![Writing the Declaration of Independence 1776 cph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Writing_the_Declaration_of_Independence_1776_cph.3g09904.jpg)
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for
Virginia history. It is a private, non-profit organization, supported almost entirely by private contributions. In 2004, it was designated the official state historical society of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The historical society's headquarters was renamed from Virginia Historical Society to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in 2018.
The
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
features exhibitions and programming for visitors of all ages and has more than of exhibition gallery space and the largest display of Virginia artifacts on permanent view. The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is the only museum with all of Virginia's history under one roof—all centuries, regions, and topics are covered.
Mission
The mission of the historical society is to connect people to America's past through the unparalleled story of Virginia. By collecting, preserving, and interpreting the Commonwealth's history, the society links past with present and inspires future generations.
History
On December 29, 1831, twenty-eight Virginians—consisting of political, economic, and social leaders—met in the House of Delegates chamber of the
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia. (The first two were Jamestown and Williamsburg.) It houses the oldest elected ...
to establish a state historical society.
Christened the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society, the new institution's mission was to preserve the memory of the commonwealth's prominent colonial and Revolutionary past at a time when Virginia was experiencing the movement of many of its citizens out of the state, which contributed to a growing sense of social upheaval and a perceived disconnection with Virginia's “golden age.” To give the new historical society a boost from the very beginning, its founders elected Chief Justice
John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
as its first president and former president
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
its first honorary member.
In its early years, the historical society gathered an eclectic collection of natural history specimens, historical artifacts, and printed and written material. From time to time, it published the texts of historic documents and the addresses delivered at its annual meetings. This was hampered, however, by having virtually no endowment and no permanent home. In 1848, the institution shortened its cumbersome name to the Virginia Historical Society to reflect a primarily historical focus as it became more active in publishing historical material.
The society gained its first permanent headquarters building in Richmond in 1893. The society's journal, the ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'', has published on a quarterly basis without interruption since 1893.
In the 1950s, increasing resources allowed the addition of a professional staff. Over the next several decades the society's collections grew. The publications program also increased as the institution gained a significant role in the academic community.
In 1959, the historical society relocated from its headquarters in the
Lee House on Franklin Street to Battle Abbey (constructed in 1912) on the Boulevard. To accommodate the society, a four-story wing was added to the west side of the previously expanded Battle Abbey. Since 1959, the headquarters building has been renovated and expanded several times—including a new west wing to house the extensive society research library (1992); a north wing to expand its gallery space and house offices of the
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is the State Historic Preservation Office for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The agency maintains the Virginia Landmarks Register (the first step for properties and districts in Virginia seeking listin ...
(1998); a new south wing to add additional gallery space, storage, offices, and a nearly 488-seat auditorium (2006); and new spaces for public use on the north and south sides of the building (2015).
In 1992, the society opened the Center for Virginia History, increasing its display and archival resources. Shortly thereafter, it entered into a partnership with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, an agency of the state government, which also had significant historical holdings (both artifacts and archives), forming a unique private-public partnership.
In 2018, after nearly a year of research, community conversations, and strategic planning, the Virginia Historical Society announced a new name for its headquarters facility at 428 N. Boulevard in Richmond, Virginia—The Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
In 2019, the street on which the Virginia Museum of History & Culture is located was renamed Arthur Ashe Boulevard in honor of
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Unite ...
. Ashe grew up in Richmond, but was barred from playing tennis at the white-only courts in Byrd Park. Ashe went on to become the first black man to win major championships at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open.
Programs
![Mann Page Elizabeth Page John Wollaston](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Mann_Page_Elizabeth_Page_John_Wollaston.jpg)
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture offers a wide array of educational programs, especially for students and teachers. These include outreach programs that take place in school classrooms, guided tours of exhibitions, and workshops and week-long summer institutes for teachers.
The museum offers three members-only evening lectures and around 20 noontime lectures every year that are open to the public. Audio and videos of past lectures are accessible on the web site.
Current exhibitions include ''The Story of Virginia'', a long-term exhibition that interprets 16,000 years of Virginia history from the earliest artifacts of Native Americans to Virginia at the beginning of the 21st century.
Virginia House
Virginia House, situated on a hillside overlooking the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
in Richmond, Virginia, was constructed by
Alexander W. Weddell
Alexander Wilbourne Weddell (April 6, 1876 – January 1, 1948) was an American diplomat. He served as United States ambassador to Argentina from 1933 to 1939 and to Spain from 1939 to 1942.
Weddell was born in Richmond, Virginia, and atte ...
, U.S. ambassador to Spain and Argentina, and his wife, Virginia Weddell, in 1928 from the materials of a 16th-century English manor house previously standing in
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
. It was a blend of three romantic English Tudor designs, and, for its time, was a thoroughly modern home complete with seven full baths, central heat, modern kitchen, and commodious closets.
Now owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society as a museum, the house has been preserved much as it was when the Weddells resided there. The gardens and grounds of Virginia House provide a rich tapestry of texture and color throughout the year. Today, close to 1,000 types of ornamental plants thrive throughout formal and naturalistic gardens.
References
(Information paraphrased from the Virginia Historical Society web site – see external link below)
Virginia HouseWikimapia Map by Google
External links
Virginia Historical Society web site''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography''A Turning Point for Richmond: The Virginia Historical Society's Civil War Exhibition a review of an exhibition at the Virginia Historical Society by William G. Thomas III published in ''Southern Spaces''
{{authority control
State historical societies of the United States
1831 establishments in Virginia
History of Virginia
Virginia culture
Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
Houses in Virginia
History museums in Virginia
Museums in Richmond, Virginia
Historical societies in Virginia
Historic district contributing properties in Virginia
Non-profit organizations based in Richmond, Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Richmond County, Virginia
Museums established in 1831
Museums established in 1912
Research libraries in the United States