Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park

Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park
Southwest Virginia Museum, September 2013
Location 10 W. Street N, Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Coordinates 36°51′48″N 82°46′49″W / 36.86333°N 82.78028°W / 36.86333; -82.78028Coordinates: 36°51′48″N 82°46′49″W / 36.86333°N 82.78028°W / 36.86333; -82.78028
Area 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built 1895 (1895)
Architect Johnson, Charles Ralph, Sr.; Campbell, Edmund Schureman
Architectural style Queen Anne
NRHP Reference # 02001362[1]
VLR # 101-0001
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 22, 2002
Designated VLR September 11, 2002[2]

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is a Virginia museum, run as a state park, dedicated to preserving the history of the southwestern part of the state. It is located in Big Stone Gap, in a house built in the 1880s for Virginia Attorney General Rufus A. Ayers. It was designed and built by Charles A. Johnson. Construction began in 1888 and was completed in 1895.[3]

The limestone and sandstone used on the exterior walls came from local quarries. Red oak lines the interior walls and ceilings. A small moat once surrounded the house.[3]

The structure was acquired by the state in 1946 from a foundation managed by C. Bascom Slemp. Much of the museum collection focuses on the coal boom of the 1890s; there are also exhibits dedicated to the history of Big Stone Gap and the surrounding area, and the story of the pioneers that migrated westward during the 18th century.[4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 Hensley, Clayton (27 July 2014). "Big Stone Gap awaits its time on the big screen". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. ↑ J. Daniel Pezzoni (July 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying two photos
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.