HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Hanover County Black Heritage Society finally has a forever home after decades of searching. Now housed on the top floor of the Hanover Branch of the Pamunkey Regional Library are hundreds of artifacts, all telling the story of Black life in Hanover. Carolyn Hemph ill first founded the society back in 1994 as a way to make sure her history was never forgotten. After three decades of traveling exhibits and moving from place to place, Hemphill got a call from Zach Roberts, the Director of Pamunkey Regional Library. He had seen 8News' previous coverage on the society's search for a home. “I just felt like this would be such a good partnership because they have a lot of resources and knowledge that would benefit the community," Roberts said. "The team here at the library has a great knowledge on how to connect people, and I thought this kind of seems like a match made in heaven.” The exhibit displays old yearbooks from the county's all-black high school, John M. Gandy, dozens of magazines, pictures and books, and even old sporting equipment. The open house Saturday brought in dozens of community members. When 8News first spoke with Hemphill back in January, she was worried that if the society didn't find a home, their history would be lost. Now, she doesn't have to bat an eye. “There is a sense of relief in that I can transition away from here knowing that these things will be here forever," she said. Now that they aren't on the hunt for a home, the society can focus solely on what it was created to do -- preserve and share Black history. “It has taken 30 years for me to get to this point, and I’m hoping that in the next 30 years, we’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing for the past 30 years, preserving and collecting this history," Hemphill said. ...read more read less