societies, and other collecting organizations in Virginia and Washington, DC submit nominations of endangered artifacts that share the stories, accomplishments, and struggles of the Commonwealth’s history and culture for consideration of selection as an honoree of the 2026 Top 10 Program. VAM’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts Program has been nationally recognized and replicated by other states while helping more than 200 organizations. The annual top ten list creates a greater awareness of the important and diverse stories told through these rare treasures.  

• You can vote once per day until February 20, 2026 (by 11:59 PM EST).
• The artifact that receives the most votes in the online voting competition will receive the People’s Choice Award 
• Following the voting competition, the Selection Committee will bestow one Juried Award to the item deemed most deserving. The remaining eight organizations will receive awards for conservation and/or for use of professional development training.
• All Top 10 Honorees will be recognized at the Inaugural Virginia Top 10 Endangered Artifacts Reception, Thursday, January 29 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. 
• All Top 10 Honorees will be recognized at the 2026 VAM Annual Conference at Colonial Williamsburg, March 14-17, 2026.

The following grant awards will be announced at the VAM 2026 conference: 

• Juried Award (Reviewed by museum practitioner committee) - $1500.00 
• People's Choice Award - $1500.00 
• The remaining eight nominees will be awarded $500.00 each  

  Please select only ONE of the following:

This delicate silk bodice once belonged to Dorothea Spotswood Henry, the first child of Governor Patrick Henry and Dorothea Dandridge, and the only child born to a non-royal governor in Williamsburg’s Governor’s Palace. Reflecting both personal heritage and the elegant fashions of the late 18th century, it offers a rare glimpse into the domestic and social world of Virginia’s early elite. As the only known surviving garment belonging to Dorothea Henry—and the oldest textile in the Red Hill collection—it holds exceptional historical and interpretive value. However, the silk fibers have become extremely fragile, showing visible signs of splitting and deterioration. Specialized conservation is urgently needed to stabilize and preserve this remarkable link to Virginia’s colonial past.

During General Lafayette’s celebrated return to Virginia in 1825, he visited Warrenton, where an estimated 5,000 residents gathered to welcome the Revolutionary War hero. In his honor, a grand ball was held at the Norris Tavern (now the Warren Green Hotel). During this occasion, Lafayette presented a bottle of vodka to Ann Norris, the tavern’s proprietress, on August 23, 1825. This bottle serves as a tangible reminder of the deep gratitude Virginians felt for Lafayette’s role in securing American independence. Time, however, has taken its toll—the label is deteriorating, and the bottle’s top shows signs of damage. Conservation treatment is needed to stabilize these fragile elements and ensure the preservation of this unique artifact connecting local history to a national story.

This 1775 letter, written on behalf of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore by his secretary James Minzies, requests that Colonel William Preston—one of the signers of the Fincastle Resolutions—survey land to sell on behalf of King George III. Remarkably, it was written the very same day Patrick Henry delivered his impassioned “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death” speech in Richmond. The letter reflects Lord Dunmore’s attempt to maintain royal authority and neutrality amid growing revolutionary tensions, yet its contents provoked a strong response from Virginia patriots. Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson declared that the King had “no right to grant lands of himself,” a sentiment that further solidified Virginians’ resolve for independence. Today, the fragile document shows significant deterioration—its paper brittle and stained, with portions of text already lost. Conservation is urgently needed to stabilize and preserve this compelling link to Virginia’s revolutionary past.

Published in Williamsburg in 1774, "The Office and Authority of a Justice of Peace" by Richard Starke is among the earliest legal handbooks created specifically for use in the American colonies. Designed to explain English common and statutory law in clear, practical language, the manual guided justices of the peace in resolving disputes, enforcing moral and civil codes, and providing accessible legal forms for ordinary colonists on the eve of revolution. As such, it reflects both the influence of British legal tradition and the growing independence of American governance. This rare volume bears the marks of its long life—its cover shows tape residue and handwritten notations, while interior pages are spotted and stained. Conservation treatment is needed to clean, stabilize, and protect this important resource that bridged English law and emerging American justice.

Unearthed during a recent archaeological excavation at Menokin, this remarkable leaded glass paste ornament—or “pressed glass jewel”—was likely once set in a pin or cuff link. The piece bears the inscription “Wilkes and Liberty,” a rallying cry of the Sons of Liberty and a powerful slogan of resistance during the turbulent years leading up to the American Revolution. The phrase honors English reformer John Wilkes, whose defense of liberty made him an enduring transatlantic symbol of opposition to tyranny. Found only feet from the front door of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the artifact offers a tangible connection between global political ideals and Virginia’s revolutionary history. Fragile and unique, the glass jewel now requires professional assessment and conservation to ensure its preservation for future study and interpretation.

This extraordinary document, written and signed by Richard Henry Lee, marks a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. It details the provisions required to supply the first French fleet sent in support of the American cause—representing one of the earliest steps in the formal Franco-American alliance that would ultimately secure victory and independence for the colonies. As both a logistical record and a symbol of international cooperation, the document captures a transformative chapter in the fight for freedom. After nearly 250 years, however, the paper has become fragile, with separations along the folds, small holes that obscure portions of text, and areas of edge chipping, soiling, toning, and foxing. Conservation treatment is needed to stabilize and preserve this remarkable link to America’s revolutionary diplomacy and the enduring legacy of Richard Henry Lee.

In 1924, Florence Sloane of Norfolk sat for a portrait by renowned American artist Douglas Volk, who had previously painted several members of her family. Volk’s skillful rendering captures Sloane with warmth, confidence, and elegance, reflecting both his artistic mastery and her enduring influence as the founder of the Hermitage Museum. Since its completion, the portrait has remained a centerpiece of the collection—an evocative intersection of personal legacy and the evolution of early 20th-century American portraiture. After a century, the painting now shows signs of age, including surface cracks and weakening of the canvas. Conservation treatment—encompassing crack consolidation, canvas lining, cleaning, and revarnishing—is needed to restore the work’s visual integrity and ensure that this defining image of Florence Sloane continues to inspire future generations.

This wedding dress, worn by Eliza Angela Lewis Conrad, is believed to have been fashioned from the gown her mother, Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, wore at her 1799 wedding to Lawrence Lewis, nephew of George Washington. Nelly, the step-granddaughter of the first president, embodied both the legacy and refinement of the early Republic. When the original 1799 gown was transformed into an 1830s-style wedding dress for Eliza, the skilled work was likely carried out by enslaved seamstresses Dolcey and her daughter Sukey, whose craftsmanship bridged generations of family history. Today, this extraordinary garment stands as a rare link between the Washington family, early American fashion, and the lives of the enslaved women whose labor shaped it. The dress is extremely fragile, with deteriorating fabric and seams, and requires immediate conservation to prevent further loss of this irreplaceable piece of American history.

The Recreation Office Sign from the Lorton Prison Complex lists the various recreational activities, primarily sports, available to the prison's population. Beyond its practical function, the sign serves as a reminder that people in prison maintain diverse interests and passions that extend beyond confinement. Crafted by inmates, it exemplifies the informal artistry, creativity, and occasional spelling quirks typical of a community with limited access to formal education. As both a cultural and historical artifact, it provides insight into daily life within the prison and the resilience of its population. The sign’s condition, however, has deteriorated over time, and it requires professional conservation before it can safely be displayed and appreciated by the public.

A symbol of professional medical care, the midwife’s bag held only the most essential tools needed to assist with childbirth. At a time when hospitals and doctors were often out of reach, midwives provided not only critical medical support for mothers and newborns but also a trusted and familiar presence during birth. This bag now requires deep cleaning and specialized conservation to preserve its leather and metal components—ensuring the survival of this tangible link to the history of community healthcare.