Museums Virginia
Historic House

Browse Museums

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center
Williamsburg, Virginia

Art, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Library, Nature Centers, Park, Specialized

The oldest institution in the country devoted exclusively to collecting, exhibiting, and researching American Folk Art.

Agecroft Hall
Richmond, Virginia

Arboretum, Art, Culture, History, Historic House, Library, Park

Agecroft Hall, an historic 15th century Tudor manor house, was dismantled and rebuilt in 1926 on 23 acres of gardens and grounds overlooking the James River.

Amherst County Museum and Historical Society
Amherst, Virginia

History, Historic House, Historical Society

The museum preserves, collects, and interprets the history and heritage of Amherst County. It houses a library and there is an 1885 schoolhouse on site.
The Old Amherst County Jail: The Amherst County Museum first opened its doors on May 30, 1976. The museum was originally housed in the old county jail which was built in 1891-92 adjacent to the county courthouse. The old jail contained two exhibit rooms on the ground floor. Two jail cells used for storage of artifacts and two rooms on the second floor were used for office and storage/exhibit design.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Mc Lean, Virginia

Historic House

George Washington Parke Custis (Martha Washington's grandson) built the house between 1802 and 1818. His daughter, Mary, married Robert E. Lee in the family parlor June 30, 1831. The Lee's called it home for 30 years until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The site contains the house, two original slave quarters, a museum, and a bookstore

Avoca Museum and Historical Society
Altavista, Virginia

Arboretum, Cemetery, Culture, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Military, Park

Avoca, the principal architectural landmark of the Town of Altavista, is an American Queen Anne-style house, designed by architect J.M.B. Lewis and built in 1901. Designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Avoca is the home site of Revolutionary Patriot Colonel Charles Lynch.

Ball-Sellers House
Arlington, Virginia

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

Donated to the Arlington Historical Society in 1975, this is Arlington's oldest residence. It was built around 1742. It is a rare example of the homes where the working class people of the time lived. It is occupied by a caretaker for the Society and the interior may be seen by calling ahead. The small house - with its original logs, clapboard roof and pegged floorboards - is one room with a loft and an attached lean-to room at the rear. The house was built by John Ball on a 166-acre land grant from Lord Thomas Fairfax and later owned by William Carlin, tailor to George Washington. Three generations of the Carlin family owned the property for more than 100 years. The third generation, brother and sister Andrew and Anne, ran a dairy farm and built the 1880 house that adjoins the Ball cabin.

Ben Lomond Historic Site
Manassas, Virginia

Archaeology, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Park

Ben Lomond is an antebellum farm that served as a hospital during the Civil War. The home was referenced in many Civil War Era documents as the Pringle House because of the men who lived here in 1861. Many of the soldiers that were brought to the hospital penned their names and brief messages on the walls of the home.

Bland County Historical Society
Bland, Virginia

History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Volunteers are at the jail each Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for research and shopping, and on other days by appointment.

Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre
Bristow, Virginia

Archaeology, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Nature Centers, Park

The Brentsville site consists of 28 acres with five historic buildings and various archaeological sites. These include the 1822 Courthouse and Jail, the ca. 1830 John Hall Home, ca. 1875 Union Church and the 1928 One Room Schoolhouse and the Brentsville Tavern archaeological site. The site also includes a mile long nature trail highlighting the area’s natural resources.

Cape Henry Lighthouse
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Children's, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Nature Centers, Park, Science

The first federally funded lighthouse, was built to guide maritime commerce at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It is standing near the “First Landing” site where English settlers arrived in 1607. It has stood sentinel since it was completed in 1792. Authorized by George Washington and overseen by Alexander Hamilton. Designed by New York architect John McComb. In active use for nearly a century before being replaced by a new cast iron lighthouse still standing nearby. It is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in the United States.

Adam Thoroughgood House
Virginia Beach, Virginia

General, History, Historic House

Reopened in May 2011 after extensive restoration, the Adam Thoroughgood House has long been the subject of study and debate.

Alleghany Historical Society
Covington, Virginia

History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Due to our relatively small personal collection, the Alleghany Historical Society relies heavily on the residents of the Alleghany Highlands to contribute to rotating exhibits. Donations relevant to our collection are always welcome! We also have traveling exhibts.

Archeological Society of Virginia
Richmond, Virginia

Archaeology, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

This organization of avocational and professional archaeologists is dedicated to the preservation of the past through volunteer activities and public education.

Ash Lawn-Highland
Charlottesville, Virginia

Culture, History, Historic House

Ash Lawn-Highland's visitors enjoy Monroe's elegantly furnished "cabin-castle," his working plantation complete with farm animals and colonial craft demonstrations. Special events occur year round.

Bacon's Castle
Surry, Virginia

Archaeology, Botanical Garden, Cemetery, Culture, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Park

Bacon’s Castle was originally home to a prosperous planter, Arthur Allen, and his family. Following Allen’s death, the house was inherited by his son, Major Arthur Allen II. A loyalist supporter of the colonial government and member of the House of Burgesses, Major Allen was driven from his house in 1676 by followers of the patriot rebel Nathaniel Bacon, whose uprising later came to be known as Bacon’s Rebellion. The episode later gave Bacon’s Castle its name though the house remained in the Allen family until 1844.

Belle Grove Plantation
Middletown, Virginia

Historic House

This historic 1797 plantation boasts Jeffersonian architecture, a superb decorative arts collection, and gardens. It was the home of James Madison's sister and site of 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek.

Berkeley Plantation
Charles City, Virginia

Historic House

Berkeley is the location of the first official Thanksgiving and birthplace of Benjamin Harrison and President W.H. Harrison. It was the Civil War headquarters of Gen. McClellan. The site includes the 1726 mansion, antiques, gardens, restaurant, and gift shop.

Brandon Plantation
Spring Grove, Virginia

Historic House

One of the most magnificent of the James River estates with superb formal gardens extending to the river.

Burwell-Morgan Mill
Boyce, Virginia

Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library, Park, Specialized

The Burwell-Morgan Mill, established in 1785, is the oldest operable merchant mill in the Shenandoah Valley. In the mid-nineteenth century the mill operated twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, processing more than sixty thousand bushels of wheat per year. The community of Millwood grew around this commercial center as related businesses were established, and by way of the seaports at Alexandria and Baltimore, mill products were shipped abroad.

Carlyle House Historic Park
Alexandria, Virginia

Historic House

Built 1751 - 1753, the house is the only stone Palladian mansion in Alexandria. Period furnishings and historical interpretation reveal the life of one of Alexandria's founders, John Carlisle. Guided tours explore topics of merchants, slavery and servants, town property, and the family life of the Colonial Virginia Aristocracy. Gardens on premises. Administered by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email [email protected].

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email [email protected].

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