The historical past of Richmond is difficult and murky. Whereas town served a distinguished function within the nation’s founding, it additionally was distinguished within the commerce of enslaved Africans. Peeks into the previous, from historic structure to scenic overlooks and vistas, can nonetheless be discovered across the metropolis. When digging into the roots of RVA, space museums must be a number of the first stops. They function connectors and interpreters of the previous and set the groundwork for the way forward for the area.
“Richmond may be very lucky, I believe, by way of a metropolis its dimension — it has a wealth of museums, notably these round historical past,” says Invoice Martin, the practically three-decades-running director of The Valentine. “So with the Black Historical past Museum & Cultural Heart of Virginia, with The American Civil Warfare Museum, with the Virginia Museum of Historical past & Tradition, you’ve these unimaginable locations that if you’re visiting Richmond and also you wish to perceive what this place is and actually perceive the complexity of our historical past, there are many alternatives.”
An Unfinished Museum
The Valentine, situated at 1015 E. Clay St. and a must-visit when tracing town’s roots, touts the tagline “Uncover Richmond Tales Right here.” It’s celebrating its quasquicentennial with an exhibition, “An Unfinished Museum: 125 Years of the Valentine,” that includes pictures that depicts the evolution of the museum because the wants of the group have modified over the many years. The exhibition continues by way of Sept. 2.
“At our core is that this dedication to telling extra tales of various individuals,” Martin says. “When somebody [visits The Valentine] from Richmond, what we hope is that everybody will see their story within the museum, which implies that hopefully each vacationer, each customer coming to town will even see a part of their story right here.”
The continuing exhibition “That is Richmond, Virginia” presents artifacts that enable guests to stand up near items of historical past in hopes of higher understanding the bigger cloth of the group. Past the museum’s partitions, programming and neighborhood strolling excursions provide an opportunity to dive deeper into the tales that full the Richmond puzzle.
Upcoming exhibitions embody “Turning Level: Richmond within the Eighteen Nineties,” which runs April 10 by way of Feb. 2, 2025, and explores the tensions that arose throughout the decade and the way they proceed to impression town. “Sculpting Historical past at The Valentine Studio: Artwork, Energy, and the ‘Misplaced Trigger’ American Fantasy” premiered Jan. 25 and can stay ongoing. It’s a reinterpretation and reopening of sculptor Edward Valentine’s precise studio, which neighbors the principle museum. The workspace is the place the artist created a few of his most famed works, lots of which had been portrayals of Accomplice leaders. Valentine’s statue of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis was toppled by protestors in 2020, the identical yr The Valentine closed the studio area to find out the best way to inform a extra full story of its contents. The exhibition makes use of artworks sculpted by Valentine, in addition to paperwork, objects and different items, to attach the “Misplaced Trigger” fable (which painted the defeat of the Confederacy in the absolute best mild), perpetuated by these in energy on the time, to at this time.
The Commonwealth’s Story
For a broader overview of the foundations of the area, head to the Virginia Museum of Historical past & Tradition at 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. The everlasting exhibition “The Story of Virginia” is a deep dive into the origin story of the world. Based because the Virginia Historic Society in 1831, the museum is devoted to educating the general public by way of packages, exhibitions and occasions that traverse 16,000 years of historical past.
“We’ve had a really lengthy historical past of accumulating Richmond’s story and Virginia’s story,” says Andrew Talkov, the senior director of curatorial affairs on the VMHC. “I believe that anybody taken with studying concerning the roots of Richmond can higher perceive these roots by understanding a broader historical past of Virginia and its place in our nation and its place on the planet.”
“The Story of Virginia” and its companion exhibition, “Our Commonwealth,” collectively create an summary of the area advised by way of a timeline of artifacts, video and digital projections. Talkov notes patrons will expertise the numerous function of tobacco in shaping Virginia and uncover objects together with Richmond founder William Byrd II’s surveying instruments and the bell from St. John’s Church, which rang out to toll the conferences throughout the time of Patrick Henry’s “give me liberty or give me loss of life” speech.
Upcoming exhibitions on the VMHC embody “Julia Youngster: A Recipe for Life,” which explores the chef’s affect on the nationwide culinary revolution, in addition to her connections to Virginia. It debuts March 16 and continues by way of Sept. 2. Opening Might 25, “A Higher Life for Their Kids” is a photographic account of the Rosenwald College program, which constructed hundreds of colleges throughout 15 Southern states for Black youngsters who lacked entry to public training. The exhibition runs by way of April 20, 2025.
Preserving Numerous Voices
With a mission of sharing forgotten and untold tales of African Individuals, the Black Historical past Museum & Cultural Heart of Virginia at 122 W. Leigh St. is a hub for exploring the historical past and tradition of Black communities.
“I inform everybody that what the BHMVA is actually good at is telling these tales that you just’re not gonna hear anyplace else,” says BHMVA Government Director Shakia Gullette Warren. “We all the time attempt to embody a name to motion, not solely inside our exhibitions, however inside our programming, so we’re making an attempt to not simply educate the general public about Black historical past, however we additionally wish to make the world higher, in order that’s what we do rather well right here.”
For these trying to uncover the origins of town, Warren says a go to to the first-floor gallery educates patrons on the thirteenth, 14th and fifteenth constitutional amendments’ impression on the Black expertise. There’s additionally a deep dive into the Reconstruction interval and post-emancipation Jim Crow period. Virginia luminaries are highlighted, together with Maggie L. Walker, the primary African American girl to discovered and function president of a financial institution; John Mitchell Jr., a politician and civil rights activist who edited the previous Richmond Planet newspaper; and Irene Morgan, who refused to surrender her seat on a segregated bus.
Upcoming exhibitions embody “Visions of Progress,” which explores the African American expertise of the Nineteen Twenties, ’30s and ’40s and the progress made by the Black group. It opens Feb. 7 and closes March 4. A pop-up exhibition hosted throughout Black Historical past Month options French artist Sandrine Plante showcasing eight sculptures she created from photos in her goals. In October, an exhibition specializing in Black Virginians in medication will debut and proceed by way of March 2025.
Journey to the Counties
To dig even additional into the roots of the world, there are a number of county museums and historic websites that educate the general public on the area’s early years. The Ashland Museum at 105 Hanover Ave. tells the story of the historic railroad city by way of everlasting and non permanent shows. Common occasions and strolling excursions enable contributors to be taught extra concerning the evolution of the quaint city. A purple 1926 C&O caboose in largely unique situation rests exterior the museum and is offered for excursions.
Discover greater than 400 years of historical past on the Chesterfield County Museum at 6813 Mimms Loop. The museum is a reproduction of the 1750 courthouse that when stood there and consists of shows that discover Native American tradition, early settlers, the primary coal mines in North America and extra. There are rotating exhibitions, year-round excursions and the neighboring Historic 1892 Jail, which can be open for public excursions.
A relative newcomer to the county museum scene, the Hanover Museum of Historical past & Tradition opened in 2021 at 7496 County Advanced Street. The museum tells the story of the county by way of participating and thought-provoking exhibitions.
For these trying to uncover the roots of Richmond, native museums are an awesome place to start out, however they solely scratch the floor. The area is dotted with historic buildings and websites, a few of which will be ignored, unknown and, in some circumstances, unpreserved. The story of Richmond is consistently evolving, and its museums proceed to develop with the group and current programming and exhibitions that mirror the heartbeat of town.
Extra to Discover
Uncover the area’s origins at this sampling of web sites