Come visit the Lynchburg Museum and explore the history of Lynchburg and the Virginia Piedmont. The James River runs through our history — fords where the Native Americans crossed, an 18th century ferry founded by Quakers that gave birth to a city, and the waterway that transported tobacco to Richmond and to the far reaches of the world.
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13th ANNUAL
APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
&
LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY
FREE CIVIL WAR SEMINAR
1862: A YEAR OF BATTLES
JARMAN AUDITORIUM
LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY
FARMVILLE, VIRGINIA
Saturday, March 3, 2012
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to view the new "Get Downtown" music video...
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to view the Museum System's 2011 Fiscal Year Annual Report...
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LYNCHBURG MUSEUM SYSTEM AWARDED GRANTS
The Lynchburg Museum System has recently been awarded two grants totaling $9,400 from the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust and Walmart Foundation. The Community Trust grant of $7,400 will be used to replace specialized windows at Point of Honor. The current windows were installed in 1989 and over time have lost the ability to filter out ultra-violet rays in sunlight that damage textiles and furnishings. The new windows will be installed this winter to protect Point of Honor’s interior and decrease energy costs.
The Walmart Foundation’s grant of $2,000 will help fund children’s educational programs such as Night at the Museum and the Discover Lynchburg Summer Camp. Lynchburg Museum System Advisory and Foundation Board Chairman Rob Craighill noted, “These grants are greatly appreciated. They help us in accomplishing our mission of preserving the history of Lynchburg and sharing it with residents and visitors. We are fortunate to receive this support from local foundations and corporate partners.”
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Lynchburg's City Council Tours The Museum System
On February 1st, 2011, members of the City Council toured the Lynchburg Museum and Point of Honor.
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OLD COURT HOUSE CLOCK WORKS NOW ON DISPLAY
In 2009, members of the Museum Advisory and Foundation Board asked the Lynchburg Museum staff about making the clock and bell on the Old Court House functional again. The clock works in the attic had kept the City’s time from 1855 until 2001, but the mechanical parts often broke and the works required manual winding. At that point, the decision was made to explore an electric clock and bell ringer which would cost over $20,000.
The Board decided to raise the funds from the community and launched a campaign in March 2009. With the help of local residents, businesses, civic groups, and the Lynchburg Historical Foundation, over $21,000 was raised in just three months. By December 2009, the clock once again kept time and the bell rang on the hour.
The original flat bed tower clock works were made in New England and installed on St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Seventh and Church Streets in 1835. In 1855, the church donated the clock and bell to the City of Lynchburg, and the works were installed in the attic. The clock and bell were powered by large weights that were cranked up by hand. These weights slowly lowered inside two of the columns on the front of the building and this ran the clock and bell.
Once the modern mechanism was in place, Museum Curator Greg Krueger, volunteers, and Jim Harding of Harding’s Clocks began to clean and restore the historic works. As the filth of 145 years was removed, the clock frame was found to have gold pin striping and decorative paint. The brass gears and wooden drums once again showed their original beauty, and Jim Harding made the clock operable for demonstrations.
Click on the video icon to the right and view a video of this exciting project...
If you are willing to contribute, please send to:
Lynchburg Museum Foundation
P.O. Box 529
Lynchburg, VA 24505
The Foundation is a 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization and gifts are tax deductible.
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MUSEUM SYSTEM RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT
The Lynchburg Museum System has been awarded a federal grant of $2,993 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Out of 177 applications, 54 projects across the nation were awarded funds as part of the American Heritage Preservation Grant program.
American Heritage Preservation Program grants are used by museums, libraries, and archives to help preserve items including works of art, artifacts, and historical documents. According to IMLS, there are nearly 190 million objects in American collections that are in need of preservation and conservation.
The grant, written by Museum Curator Greg Krueger, will provide funding for acid free materials to house the growing collection of military uniforms, wedding dresses, quilts, and other textiles in the collection. Krueger stated, “This grant will be a great help in enabling us to provide proper housing for some of our most valuable collections.”
The Institute of Museum and Library Services, headed by Anne-Imelda Radice, is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. To learn more about the IMLS, please visit www.imls.gov.
For additional information, contact Doug Harvey, Museum Director at 455-6226.
Click Here to view the Museum's 2010 fiscal year annual report...
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GENERAL GEORGE LOVING DELIVERS SPEECH
On Friday, August 13th, 2010 Gen. Loving (Ret.) gave a speech at the Museum detailing his military career.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO FOOTAGE
The Muse News is published several times a year as the newsletter
of the Lynchburg Museum System.
Lynchburg Museum System Advisory Board Meetings are held every other month on the 2nd Wednesday, at the Museum, and start at 4:00 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on March 14th...
