It is our hope that, by joining us, you will become an integral part of our spectacular history. First Settlers has always embodied the principle” it’s not just the cars, it’s the people. In fact, it’s because of our active, fun-loving membership that we continue to grow. When first chartered in April 1959, there were approximately 12 active members. By the end of 1986, the Region had grown to 311 active members.

As of November, 2023 there are over 1320 active members! Along our journey, First Settlers has achieved several milestones and celebrated its values with many events and activities.

• September 13, 1955 – The Porsche Club of America was officially founded by Bill Sholar & friends in the Washington, D.C. area.
• March 31, 1959 – Four years after The Porsche Club of America was officially founded by Bill Sholar & friends in the Washington, D.C. area, a  petition for recognition or our Region as a chartered club of the Porsche Club of America was submitted by Allen B. Fine. The name of the club was to be “PCA, Richmond Region” with the county boundaries of Henrico, Hanover, Chesterfield, Powhatan, Goochland, Dinwiddie, and Prince George. The original officers were: President, Allen B. Fine; Vice-President, Dr. Willard M. Fitch; Secretary-Treasurer, George W. Patterson III. In addition to the President, known members of the club were: Fred M. Johnson Jr., Thomas W. Allen, Julia C. Baylor, Dr. Willard M. Fitch, Edgar A. Jett II, Jack D. Lewis, Wendell B. Powell, Dr. C. N. Richards Jr., Neal Sykes Jr., George W. Patterson III, and Lt Robert Miller.
• April 22, 1959 – The original charter was granted by PCA.
• In 1964 – The name of the region was changed to the “First Settlers Region” and as the region grew, its membership extended to the west to include counties in West Virginia.
• February 1965 – the official boundary of FSR was expanded to include all counties east to the Chesapeake Bay and south to the North Carolina border for a total of 36 counties.

• June 1971 – First Settlers held its first high performance drivers education (HPDE)  event at Virginia International Raceway. About 30 Porsches gathered for the event.
• In 1980, the Blue Ridge Region was chartered, split off from First Settlers and included counties in western Virginia and southern West Virginia.
• In 1986, First Settlers Region had grown to 300 Primary Members.
• In 1993, the current First Settlers Logo was approved and adopted.
• In 1995, fifteen years after the Blue Ridge Region was chartered, the Shenandoah Region was formed from the counties above the Blue Ridge Region and west of First Settlers Region to the West Virginia border.
• March 9, 1999, PCA assigned seven unassigned Virginia counties to First Settlers Region.
• 2009 – First Settlers reached 500 primary members and celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a spectacular 50th Anniversary Gala held at The Tides Inn resort in Irvington, Virginia.
• 2010 – First Settlers initiated The Air & Auto Show as one of its annual events. This very popular concours event is held at The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. Well over 100 vehicles enter to be judged and attendance is typically well over a thousand. The event is a major fundraiser for our local charities.

• 2011 – Turkeys in the Trunk became a fundraising event for The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. This popular event asks members to pack their Porsche with all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. Participants gather at Checkered Flag Porsche for a weigh-in. The food is delivered in a Porsche caravan to the Mayflower Marathon collection point. Prizes are awarded for the most pounds and greatest number if turkeys donated. Members celebrate afterwards at a social event.
• 2011 – First Settlers introduced its new member recruiting card. The card is placed under the windshield wiper of Porsches inviting the owner to join us at one of our events.
• 2011 – First Settlers was the runner-up for PCA’s Region of the Year Award, won PCA’s Best Web-site Award and membership grows to 600 primary members.
• 2012 – First Settlers was chosen Region of the Year by PCA.
• 2013 – First Settlers won the PCA Community Service Award for raising funds through several charity activities and distributing $30,000 to its designated charities.
• 2015 – First Settlers won PCA’s Web-site Award: 1st Place Class IV
• 2016 – First Settlers won PCA’s Web-site Award: 2nd Place Class IV; Region’s Public Service Honorable Mention Award
• 2017 – First Settlers won PCA’s Web-site Award: 2nd Place Class IV; Region’s Public Service Award 3rd Place.

• 2018 – First Settlers won PCA’s Web-site Award: 3rd Place Class IV; Region grew to 700 members.
• 2019 – First Settlers won PCA’s Web-site Award: 1st Place Class IV; Region’s Public Service Award 1st Place.
• 2021 – First Settlers launches Rennsport Rendezvous a cars and coffee event in Suffolk, hosted on the last Saturday afternoon of each month. Horizontally Opposed Newsletter now goes into full color production and is rebranded the Horizontally Opposed Magazine.
• 2022 – First Settlers introduces a custom iOS and Android App bringing news, and event related information to it’s members in mobile/pocket form. Available for general download, we now serve FSR related content globally.
• 2023 – First Settlers rejoins the Car Club Council of Hampton Roads (CCCHR) in an attempt to further evangelize our beloved marque and our activities. Air & Auto Classic (a biannual event since the pandemic) has record registration and attendance including. Strong support from CCCHR. Membership growth tops 1300 members and activities schedule more robust than ever before.