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Waynesboro Heritage Museum | 420 W. Main Street, Waynesboro, Va. 22980
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm | Admission: Free! | 540-943-3943
Welcome.
At the Waynesboro Heritage Foundation and its museums, we preserve the history of Waynesboro and the immediate surrounding area.
Come see us.
The Museum
The Waynesboro Heritage Museum portrays the history of Waynesboro through permanent and rotating exhibit galleries at two museums: the Waynesboro Heritage Museum in downtown Waynesboro and the early-19th century Plumb House. Permanent panels within each gallery reiterate the city’s history, from the Beverley Grant under King George II of England in 1797, early Teasville (Teesville), Basic City, Railroads, Education, Industry, “Memorable Waynesboro”: hospitality and entertainment, a postcard gallery, and exhibits on Fishburne Drug Store, Banks of Waynesboro, and Early Entrepreneurs of Waynesboro.
Current Exhibits
The Waynesboro Heritage Museum’s permanent gallery is complemented by a newly renovated rotating modular exhibit space that allows the museum to display several temporary rotating exhibits simultaneously, as well as a new “Out of the Archives” permanent exhibit space. The following exhibits are currently on display in the rotating gallery:
- “Foundations of Hope: Celebrating a Century of Waynesboro’s Rosenwald School and its Community”
- “A Century of Service,” a new exhibit in collaboration with the Waynesboro Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, celebrating 100 years in 2025.
- “Out of the Archives,” a new permanent exhibit space showcasing a rotating display of fascinating artifacts and records from out of the Heritage Museum’s archives.
Plan Your Visit
Admission
Always free! Donations welcome.
Main Museum Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Wednesday
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Thursday
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Friday
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Saturday
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Sunday
- Closed
Plumb House Hours
From April 11, 2024 until October, the Plumb House will be open every Thursday from 10am – 1pm. You can also call the museum at 540-943-3943 to make an appointment.
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Closed
- Thursday
- 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
- Friday
- Closed
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
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History of the FMS Bench![]()
According to the donor, Eddie Stratton, 'Bessie' Hudgins, got the bench from West Point for Fishburne Military School, of which her husband, Col. Morgan Hudgins was the second leader. The bench was used in the foyer of the school. Sadly, when the school was in financial straits in the 1970s, the bench, with a few other items, were sold. Mr. Stratton's father, an antique dealer purchased two benches and a cabinet from FMS. Both he and his father had hoped to return the items to Fishburne, and after his father's death he offered to return the items. FMS took the cabinet back but had no place for the bench, so after 1986, Mr. Stratton stored the bench in a home he owned on S. Wayne Avenue, which, as it turned out, had been the home of Col. & Mrs. Hudgins. Eventually, Mr. Stratton, who was moving away from Waynesboro, donated the bench to the Waynesboro Heritage Foundation, Inc.![]()
As Mr. Stratton recently stated about this bench:![]()
"It truly is one of a kind with a rich history, much of which most of us will never know of. Who sat on it and why? How many cadets could tell us?"![]()
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#FromTheArchives #localhistorymuseum #localhistorymatters #waynesboroheritagemuseumva #waynesborova
According to research Wooden nickels became popular in the 1930s though they may date back to the 1880s. During the Great Depression, Tenino and Blaine Washington banks issued emergency currency printed on thin wood shingles due to coin shortages.![]()
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However, generally, in the United States, a wooden nickel is a wooden token coin. These tokens have been issued by merchants as promotions and could be redeemed for specific items.![]()
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The wooden nickel, pictured here, was used by Fishburne's Drug Store and if you possessed one you could exchange it for a coffee or a cok#FromTheArchivesh#localhistorymuseumu#waynesborovao#waynesboroheritagemuseumvae#localhistorymatterstters
The first image shows the building on October 1-8, 1947, when The News-Virginian began using the building. It appears that they reopened windows that had been boarded up when the building was the Star Theater. (see previous post)![]()
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The second image (undated) shows the same building after it was renovated by the News-Virginian. The newspaper offices remained in this location until 2005 when they moved to 1300 W Main Street. Sadly, since then the building has remained unused and empty.![]()
#FromTheArchives #localhistorymuseum #localhistorymatters #waynesboroheritagemuseumva #waynesborova
Latest News & Events
New Exhibit: “A Century of Service”
In 2025, the Waynesboro Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs will both celebrate their 100th anniversaries in the community. The new exhibit at the Waynesboro Heritage Museum, “A Century of Service,” celebrates this milestone for the clubs, and will be on display until early 2025. Each club, in conjunction with the Waynesboro Heritage Museum staff, provided written…
New Plumb House Hours
As we make our way out of another winter hibernation, the Waynesboro Heritage Foundation is reopening the Plumb House Museum on a scheduled basis. Beginning April 11, 2024, the Plumb House will be open from 10am-1pm each Thursday. These hours will run from April through October 2024. As always, the Plumb House is also open…
New Exhibit: “Foundations of Hope”
“Celebrating a Century of Waynesboro’s Rosenwald School and its Community” When Booker T. Washington, who had a vision to improve education facilities for rural African-American communities in the American South, joined forces with Julius Rosenwald (president of Sears, Roebuck & Co.) who was looking to find new ways to extend his philanthropic generosity, their partnership…
New Exhibit: “Until the Cows Come Home”
“The Lost Town of Basic City and the Struggle that Built a Consolidated Waynesboro” Opening October 14, 2023, in conjunction with a renovated temporary exhibit space, is a brand new exhibit at the Waynesboro Heritage Museum that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the merger of Waynesboro and Basic City. On August 7, 1923, the townspeople…
New permanent exhibit: “Out of the Archives”
Waynesboro has a deep and rich history. The Waynesboro Heritage Foundation has been fortunate over the years to have been entrusted by the community with its many artifacts, records, stories, and memories that document our city’s collective history. In fact, did you know that the Museum holds over 13,000 items? However, with limited exhibit space…
‘The Timeless Tunnel’
The Blue Ridge Tunnel recently opened as a new and amazing attraction in Virginia by using a long-abandoned and almost forgotten feat of engineering.