The Frontier Culture Museum is the biggest

open air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. The museum operates on 200 acres of land in

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

, where it features eleven historic exhibits, to include traditional rural buildings from Europe, Africa, and America.

Overview

The Old World Exhibits of the Frontier Culture Museum include an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n Farm, a 17th-century

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Farm, an 18th-century

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Farm, an Irish Forge, and an 18th-century

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Farm. Here, costumed living-history interpreters at the museum, including blacksmiths, woodworkers, tailors and yarn spinners, tell the tale of the pioneers that inhabited the frontier of the first permanent British colony in North America. Many of the early immigrants to the Shenandoah Valley were farmers seeking opportunities for a better life. These people eventually became Americans and contributed to the success of the colonies and the United States. The Museum's growing American Exhibits currently comprise an Eastern Woodland Indian exhibit, a 1760s American Settlement, an 1820s American Farm, an 1850s American Farm, the Mount Tabor Church, and an Early American Schoolhouse.Exhibits: These exhibits contributed to making the museum one of the highest rated family-friendly attractions and one of the top tourist destinations in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In 2021, it was rated the best museum in the Shenandoah Valley by

Virginia Living ''Virginia Living'' is a glossy bimonthly regional lifestyle magazine with a focus on all things Virginia. Founded in 2002, it is the only statewide lifestyle magazine in Virginia. The magazine features articles on topics such as food and drink ...

and by the Daily News-Record. The house later known as the Worcestershire House was a very old house in

Hartlebury Hartlebury is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England which is in Wychavon district centred south of Kidderminster. The civil parish registered a population of 2,549 in the 2001 Census. The railway station is centred 800 metr ...

, England, dismantled and re-assembled at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, in 1992. The John Smith (Smyth or Smythe) family built it in the 1630s. An example of the Tudor frame variety of

timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

construction, it was dismantled in 1970 and shipped.American Frontier Culture Foundation. 1998. Traditional Timberframing: The Worcestershire House- A Catalog of the Exhibit Prepared by the Research & Collections Department and Curated by Vivian Lea Stevens to Celebrate the Completion of the Worcestershire House, May 1993. Frontier Museum Heritage Books: Staunton, Virginia. Pages 4-5.

References

External links

{{commons category, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia African-American history of Virginia Ethnic museums in Virginia History museums in Virginia Igbo-American history Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Open-air museums in Virginia Living museums in Virginia English-American culture in Virginia Farm museums in Virginia German-American culture in Virginia Irish-American culture in Virginia Museums in Staunton, Virginia Native American history of Virginia European-American museums