Waynesboro Heritage Museum

Here’s what’s happening…

  • Where is Anthony Wayne buried?

    Where is Anthony Wayne buried?

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    Except for one recorded incident in Ohio in 1794 when a tree fell on his tent rendering Wayne temporarily unconscious, the General seemed to have endured the many battles unscathed.

  • William Henry Sheppard: Missionary, adventurer, activist

    William Henry Sheppard: Missionary, adventurer, activist

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    Born less than a week after the American Civil War Battle of Waynesboro in March 1865, William Henry Sheppard is the most notable native of Waynesboro. Both erudite and religious he had a sense of adventure that led him as a missionary to Africa where he laid witness to the barbarity of colonialism.

  • Billy Graham’s daughter will be keeper of the flame

    Billy Graham’s daughter will be keeper of the flame

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    Wednesday was a day of reflection for Ruth Graham (far right in photo) as she thought about the death of her father, the world’s most famous evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham.

  • Vince McMahon at Fishburne Military School

    Vince McMahon at Fishburne Military School

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    Ask any professional wrestling fan who Vince McMahon is, they all will surely know.  But not many people know that Vince McMahon, the professional wrestling promoter and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who was once listed in Forbes being personally worth more than $1 billion spent part of his life in Waynesboro. 

  • Old Presbyterian Cemetery: A small piece of history

    Old Presbyterian Cemetery: A small piece of history

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    There is a small piece of Waynesboro history on New Hope Road. Behind the Purple Foot Restaurant, before you get to the Red Brick House, there is a 1.3 acre plot of city-owned land. It is the oldest cemetery in Waynesboro, the Old Presbyterian Cemetery (aka the Old Community Cemetery, the New Hope Road Cemetery).

  • Retired Air Force bomber reflects on WWII missions

    Retired Air Force bomber reflects on WWII missions

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    For more than 60 years, Durland Mustain was a fixture in downtown Waynesboro where he repaired and sold all types of watches.

  • Memories from a gun battery

    Memories from a gun battery

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    Walking into the pink house on Pine Avenue, the first thing Byrd Rawlings’ visitors see is a 90 mm artillery shell filled with colorful umbrellas. The 86-year-old retired Army captain sits in a comfortable chair, happy to reminisce about days gone by and quick to tell visitors his wife chose the house’s bright paint.

  • The Stonewall Brigade Band

    The Stonewall Brigade Band

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    The Stonewall Brigade Band was created prior to the Civil War, over a hundred and fifty years ago.  It is now a community band that calls Staunton, Virginia home and is the oldest continuous community band in the nation.

  • History in the making: Get to know the Waynesboro Generals

    History in the making: Get to know the Waynesboro Generals

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    The two-time defending Valley League champion Waynesboro Generals are preparing for their 93rd season of baseball in 2015.

  • The mysterious George Washington letter

    The mysterious George Washington letter

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    One of the most famous letters George Washington wrote was to his wife Martha after he was put in charge of the Continental Army in June, 1775.  The letter is not only famous for its content, but is only one of two letters eventually ever found that Washington wrote to his wife. 

  • President Andrew Jackson and Major Wilson’s Inn

    President Andrew Jackson and Major Wilson’s Inn

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    Travel wasn’t fast or fancy in the 1830’s.  A superb horseman and military man, Andrew Jackson made his way from Washington, D.C. to his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.  It was July 1832 and Jackson was in his fourth year of his first term as President. 

  • The German School

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    Ruth Swortzel Porter shares with us the history of the German School just outside of Waynesboro in Augusta County.  She is a descendant of the Hildebrands and her article is wonderfully researched. On July 25th 1823, seven leaders of the Mennonite community around Madrid in Augusta County, Virginia, wrote a letter detailing their plans to…

  • Documentary: In This Land – The Camp Lyndhurst Saga

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    Now you can watch the new documentary by Alpha Vision Films, In This Land: The Camp Lyndhurst Saga from the comfort of home.  Directed and produced by James Overton, we step back in time when German POW’s from World War II were kept at a camp in Lyndhurst, Virginia.  The film features the President of…

  • Let’s Hear It For The Mule

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    Have you ever wondered while driving by or down Mule Academy Road in Fishersville how it got its name? Many years ago, a man living down the then dirt road in the hollow did indeed train mules to do many chores. They were an economic necessity and he had a thriving business. The mule is…

  • Lincoln’s Army visits Waynesborough Area

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    During the long, hot afternoon of June 10, 1864, a column of Union cavalry under Brigadier General A. N. Duffie pushed southward along Back Creek searching for the gap through the ridge to the headwaters of the Tye River. (Today his path is State Route 814 through Love in Sherando area.) The column unexpectedly came…