Philip Adderley - President
Philip was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas; he immigrated to the USA to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He graduated with a B.A. Physics in1980 and accepted a Technologist position at Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Aurora, Illinois, working there for 7 years. He accepted a new position as Senior Technical Associate - Vacuum Specialist with Thomas Jefferson Accelerator, Newport News, Va. (1988-current). Philip became a ‘Founding Member’ of the Contraband Historical Society in 1998. He is also a board member of "Citizens for Fort Monroe National Park (CFMNP-2006 - current)".

He lobbied in the Virginia Legislature, along with CHS founder Gerri L. Hollins, to support a National Park Bill presented by Hampton Delegate Thomas Gear. Philip undertook a rewarding challenge as CHS's President (2012 - current), engaging in the preservation of local historical sites and the 'Contraband Descendants' Narratives' significant to the ‘Legacy of the Contraband Decision’ of May 24th, 1861, rendered at Fortress Monroe. Anthony Gabriele - Treasurer Anthony (

Anthony Gabriele - Treasurer
Anthony (Tony) Gabriele has been a member of the Contraband Historical Society since the late 1990s. He is the Society's treasurer and helps create and present its living history programs, in which he has often appeared as General Benjamin Butler.

Bernard Holley - Secretary
Bernard is the co-founder and apostle of PUSH 2U Ministry with mission and field experience. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Trident University International. He is an author, educator, and a musician.

Cynthia Harges - Media Specialist
Cindy has been a graphic artist and webmaster for many years. In addition to retiring from a 35+ year government position, she has volunteered for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, African American History Portsmouth, and Breaking the Glass Foundation, as well as other freelance opportunities. She is a "Contraband" descendant through her Cross/Borden heritage.

Pamela Holley - Descendant Connection Chair
She is the co-founder and apostle of PUSH 2U Ministry. Pamela has mission and field experience: Itinerant Street Ministry, held outdoor services, spiritual healing and deliverance, Homeless Ministry, shelter supervisor, and resource referrals. She is a "Contraband" Brooks/Savage descendant. Pamela is also a member of Middle Peninsula African American Genealogical. She plays the keyboard and sings.

Tim Rutherford - Executive Committee Member
Tim has worked as an advertising executive, marketing professional, and national sales trainer for more than 45 years. He and his wife founded The Other 50% Foundation, Inc., a Boston-based non-profit dedicated to telling the untold stories of American history. Tim has run two Boston Marathons and is the single most devoted Boston sports fan living today. He is also the 3rd great-grandson of General Benjamin Franklin Butler. He and his wife have three children, six grandchildren, and live outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

Liza Rodman - Executive Committee Member
Liza is an author, a student of history, and a board member of the Contraband Historical Society. She is currently serving as a researcher and producer for the forthcoming PBS documentary THE GATE: The Story of America's First Contraband Community . Her current book project, THE LIST: The Contrabands, Ben Butler, and the Civil War , explores the early experiences of self-emancipated people during the Civil War, a subject rooted in the discovery of her own enslaved ancestors and a shared familial history with her husband. Rodman has developed a significant archive of historical documents, personal testimonies, and oral histories to support her work. A fellow of the Hambidge Center, she holds a BA from Vermont College. She is also the author of the memoir The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer (Simon & Schuster, 2021).

Jennifer Wiggins - Executive Committee Member
Jennifer is a graduate of Norfolk State University (NSU) and currently works at NSU as a Transfer Admissions Counselor. Her hometown is Hampton, VA. She is interested in being involved with CHS because of seeing the work her dad, Dr. Wiggins, has done for the organization and also enhance her knowledge of US History, but also the African History that has shaped America of what it is today and spread about the work CHS has done and is still doing to those who are not aware of our rich African heritage and history.

Bracey Boone - Executive Committee Member
Bracey was born and raised in Hampton, Va., and is currently residing in Washington, DC. His interest in local history began as a child, often asking his great-grandfather questions about his life growing up and his friends. As a CHS member, he is honored to help preserve the history of former enslaved people who built the community where he grew up and to share their stories with as many people as possible.

Regina Tucker - Executive Committee Member
Born and raised in Newport News, Regina Tucker has been a lifelong resident of Virginia. After attending William & Mary College and Hampton University, she built her legacy as a Financial Receivables Specialist with B&N Firm in Oyster Point. After 32years, she retired and has enjoyed the space to become more involved in cultural work. As the Narrator and Stage Manager for the Contraband Historical Society's play 'Prelude to Freedom' and Spoken Word Artist for the poem 'Bones1619, which is registered in Washington, D.C's Library of Congress, Regina's passion is to spread knowledge of 'our Black Ancestors' and to shed light on the stories untold.

Adrian Banks - Executive Committee Member
Local actor, singer, Fort Monroe historian, and special event specialist. Additionally, Adrian is an active coordinator for USCT Ensemble, Ft Monroe, and a member of the Hampton Unity Choir.

Hope Wright - Executive Committee Member
Hope was born in Newport News and raised in Hampton, Virginia. She began her career at Colonial Williamsburg in the third grade as a performer in the play On Mine Own Time and the Black Music Program. She was in the first class of African-American Junior Interpreters, which formed in 1984. She worked at Colonial Williamsburg steadily through grade school, and after finishing high school, she continued her work while attending the College of William and Mary, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1997. The next year, Hope began full-time employment at the foundation as a historic interpreter with the African-American Historical Interpretations department and as a character interpreter. She was in the first group of Actor-Interpreters hired in 2006 and continues with that department to this day. In her time at Colonial Williamsburg, Hope has been an actress, storyteller, writer, researcher, and mentor to new employees. She has collaborated with other departments in the foundation as well as with other museums, spoken at conferences and been a part of panels, been featured in Colonial Williamsburg’s Electronic Field Trips, livestreams, the US: Past, Present, Future panels as well as the magazine Trend and Tradition (formerly CW Journal), and The William and Mary Alumni Magazine.

Willie Wright - Executive Committee Member
Willie Wright has been a historical interpreter for nearly 20 years, bringing the past to life through research, performance, and storytelling. A descendant of the Contraband community, Willie has a deeply personal connection to the history he interprets. His three-times-great-grandfather, Americus Weston, was a Contraband who gained his freedom at Fort Monroe during the Civil War. Willie’s expertise includes historical research, scriptwriting, acting, and third-person interpretation. His work is grounded in a commitment to presenting history with authenticity while connecting audiences to the lives, experiences, and legacies of those who came before us.

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Annual membership fee: $20 for Adults - $10 for Students
Checks or Money Orders payable to Contraband Historical Society
404 Link Road, Yorktown, VA 23692| 757 848-6462 contrabandhs@gmail.com

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