Museums and Historic Sites
Virginia is rich in history and the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck are no exception. Yes, George Washington spent time here, and James Monroe, Robert E. Lee, Powhatan and host of other famous figures in our country’s history. Learn more about them and the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula at these historic sites and museums.
All area codes are 804 unless otherwise listed.
Essex County Museum and Historical Society, 218 Water Ln. in downtown Tappahannock. Included is the “Carl D. Silver Gallery,” another smaller gallery, a gift shop, reference room, document storage room, and handicap accessible restrooms.
Currently on display is “Confederate Essex,” which will run through 2011. This exhibit, which covers the period during the Civil War, features local Civil War era items from the museum’s permanent collection and loaned items from community residents. Display items include period weaponry, a hair wreath made by Lucy Yeats Brockenbrough in Tappahannock during the war, artwork, scale models and items belonging to R.M.T. Hunter, which are loaned by the Hester family.
Additional exhibits of interest continue on display, such as “from Sandlot to Semipro: Baseball in Essex County,” which follows the story of America’s pastime in the county from just after the Civil War to present day. The museum also houses a civil war diorama: “Ft. Lowry.” Continuing exhibits include prehistoric fossils, Native American artifacts, colonial relics, and items from the American Revolution, Bacon’s Rebellion, the Civil War and World Wars I and II.
Open free of charge daily (except for Wed. and Sun.) from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. 443-4690
Gloucester Museum of History is in the Botetourt Building at 6539 Main St. (Rt. 17 Bus.) near the historic Courthouse Square. The building, built about 1770, was New’s Ordinary, a roadside tavern. On display is the “Battle of the Hook” exhibit, which was donated by the Battle of the Hook Committee and created by Warren Deal. Other displays of military conflicts focus on Gloucester’s WW II veterans. The “Good Old Days” exhibit will resume July 1.
The free museum is open Mon.–Sat. from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and by appointment. 693-1234
Pocahontas Museum at Gloucester Courthouse has information, artifacts and pictures relating to the Indian Pocahontas, Captain John Smith and the Powhatan Indians. On display is a rock traditionally known as the one on which Capt. John Smith’s head was placed when Pocahontas saved his life at Werawocomoco (Wicomico) in Gloucester County.
The museum is open on the second Sat. of each month through Oct. from 1–4 p.m. and by appointment. 693-2795
Christ Church and Carter Reception Center and Museum at the intersection of Christ Church and Gaskins Rds. (Rts. 646 and 709) between Irvington and Weems was built in 1735 by Robert “King” Carter.
The church is open to the public from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., donations accepted. The reception center and museum are open Apr.–Nov. from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon.–Sat. and 2–5 p.m. Sun. Call for group tours. 438-6855
Kilmarnock Museum at 76 N. Main St. features displays and exhibits focusing on Kilmarnock’s past and present.
Rotating exhibits are featuredplus displays of local artifacts and a timeline of events throughout area history. Also featured are the DVD “Kilmarnock Virginia, A Living History” and digital picture-show of the 2005 revitalization of Main Street.
The Kilmarnock-Lancaster Texacos softball exhibit includes uniforms, photographs, team records, equipment and newspaper clippings.
The museum is open Thurs.–Sat., 11 a.m.–4 p.m. 436-9100; 435-2473; or 435-0864
Mary Ball Washington Museum is located at 8346 Mary Ball Rd (Rt 3) in the heart of the Lancaster Courthouse Historic District, and is named in tribute to George Washingtons mother who was born in Lancaster. The Museum focuses on more than 350 years of the history of Lancaster and surrounding counties. Exhibit galleries are housed within the historic buildings of the 1797 clerk’s office, 1821 old jail, and 1828 Lancaster House.
Featured throughout the summer is an exhibit about Lancaster’s courthouse buildings and the history of Virginia county courts in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. A display of World War I and II uniforms and related items will also be on view through late-July.
The Genealogy & History Library provides researchers with more than 7000 books and reference materials about Lancaster and the Northern Neck including court records, census data, business information, vital records, county histories, church records, and family files. Much of the card catalogue can be searched on-line.
The museum is open Wed.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and in June-Sept. on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Other Sat. hours may be available by appointment. Admission is $3 and includes a self-guided tour brochure. The research library is open Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with a $5 daily use fee. Closed major holiday weekends. Check website for complete listing. Hours are subject to change. 462-7280.
Morattico Waterfront Museum is housed in the former Morattico General Store building (c. 1901) at 6584 Morattico Rd. The museum offers exhibits of an old fashioned country store, the history of the work life, gear and agriculture of local watermen of the village. Also on display are Native American artifacts, photos and documents relating to village history.
The museum is open May–Oct. on Sat. and Sun. from noon–4 p.m.
Northern Neck Sports Wall of Fame located in the Sports Centre at 60 South Main St. in Kilmarnock features plaques with bios and photos of individuals past and present that have excelled in sports from the Northern Neck of Virginia. Free. Open Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 435-1211
Steamboat Era Museum at 156 King Carter Dr. in Irvington interprets the era of the steamboats and their importance to commerce, culture, education, entertainment and social connections to small towns along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Dioramas, oral histories, models, artifacts, paintings, photos and audio and interactive components.
The “Welcome Aboard” exhibit features an eight foot cutaway model of the steamer Lancaster. Also featured are vignettes of various rooms such as a typical stateroom, wheelhouse, boiler room, galley and dining room. The exhibit includes a six-foot map showing steamboat wharf stops.
Summer hours are Thurs.–Sat. from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sun. from 1–4 p.m. Donation only. 438-6888
Gwynn’s Island Museum Gwynn’s Island Museum on Rt. 633 at Rose Ln. features a pre-Civil War Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine on loan, and a tableaux depicting the legend of Col. Hugh Gwynn accepting what is now called Gwynn’s Island from Princess Pocahontas in gratitude for saving her life when she fell from her canoe. Also featured is memorabilia from the 1907 Jamestown Exposition.
There is an extensive display of antique spectacles collected by the late Dr. Wm. H. Gatten, Optometrist who practiced in Hudgins for many years.
Another exhibit includes artifacts from a mid-18th century home site, including glass and pottery shards dating from the 17th century, a King George III half penny dated 1773, Native American points, pottery and fossils. There also are photos of two barrel wells.
Also on display are items relating to the Black American history of Gwynn’s Island, prehistoric Native Americans, and an extensive history on the life of Captain John Smith and his connection to Gwynn’s Island. There is a 100-plus year old corn sheller, with original red paint and name.
There is a large collection of antique medical instruments from the estate of the late Mathews physician, Dr. James Warren Dorsey Haynes, and the old Grimstead Post Office (complete with postmaster).
The museum, open 1–5 p.m. each Fri., Sat. and Sun. May–Oct., has two floors of exhibits, a research library and gift shop. Admission is free, donations welcome. 725-7949
Mathews Maritime Museum located at 482 Main St., (just South of Mathews Courthouse). The museum features memorabilia, artifacts, documents, photos, models, and many memories of time gone by. Long a boat building area of note, Mathews additionally has had its share of local watermen, menhaden fishermen, merchant mariners, US Navy sailors, fish packing houses, boat repair facilities, and marinas. The museum honors the past and works to educate the future about maritime history.
The museum is staffed by volunteers, generally on Fri. and Sat. from Apr.–Nov. from 10–2, or by request for groups. If the “open” flag is flying, you’re invited inside. 725-4444
Tompkins Cottage Near the Mathews Courthouse, is a typical tidewater cottage of the early 1800’s. It houses a museum and headquarters of the Mathews Historical Society.
The oldest wooden structure in the courthouse, it was used by Christopher Tompkins as a general store starting in 1816.
The museum houses a permanent exhibit of Mathews history including information on Captain Sally Tompkins, the only woman officer in the Confederate Army. Also included is an area of changing exhibits, a county map, and a sales area offering publications concerning Mathews history and related gift items.
Admission is free. Open Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. through Oct. 725-3487
Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park is on 30 acres on Mill Creek just off route 33 on Jackson Creek Road.
The new exhibits are Middlesex in the Civil War 1861-1865 and will run until 2015. This exhibit opened April 30 and will continue for the whole year. Artifacts and models from when Deltaville was the “Boat Building Capital of the Chesapeake” are also shown.
The Johns’ Pavilion displays historic vessels. The W. A. Johns is a 34-foot three-log bottom sailing canoe that has had a number of working lives in Deltaville waters. Also, displayed is an old sora skiff once used for bird hunting in the Dragon Run, and several small skipjacks and deadrise workboats. The F. D. Crockett, a log bottom buyboat is at the museum’s Pierwalk.
In the boat shop visitors can see under construction a flat-bottomed utility skiff typical of Deltaville boats of the past or other new projects.
In the park are picnic tables, walking trails, a kayak landing and a children’s garden. There is bird watching and plenty of butterflies to chase through the fish-shaped wildflower meadow. Open daily from dawn to dusk.
On the fourth Saturday May-Nov. there is a Farmers’ Market with over 40 vendors, creek cruises, miniature horse rides and more.
The museum is open Memorial Day-Labor Day, Tues.-Sat. 10-4 and Sun. 1-4. Sept.-Apr. Sat. 10-4 and Sun. 1-4. 776-7200
Middlesex County Museum at 777 Gen. Puller Hwy. features a large country store exhibit. Memorabilia and medals of Lt. General Lewis B. (Chesty) Puller USMC (Ret.), the most decorated Marine in U.S. history, are displayed. One of the main exhibits is “Dressed for the Good Old Days: Clothing from Middlesex County, 1850–1920.”
The museum also features a variety of other county memorabilia, including Civil War military items, Indian relics, a mastodon tooth, maritime items (including the pen and ink ship drawings of Dr. A. L. VanName, long-time county physician), agricultural and industrial tools, toys and personal effects.
The exhibits are free and open to the public Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
There is a gift shop. Membership is available and donations and volunteers welcome. 758-3663
Northern Neck Farm Museum is located at 12705 Northumberland Hwy, 2.2 miles west of Burgess on Rt 360.
Luther Welch donated the property and much of the equipment, to create a museum that would tell the story of farming in the Northern Neck. Inside the big red barn is a photographic exhibit of farms, an American Indian exhibit and farm equipment used in the planting season such as antique tractors, hand tools, planters, seed hullers and butter churns. There is a children’s area and an exhibit on Northern Neck rural electrification.
The gift shop has unique items including a first edition collectible tractor. Hours are Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and Sun. 1–4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults, $1.00 for students, and children under 12 are free. 761-5952
Reedville Fishermen’s Museum at 504 Main St., Reedville offers visitors a glimpse of the rich heritage of the fishermen and watermen of Virginia’s Northern Neck and the Chesapeake Bay.
In addition to the main museum gallery housing its permanent and changing exhibits, the museum features the Pendleton Building with its boat and model workshops and the historic William Walker House.
In the water, the museum showcases the Claud W. Somers, a 42-foot skipjack built in 1911, which offers tours twice monthly, and the Elva C., a 55-foot traditional workboat built in 1922, which offers tours to members only.
The museum also offers a gift shop and is open daily from 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. May–Oct. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12. 453-6529
Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern is located in the historic district of Heathsville at 73 Monument Place behind the old courthouse. A 1700’s restored Tavern and community square, the site includes a gift shop, foundation office, Blacksmith Shop and Carriage House. The Transportation Museum Building houses a permanent exhibit - the Chicacoan Oak. There is a community room for rent which houses various types of educational programs.
Tavern Gift Shop hours: Wed.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. 580-3536. Blacksmith Shop hours: Tues., Thurs., Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Tavern Restaurant, please call 580-7900. Tavern Foundation hours: Mon.–Thurs. 9 a.m.–noon. 580-3377 Volunteers and members welcome.
Menokin 4037 Menokin Rd., north of Warsaw, was built c. 1769. It was the home of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee. A partial ruin, the house provides a unique opportunity to see “behind the walls” of an 18th century mansion.
The King Conservation and Visitors Center provides information on the history of the property and the architectural conservation work going on at Menokin. Hike trails to Cat Point Creek through the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
From Apr.–Oct., open Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. From Nov.–March, open Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and weekends by appointment.
Richmond County Museum 5874 East Richmond Rd., Warsaw. The museum is in the county’s old jail, which was built in 1872. It includes three galleries, exhibit rooms and an office. The jail’s hanging chamber is also on the second floor.
On permanent display is a scale model of the historic 1748 Richmond County Courthouse, the third oldest courthouse in Virginia, a collection of Forrest Patton photography and an old fashioned country store. Another exhibit features Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The current rotating exhibit features photographs of “Morattico” on Hales Point. Built in 1721, it was the home of Charles Grymes, a justice and sheriff in Richmond County who represented the county in the House of Burgesses.
Also on display are items from the estate of Marshall Coggin, printer of the Northern Neck News.
Open Wed.–Sat. from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Group tours call 333-3607.
A. T. Johnson Museum 18849 Kings Hwy. near Montross preserves the history and legacy of education for African American students in the Northern Neck, especially in Westmoreland County.
The museum is a depository for collections, artifacts, memorabilia, documents and other items related to education.
Built in 1937 in the Colonial Revival style, A. T. Johnson High School was the first public education facility serving African American students in Westmoreland. The school was named for Armstead Tasker Johnson, a black educator and community leader instrumental in its construction.
Open on Sat.,10 a.m.–2 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m.–4 p.m. and other times by appointment. 493-7070
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located on Rt. 204, southeast of Oak Grove. George Washington is among Westmoreland County’s most famous native sons. Commander of the Continental Army, Revolutionary War hero and first President of the United States, he professed to be first and foremost a farmer. He was born on February 22, 1732 at this site on Pope’s Creek.
Open to the public 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission $3. 16 and under free. 224-1732
Kinsale Museum is “On The Green” in the heart of the historic village of Kinsale on Rt. 203, off Rt. 202.
The museum is dedicated to the preservation, collection, exhibition and interpretation of local history. It’s in a late 19th century barroom, which was used as a meat market in the 1920’s; the old Ice Cream Parlor next door is being renovated by the Kinsale Foundation for gallery, library and meeting space., and the 1909 Bank of Kinsale building stands just off the green beside the Kinsale Motor Corp. building (1919).
Open Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 472-3001
Museum at Colonial Beach is located on the corner of Hawthorn and Washington Streets. It is housed in the former Hoffman Gas Building (c. 1893).
The museum depicts Colonial Beach heritage through various artifacts donated or on loan from local residents. Emphasis is on the period from 1890 through 1958 when the town was a busy river tourism attraction that drew huge summer crowds.
The museum is open Sat. and Sun. from 1–4 p.m. and by appointment. 224-3379
Stratford Hall Plantation 483 Great House Road, off Rt. 3 northeast of Montross. Stratford Hall Plantation was home to several generations of famous Lees. It was the boyhood home of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, signers of the Declaration of Independence. General Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee was a Revolutionary War hero and served as one of General George Washington’s most trusted officers. He was Robert E. Lee’s father. General Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 at Stratford Hall. His cradle can be seen on the tour of the Great House. 493-8371
Westmoreland Museum is located on the Courthouse Square in Montross. The museum shares quarters with the Westmoreland County Visitor’s Center, Hungerford Library, Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society and Northern Neck Historical Research Library.
Exhibits include a replica of George Washington’s baby quilt and an exhibit on the history of electricity in the Northern Neck.
Outdoors, visitors can stroll in the Presidents Garden, which honors the three U. S. Presidents born on the Northern Neck: George Washington, James Madison and James Monroe.
Open six days a week (closed Sun.), from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. There is no admission fee. 493-8440
