The Mathews Legacy Society honors friends of our museums who have established planned gifts to support our mission. Members of The Mathews Legacy Society are supporting future generations with their enduring investments in our mission to foster awareness and understanding of the early history, settlement and development of the United States.

Honoring the legacy of Nick and Mary Mathews

The Mathews Legacy Society is named in honor of Nick and Mary Mathews, natives of Greece who emigrated to the United States. Through perseverance, honesty and respect for their fellow man, the Mathews prospered. Their fortune was earned through Nick’s Seafood Pavilion, a Yorktown landmark that earned national renown. Liz Taylor, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Randy Travis were among the celebrities who traveled to Yorktown to dine at Nick’s.

In 1972, Nick and Mary donated 23 acres of prime real estate overlooking the York River for what would become the Yorktown Victory Center, and later, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Upon her death, Mary bequeathed nearly their entire estate to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation so that others would know “…the blessings of freedom and democracy that commenced in my native Greece and later here in [Yorktown]…”

Today at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, visitors and students from across the country benefit from Nick and Mary Mathews’ patriotism and philanthropy.

Leaving your own legacy

Planned gifts can take many forms, and each qualifies you for membership in The Mathews Legacy Society. We recommend you contact your financial advisor to begin the conversation about which donation option can help you achieve your financial and philanthropic goals.

Learn more about planned giving benefits.