MIGRATION AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY
Keeping in step with the Renovation of Center in the Square, The History Museum of Western Virginia has embarked on a Capital Campaign that will transform the Museum into a modern educational experience drawing people into an exploration of the past. Our $1.5 million capital campaign will completely transform how our audience encounters the history of southwestern Virginia. A new continuing exhibition will incorporate the best in interpretive and technical standards while revealing 10,000 years of our region's cultural heritage through artifacts that span the whole human experience from prehistoric times to the present day.


Transforming our galleries will allow us to better showcase our significant collection and create a stronger relationship between our exhibitions and excellent educational outreach programming. A visit to the museum is an important part of the elementary school curriculum and now students will have the opportunity to experience special exhibitions that drill down more deeply into specific areas of our region's history, as well as understand the connecting threads between generations of people living in southwestern Virginia. The juxtaposition of changing exhibitions and common themes is also important for adult visitors, a significant portion of whom visit the museum from outside of our region. Adult visitors who live locally can experience something different every time they visit the galleries, while non-local visitors can experience the significant history of this region and how it fits into a national context.
Our organization is a repository for the material culture southwestern Virginia and we are entrusted with the care of the region's memory in perpetuity. Our collections span 10,000 years of cultural heritage and are used for multiple applications - they may be study items for students or scholarly research, exhibition items at the museum, or loaned to other museums.

As a natural crossroads from before the time of man, the picturesque Roanoke valley has repeatedly influenced history. Through an imaginative mix of interactives and rich interplay of objects and imagery, visitors to the HMWV will be able to see, hear, and experience vanished Valley cultures like the wild land speculation, rampant growth and market crashes - 19th century style. We expect to reopen with our new exhibits in Center in the Square in early 2013. In the mean time we are in a temporary location at 128 Campbell Ave. Roanoke, VA 24011. Take a look at the detailed renderings depicting our new space. vahistorymuseum.org#/0