Your cart is currently empty!
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
Follow us on social media…
Mr. Spilman, the publisher of the Waynesboro News, is in the center, back row. He is shown with the newspaper carrier boys. According to an old undated News-Virginian article titled, 'Remember When,' 'this was the carrier boy staff 40 years ago, minus a few that didn't make the picture.' Recognize any of them? ![]()
They are (from left):![]()
Back Row: Matthews Griffith of the News-Virginian staff, Thomas Via, Pete McGann, Louis Hildebrand, Carl Morris, Louis Spilman (New-Virginian Publisher, in the doorway), Stewart Sampson, Earl Chaplin, Rupert Smith, Frank Fitzgerald, Percy Blair and J.W. Gentry (News-Virginian Treasurer).![]()
Front Row: Alfred Via, Wallace Sampson, Edward Allen, Maynard Hildebrand, David Campbell, Billy Bush, Grayson Lambert, George Harris, James Keenan, Woodrow Houghton, Billy Spilman and Junior Blair.![]()
![]()
*To clarify based on some questions we have received: This photo is from more that 40 years ago. It is from an article we have in our archives from an undated newspaper. The statement of 40 years is a quote from that original article, not referring to 40 years ago #FromTheArchives #localhistorymuseumh#localhistorymatterss#waynesboroheritagemuseumvaa#waynesborovaagemuseumva #waynesborova
A Circa 1870's image of the Plumb House with a woman in front. The Plumb House is located on W. Main Street in Waynesboro, VA and was built around 1804-06. Alfred Plum purchased the house in 1837 and it remained in the Plumb family until the death of Lois Letitia Coffee Plumb in 1#FromTheArchivesh#localhistorymuseumu#waynesboroheritagemuseumvae#localhistorymatterst#waynesborovaorova
In celebration of Labor Day, the museum will be closing at 1 PM on Saturday, August 31 !
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.