Southwest Virginia Museum

The Southwest Virginia Museum is housed in the mansion originally built in the 1880's by Rufus Ayers,a Virginia attorney general. The museum was acquired by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1946 from the Slemp Foundation, established by C. Bascom Slemp, private secretary to President Calvin Coolidge and a member of Congress. In the late 1980's, the museum underwent extensive renovations, including the installation of new exhibits. Building upon its extensive collection, the museum tells the story of the exploration and development of Southwest Virginia and the lives of men and women who settled in and around the area.

Featured Sites

	Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial Washington, District Of Columbia	Located in Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island, the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial
	Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park Key West, Florida	Named after 12th president Zachary Taylor, the U. S.
	Wright’s Chance/Queen Anne’s County Historical Society Centreville, Maryland	Dating back to the 1700s, Wright's Chance is a Colonial period plantation house.
	The Powder Magazine Charleston, South Carolina	Construction began on The Powder Magazine in 1712 and was completed by 1713, making it
	Del Webb Sun Cities Museum Sun City, Arizona	The Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum is dedicated to the p
	Steamship Historical Society of America East Providence, Rhode Island	THE STEAMSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA was established in 1935 as a means of bring
	Tryon Palace New Bern, North Carolina	Tryon Palace is a modern recreation of the original palace, which served as the royal g
	Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens Columbia, South Carolina	One of Columbia's oldest remaining historic houses, the Hampton-Preston Mansion was hom
	Old Sturbridge Village Sturbridge, Massachusetts	Old Sturbridge Village is the largest living history museum in New England, spanning o
	Barratt's Chapel and Museum Frederica, Delaware	Under the direction of John Wesley after the American Revolutionary War, Thomas Coke an
	Jemez State Monument Heritage Area Jemez Springs, New Mexico	The village of Giusewa was built in the narrow San Diego Canyon by the ancestors of the
	Fort Cooper State Park Inverness, Florida	Located in what is today Fort Cooper State Park, visitors can tour the fort, traverse t
	Yellow Bluff Fort Jacksonville, Florida	This military installation, constructed in 1862, allowed both Confederate and Union tro
	Fort Bedford Museum Bedford, Pennsylvania	The fort was used as the staging point for a number of successful raids during the war.
	Andersonville National Historic Site Andersonville, Georgia	Camp Sumter, commonly called Andersonville, was one of the largest military prisons est
	Fort Morgan Gulf Shores, Alabama	Completed in 1834, Fort Morgan was active during four wars — the Civil War, the Spanish
	Pecos National Historical Park Pecos, New Mexico	The visitor center contains exhibits (text in English and Spanish), a bookstore and a 1
	Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Kennesaw, Georgia	It was a swelteringly hot and clear Monday, June 27, 1864,
	Camp Moore Kentwood, Louisiana	In May 1861, the site for the camp was selected and the troops began to arrive.
	Fort Lee Historic Park Fort Lee, New York	In the southern portion of the Historic Park, winding paths lead past a reconstructed b
	River Raisin Battlefield Monroe, Michigan	This is the site of the Battle of Frenchtown, where British and Native American forces
	Gunston Hall Plantation Mason Neck, Virginia	George Mason was instrumental in the framing of the United States government, but he sh
	Davies Manor Plantation Memphis, Tennessee	Davies Manor Plantation is a remarkably preserved historic site within an urban area.
	Hacienda Buena Vista Ponce, Puerto Rico	Hacienda Buena Vista, considered one of Puerto Rico's best remaining examples of a coff
	Destrehan Plantation Destrehan, Louisiana	Erected in 1787 by Charles Paquet, Destrehan Plantation was purchased by indigo planter
	Historic Brattonsville McConnells, South Carolina	Historic Brattonsville is a 775-acre historic site that includes a Revolutionary War ba
	Milton Hershey School Hershey, Pennsylvania	Milton Hershey School began as a dream and vision shared by chocolate magnate Milton S.
	Fort Delaware State Park Delaware City, Delaware	Established as a Delaware State Park in 1951, Fort Delaware State Park is on an island
	Iowa Jewish Historical Society Des Moines, Iowa	IJHS collects Jewish organizati
	Allaire Village Wall Township, New Jersey	Discover the Historic Village at Allaire and all it has to offer.

Southwest Virginia Museum

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36.863344, -82.779578