History Hunt Southwest Virginia

Now, that the hunt has come to an end. How many places and clues were you able to find and solve? There were 16 places. Did you make it to all 16? Did you make it to 10? or even 5? If not, don't forget, just because this contest is over does not mean you don't need to visit the locations. If you participated at all then you are at least now aware of these great sites. Lets keep the discovery going. See how many you can visit in the next 12 months.

Alexander Black House & Cultural Center, Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library, Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum, The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum, Glencoe Mansion, Museum & Gallery, Haller-Gibboney Rock House, Historic Smithfield, Montgomery Museum of Art & History, National D-Day Memorial, O. Winston Link Museum, Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum, St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, The Thomas J. Boyd Museum, Virginia Museum of Transportation, Wilderness Road Regional Museum

There is still plenty of time to see these wonderful locations. It can be an adventure for all ages not just the young but many have been young at heart.

Welcome Museum, attraction in Wytheville, VA, shares history of Edith Bolling Wilson with families, visitors and tourists looking for things to do in Southwest Virginia.

We had more Flatts Batts doing the Scavenger Hunt today. This is part of the multiple Museum celebration of the 350th Anniversary of the Batts & Fallam Expedition into this area in 1671. After visiting 5 participating Museums prizes can be won. We hope to see this group at Wilderness Road Regional Museum later in the week. We appreciate their visit at the Ratcliffe today!!!

How goes the Southwest History hunt? Have you discovered all of the great history like Batts and Fallam? Be sure to post your adventures here so we can see the adventures with you.

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, one of our spots, Historic Smithfield is having a great event. You can see the link at the bottom. Here is what they have to say about their event.

"Help us ring in Independence Day by spending the day at a house that saw the beginning of a new nation!

Enjoy house tours, shop in our Museum Store, observe artillery displays by Giles Artillery and blacksmith demonstrations in our onsite forge.

At 6:30pm, gather for an Independence Day Ceremony featuring traditional excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and Frederick Douglass, followed by a rousing cannon fire salute.

Cool off with flavored shaved ice from our featured vendor: Aloha Eddie, and enjoy a patriotic concert by The Blacksburg Brass Ensemble, immediately following the Independence Day Ceremony

Tickets can be purchased on site at the time of the event. $7.00/person grants site admission. Kids 5yrs and under are free.

https://www.facebook.com/events/308436617430513?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%7D]%7D

There are some travelers on the History Hunt of Southwest Virginia out and about today. 😊 Here is a photo of a recent visitor to the Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library.

One of the participating Museum's Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library will be having a summer camp on July 19-23 for students going into the 4th to 8th grades. Camp is only $20 and is limited to 20 students, which is half full already. They also have some fantastic sponsors of Peaksview Dental, Wipledale Farm Greenhouse, Inc, Bridge Street Cafe, The Fuzzy Alpaca, Wendy Witt Real Estate, and ElectricCoArt. If you live in the Bedford area or will be in the Bedford area in that week, and have a child or children that qualify, shoot them an email at [email protected] for more information.

Flatt Batts has made its way to the Wilderness Road Regional Museum. I hope he enjoyed the visit. Don't forget there are a lot more historic places that he would like to visit as well. I can't wait until I can take my Flatt Batts to see the Wilderness Road Museum.

Don't forget the History Hunt starts this weekend so make sure to take Flatt Batts with you as you journey through Southwest Virginia. Though many of the locations may be closed on Monday, be sure to check them out the rest of the summer. Make sure to check their pages, or their webpages for more information. Happy Hunting!!!

Today we are going to highlight the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

“The National D-Day Memorial was dedicated twenty years ago, June 6, 2001, by President George W. Bush. The Memorial honors the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of the men who sacrificed their lives in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The Memorial features many impressive and symbolic details, including a beach landing scene with poignant sculptures. Visitors get a sense of what the brave soldiers and sailors endured to free Europe from the clutches of Hitler’s tyranny. The D-Day Memorial is open 7 days a week; tickets can be purchased at the site or for a discount in advance. Joint tickets with nearby Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest are also available. Please check out the memorial’s website at www.dday.org for more details, or their page (https://www.facebook.com/NationalDDAYMemorial). While you are there be sure to have Flatt Batts help you find the answer of “How many Bedford Boys died on June 6, 1944?”

Today we will be highlighting the Wilderness Road Regional Museum.

The Wilderness Road Regional Museum, a two-story building located about a mile from Interstate 81 in the heart of Newbern, Virginia, has been owned and operated by the New River Historical Society since April 16, 1980. Originally, the museum building had been two separate homes that belonged to the Hance-Alexander family, and these two homes served dual purposes as residences and businesses for several years. Some of these business establishments included a tavern, general store, and the first Newbern post office. The planned town of Newbern was established in 1810 as a stop along the Great Wagon Road and later became the county seat of the newly formed Pulaski County in 1839.
Today the museum offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the history of the New River Valley and Southwest Virginia through tours of the museum and special exhibits, through "It Takes a Village Workshops", through “History Humpdays”, Summer Camps, and numerous special events throughout the year. Visitors can truly experience history at the museum and others sites included in the Historic District of Newbern. Guided walking tours are available along with scheduled appointments to view the archives or other holdings of the museum.
The Museum’s Archives include a wide range of primary documents, including letters, business records, store ledgers, family records, and legal records that date from the late 1700s to the 1940s. This treasury tells the story of this place and its people from the time of its founding on the American frontier through the twentieth century. Unique in scope, the Archives include documents related to early settlement, to slavery in the pre-Emancipation era, to farming during the late nineteenth century, and to the industrialization and de-industrialization of the region.
The museum complex includes the large Alexander-Hance home, a rebuilt exterior log kitchen, an original 1818 German barn, a log loom house, carriage house, log corn crib, small interpretive herb and kitchen gardens, the courthouse site and 1848 original brick jail for Pulaski County. Earthen remains of Fort Hill on the New River are also part of the museum's stewardship and special tours can be arranged to visit that site as well.
Wilderness Road Regional Museum is always free to visit. The site is open Wednesday-Saturday 10:30am-4:30pm and other times through prior arrangements.
Remember to bring your Flats Batts and answer the trivia question. There are two correct answers. “What is the name of the river first discovered by the Batts and Fallam Expedition?”

Today we will be honoring the Alexander Black House & Cultural Center.

Alexander Black House & Cultural Center----“Blacksburg’s Living Room” is operated by the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation, a private 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve, interpret, and promote Blacksburg’s art, history, and cultural heritage. www.blacksburgmuseum.org

In 1798, William Black petitioned the state of Virginia to establish a town on 38 and ¾ acres of his land. The Black family played pivotal roles in the growth of the town and what is known today as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Alexander Black House was constructed in 1897 by William’s grand-nephew, Alexander Black. Although the home has gone through several aesthetic changes, many elements of the house remain original. In August of 2014, the Alexander Black House & Cultural Center opened its restored first floor to the public. Today, the Alexander Black House & Cultural Center enjoys the restored first & second floors and houses rotating exhibits of art, history & culture, community gathering spaces, a History & Genealogy Research Center, permanent outdoor sculpture exhibits, and an education & workshop room. Also a part of the Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation is St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall which was the heart of New Town in Blacksburg. New Town was an African American neighborhood on the edge of the Virginia Tech campus between Turner and Main Streets. St Luke and Odd Fellows Hall served as the social center of New Town and the only public gathering place for the African American community from 1905 until the end of segregation. Today, the St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall has been restored and now serves as a museum of African-American heritage and is open by appointment.

Don't forget to bring Flatt Batts with you as you work on finding the clue at this location.

Today we are highlighting the The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum.

The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum is just what it sounds like – the childhood home of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson. Edith was Woodrow Wilson’s second wife and played a significant role in America’s World War I efforts. She volunteered for the Red Cross and set an example for the country by observing rations and austerity measures, even bringing sheep to the White House lawn to free up groundskeepers for the war effort. She also named naval vessels, and even helped with decoding war messages.

Edith was a trailblazer in many ways. She ran her late husband’s jewelry store, Galt and Bro. Jewelers in Washington, D.C. at a time when few women worked outside the home, let alone ran a business. She was the first woman in Washington to own and drive an electric car. She was the first First Lady to travel abroad with her husband in a diplomatic role, elevating the positions of United States President and First Lady on the world stage. After Woodrow Wilson suffered a major stroke in 1919, Edith assumed a protective role as both personal nurse and secretary to the President – she described it as stewardship, while some critics called it gatekeeping.

Edith was a fascinating and controversial historical figure. Her home in Wytheville, Virginia, where she lived exclusively until going off to Martha Washington College at age 15, sheds some light on the forces that shaped her into the powerful and resolute woman she became. The museum includes tours of the birthplace home, built in 1845, as well as interpretative exhibits, an informational video, optional audio tour, and a gift shop.

Visit the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum, located in beautiful, historic downtown Wytheville at 145 East Main Street. The museum is open for walk-in tours Thursdays and Fridays 10am-2pm and any other time by appointment. There is no admission fee for History Hunt SWVA participants. Just call (276) 223-3484 or visit edithbollingwilson.org to schedule a visit or learn more.

Today we will be featuring the The Thomas J. Boyd Museum.

The Thomas J. Boyd Museum is named for Thomas Jefferson Boyd, known as the father of Wytheville for his involvement in the economic development of the town. Exhibits span two levels and tell the town's history, from the 1700s to present day. From mining and decorative arts, to milling and energy, with an observation honeybee hive thrown in for good measure, there is much to see at the Boyd Museum. It is also home to the Department of Museum's fascinating exhibit: the 1950 polio epidemic in Wythe County. After a self-guided tour, be sure to stop in our museum store for a few Wytheville souvenirs!

Remember that Flatt Batts likes to travel so be sure to bring him along as you try to solve the mystery at the Museum. He is up for a road trip at any time but the contest runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Today we are featuring the Thomas J. Boyd Museum.

The Thomas J. Boyd Museum is named for Thomas Jefferson Boyd, known as the father of Wytheville for his involvement in the economic development of the town. Exhibits span two levels and tell the town's history, from the 1700s to present day. From mining and decorative arts, to milling and energy, with an observation honeybee hive thrown in for good measure, there is much to see at the Boyd Museum. It is also home to the Department of Museum's fascinating exhibit: the 1950 polio epidemic in Wythe County. After a self-guided tour, be sure to stop in our museum store for a few Wytheville souvenirs!

Don't forget that Flatt Batts likes to travel. He is up for learning new things every day, but the contest runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. See if Flatt Batts will help you solve the riddle at the museum.

Today we will be featuring the Haller-Gibboney Rock House.

The Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum was once the home of Wytheville's first resident physician, Dr. John Haller. 19th-century furniture and artifacts tell the story of one of Wytheville's first families. On a guided tour, visitors can learn about the medical and scientific legacy of generations of Haller family members, as well as the creative contributions of Dr. Haller's great-granddaughters. Soon to open at the Rock House Museum is the Haller Family Discovery Lab, a hands-on space to explore the areas of medicine, science, and early photography, related to the stories of those who lived in the house for almost 150 years.

Be sure to take Flatt Batts with you and see if you can solve the riddle of the house. Remember you can visit any time, but the contest runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Today we will be talking about the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum.

Located in the Town of Pulaski, the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum offers a display of the history and culture of the Pulaski area. The Town, which according to its historical marker, “was founded at the coming of the railroad,” was a booming industrial center by the late 1880’s. The proximity of coal led to the development of foundries and the smelting of minerals. Later, economic cycles saw the emergence of consumer industries such as textiles and furniture making. The Town of Pulaski also played an important role as a retail, sports, and entertainment center for Southwest Virginia.
The Museum’s artifacts include historic photographs, items from the founding industries and the Town’s railroad past, newspapers chronicling important events locally and nationally, and a model railroad display that has to be experienced in person. The auto gallery also contains the 1909 and 1917 Pulaski Fire Engines, a collection of local antique cars, the original N&W watchtower, and many other fascinating parts of Pulaski's rich history.
The Ratcliffe Museum is located at 51 Commerce Street across from the Historic Pulaski Railstation and is open Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 11am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. Admission is free with donations accepted. While visiting the museum and surrounding sites in Pulaski, Flat Batts help you find the answer of "The baseball team has a mascot that would have been seen by the Expedition. What is that?"

Today we will be talking about the O. Winston Link Museum and History Museum of Western Virginia

The Roanoke History Museum and the O. Winston Link Museum, both operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia, share space in the former passenger station of the N&W Railway.
Also housed in the historic building are Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge offices. In addition to the museum exhibits, the Society also manages the Raymond Loewy Gallery of industrial design, which is free to the public.
The O. Winston Link Museum collection comprises the striking photographic and auditory works developed by photographer-artist O. Winston Link between 1955 and 1960. A successful commercial photographer from New York, Link brought his studio outdoors to create carefully arranged images designed to convey the end of the steam propelled Norfolk & Western Railway and the communities and countryside along the right of way.
Today, in addition to Link’s work from 1955 to 1960, we collect non-railroad prints created by the artist and all of his photographic equipment, including a reproduction of his dark room.
The museums are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is $6/adults, $5/seniors, military, and educators, & $3/kids (13 and under).
Be sure to bring Flatt Batts with you to see this great place. Perhaps he can help find the mystery at the Museum?

Today we will be talking about the eastern most site, the Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library in Bedford.

The Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library was first opened in 1933 by the joint efforts of the Peaks of Otter NSDAR and the General William R Terry UDC chapters. The Museum opened in its current location in July 1979, in the former Masonic Lodge, and features three floors of exhibits.
Its mission is to develop and maintain files for genealogical and historical research and to collect, to preserve, and to interpret objects of historical significance to the Town of Bedford and Bedford County, Virginia.
As the town and county’s only local comprehensive museum and genealogical library that houses the history of homes, families, businesses, churches, schools from the years 1754-today, and the general histories of Bedford. We have been collecting history of the town and county over the last 88 years; we have continued to collect, to preserve and to educate on Bedford’s vast and incredible history. As the storehouse of the town and the county’s history we are a destination for many seeking genealogical answers and for those who are interested in our local history.
The Museum is at 201 E. Main St. in downtown Bedford and is open Monday through Friday 10-5 and Saturday 10-3. It is $5 for adults and kids are free. Be sure to look for our clue somewhere on display.

Today we will be talking about the Montgomery Museum of Art & History.

The Montgomery Museum fills a unique niche in the county. It is designed to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Montgomery County and to promote the work of regional artists. Every two months you will find the work of a new artist showing in our galleries with two student shows each year. Local artists have filled the grounds with outdoor art and we currently feature an installation of mushrooms and fairies! The gardens, managed by VT Master Gardeners are alive with native blooms and the garden itself is a Monarch Waystation. Visitors enjoy the quiet beauty and often bring a picnic lunch.

Inside the circa 1854 building visitors will learn about Montgomery County history through various exhibits. Thousands of photos, objects, and newspapers bring our history to life for visitors at the museum. Currently you may explore the rich 245 years of county history in just 45 objects! Discover the creative promotional items that business owners gave to their customers beginning as early as the 1890s. Research family history through our genealogical files. Visit our Book Shop and also our off-site gift shop for unusual regionally made items.

Several annual festivals and other smaller events are hosted by the museum to benefit the public including on on Aug. 21.

There is no admission charge and you can visit Tuesday-Friday from 10:30-4:30.

While you are there be sure to have Flatt Batts help you find the answer to the trivia question at the Museum. Don't forget the hunt runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We hope to see you soon in as many of these places as possible.

Today we will highlight the Botetourt County Historical Society and Museum.

Since opening its doors officially for the first time at 1:00pm on Sunday, November 27, 1966, the Botetourt County Historical Society & Museum has served as a repository for hundreds of artifacts that have helped to interpret the history of Botetourt County for thousands of visitors. Located directly behind the Botetourt County Courthouse, the museum is housed in a building that dates back to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Starting out as a one-room law office as early as 1791, the building has seen many additions and changes over the years, having become part of the Western hotel in the 1850s and having been used as apartments by Dodd and Dodd beginning in the 1930s. Botetourt County acquired the building in 1961 and has allowed the Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. to utilize the structure continuously since 1966 to house its historical museum.

The museum is currently open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 2:00pm; admission to the museum is FREE! Check out our website https://bothistsoc.wordpress.com/ for more information, any upcoming events we've got, as well as to print your copy of the SWVa History Hunt Passport! While you are there, be sure to find the answer to the question on the passport. Perhaps Flatt Batts can help you with that. We look forward to seeing you this summer and hope to share with you the history of Botetourt County!

We want to highlight the different places on our list. Today we will highlight the Salem Museum.

The Salem Museum is larger than it looks, with exhibits on five floors. The heart of the museum is an old house, built in 1845. In its early days, people on horseback and in stagecoaches—as well as opposing Civil War forces—all traveled past it. Exhibits trace Salem’s history from the Virginia Indian settlement that explorers Batts and Fallam are believed to have visited, to Salem’s founding in 1802, to today. Family favorite exhibits include the sports gallery, the fashion dolls, and the model of a roller coaster that used to be in Salem. While you are there, Flatt Batts will help you answer their scavenger hunt question by finding the name of an officer from our area who fought alongside George Washington.

One thing that the Salem Museum doesn’t have anything about is witches—they were in Salem, Massachusetts, not Virginia. The Salem Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10-4, and admission is free. The entrance to the parking lot is on East Main Street across from the Berglund Ford service entrance. Before or after your visit, kids can run off steam at Longwood Park next to the museum, and enjoy the playground and pickleball courts. Learn more at https://salemmuseum.org/.

Just a few highway markers that talk about the expedition of Batts and Fallam. Thank you April at the Wilderness Road Regional Museum and the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum for send the picture of the New River sign. That sign is not that far from the sites. I am sure Flatt Batts would love to see the sign and the improvements that the volunteers are working on.

I would like to introduce "Flat Batts". Flat Batts will be your companion on your journey to different Historic sites. All you need to do is print him out, color him, cut him out and then he becomes your travel buddy. Flat Batts loves to see new places. He doesn't have to only see the places on our site list BUT he does have a special attachment to these sites. Remember the journey starts on Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. Please let us know the places that Flat Batts travels with you by taking a picture with him at the places and post . If Flatt Batts' travel buddy (you) are a little shy or worried about letting people know where you are, (must be on a secret spy mission) don't worry Flatt Batts has you covered. You can just take a pic of him at the site and your location will still stay a mystery. Happy exploring.

Here is the passport for the History Hunt. This printable so that you can see all the places that are participating and what clues are for each site. After 5 places, you could be entered into a drawing. While this is geared for children, adults can enjoy the tours as well.Happy travels and hunting.

History Hunt SWVA!
Explore the past in SW Virginia this summer with a historic scavenger hunt! Sixteen history museums, from Bedford to Wytheville, are partnering to celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the Batts & Fallam Expedition.

Three hundred and fifty years ago, explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam set out from what is now Petersburg on a quest to find a land route to the Pacific Ocean. Their journal records their visit to this region, making them some of the earliest—and perhaps the first—European explorers to reach southwest Virginia. This summer, sixteen history museums across the region are recreating that spirit of exploration with a scavenger hunt of historic proportions.

This summer will be a great time to get out and explore SW Virginia history! Each museum tells its own unique and fascinating story; in addition, each site has selected a special scavenger hunt challenge question that adds to the fun. Visitors are encouraged to pick up a History Passport at any participating museum or download a copy at the History Hunt SW VA page (URL). The History Passport includes all of the scavenger hunt questions, plus information about each participating museum.

The majority of these museums offer free admission, or free admission for children participating in this passport program. Hours also vary: call ahead or check museum websites for the days of the week and hours each is open. Families and visitors of all ages are welcome and encouraged to join in the exploration.

Visitors who attend five or more museums between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and find the answers to the scavenger hunt challenge questions at those sites, will be entered in a prize drawing. Each participating museum is providing one of the prizes.

The sixteen participating history museums stretch from Bedford to Wytheville, offering much to explore:
• Bedford: Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library (http://www.bedfordvamuseum.org/), and National D-Day Memorial (https://www.dday.org/).
• Fincastle: Botetourt County Historical Society & Museum (https://bothistsoc.wordpress.com/).
• Roanoke Valley: O. Winston Link & History Museum of Western Virginia (https://roanokehistory.org/), Salem Museum (https://salemmuseum.org/), and Virginia Museum of Transportation (http://www.vmt.org/).
• New River Valley: Alexander Black House & Cultural Center and St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall (https://www.blacksburgmuseum.org/), Glencoe Mansion Museum & Gallery (https://glencoemuseum.org/), Historic Smithfield (https://www.historicsmithfield.org/), Montgomery Museum of Art & History (www.montgomerymuseum.org), Ratcliffe Museum of Transportation (https://www.theratcliffemuseum.com/, and Wilderness Road Regional Museum (https://wildernessroadregionalmuseum.com/) .
• Wytheville: Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum (http://www.edithbollingwilson.org/), Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum and Thomas J. Boyd Museum (https://www.wytheville.org/museums/museums.php).

The Batts and Fallam Expedition of 1671 was funded by Abraham Wood, who hoped the expedition would discover a route to the “South Sea” just beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. The explorers and their Native American guide headed west, but their exact route is debated by historians today. In September, the explorers noted in their journal, “we came to a very steep descent, at the foot whereof stood the Totera Town in a very rich swamp between a branch and the main River of Roanoke circled about with mountains… Here we were exceedingly civilly entertain'd. Saturday night, Sunday and Monday we staid at the Toteras.” The location of Totera Town, home of the Tutelo tribe, remains a mystery, but archaeological evidence suggests it may have been in modern Salem. While the group didn’t find a route to the Pacific, they are credited with being the first Europeans to see the New River.

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