The new exhibit begins with the Monacan Indians, who were living along the river when the European settlers arrived.  New items on display include selections from a local private collection as well as loaned items from the Monacan Ancestral Museum in Amherst.  The Scottsville story and its historical relationsship with the James River is told from the founding of the town, through the Canal Era, Civil War and Reconstruction, the great floods, and the recreational uses of the river today.  A special section is dedicated to the founders of the Museum, featuring James Barclay, former inhabitant of the Barclay House and one of the founders of the Disciples of Christ Church, now the Museum building.

In the center of the room is a timeline, highlighting events of Scottsville history in both words and pictures.  Many new items will be on display as well as some old favorites, such as the old fire engine, which was hidden under camouflage during the World War II exhibit of the past three years.  The exhibit design was developed by Julie Schiff and Lauren Turek, University of Virginia students who worked as Museum interns last summer.

The Museum will be open on Saturdays from 10 to 5 and Sundays from 1 to 5 from April 11th through October.  Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.  School groups and special tours can be accommodated during the week.  Call 434-286-2247 or e-mail the Museum at smuseum@avenue.org to make arrangements.

James Turner Barclay: Resident of Scottsville, Citizen of the World
Doctor, agricultural experimenter, pharmacist, archaeologist, preacher, scholar, missionary in Jerusalem, family man: James Turner Barclay was a person of many facets.  Born in King and Queen County in 1807, Barclay first became associated with the Scottsville area because his father owned an estate between Batesville and North Garden.

The Barclay family enjoyed a storied history in American politics.  Barclay's grandfather, Thomas Barclay, played a significant role in the American Revolution; he served as the first U.S. consul in France in 1781, and later, Commissioner to Morocco.  He died in 1793 in a duel with a Spanish nobleman, who had cast aspersions on the character of American women.  Thomas' son, Robert, James' father, was a merchant in Washington, D.C., as well as a Virginia landowner.  He married Sarah Coleman Turner, and they had four children:   Mary Elizabeth, Thomas Jefferson, James Turner, and Anna Maria (Orianna).

To learn more about the Buckingham Training School, come to Fellowship Hall on 22 February.  All are welcome, and admission is free.  See you there!

Recent Donations to Scottsville Museum:
a) Katherine Starrit Pell of New Philadelphia, OH, donated the black silk riding coat belonging to her grandmother, Cornelia Ann Crew, wife of Zack Jones; 14 newspaper articles about the Jones family of Scottsville; and a photo of a 1922 Confederate reunion showing Zack Jones and George Gilmer of Scottsville.
b) Michael Phelan of Scottsville, VA, donated the Scottsville Register, dated 18 February 1860..
c) Irene Dorriern of Charlottesville, VA, donated a handwritten list of dignitaries present at the reception honoring Principal William Day Smith, Scottsville High School.
d) Jack and Ann Hamner of Scottsville, VA, donated an early Scottsville Museum sign dating to the 1970's.
e) Yvonne and Bradley Howdyshell of Scottsville, VA, donated Raymon Thacker's desk from Thacker Brothers Funeral Home, which was also used by Mr. Thacker during his 30 years as Scottsville's mayor.

A New Exhibit Begins, 10 January 2010:
Construction continues of the Museum's 2010 featured exhibit, Where the River Bends: Scottsville and the James.  This exhibit explores the central role that the James River has played in Scottsville's history as both its friend and foe.  Many new instructional and display techniques have been incorporated into the design of this exhibit by its creators, Julie Schiff and Lauren Turek, our Summer 2009 interns from the University of Virginia's Institute for Public History.  Be prepared for a new and exciting look to the Museum's new exhibit including four reader rails around the center of the museum pews for a time line of historic events in Scottsville.  John Bittner, Sr., of Palmyra, VA, built these rails, and shown at photo right are John, Sr.; his son, John, Jr., and grandson as they carry the first rail up the Museum steps on Friday, 10 January.

A raft of volunteers are hard at work to complete this exhibit by Opening Day on 11 April 2010.  We especially wish to thank the following individuals for their contributions to our new exhibit: Julie and Lauren, Matthew Daye, Charlotte Geary, Jeff Guarnieri, the Bittners, Callie Bowers, Bonnie Cooper, Gwynne Daye, Evelyn Edson, Bill and Connie Geary, Jack Hamner, Graham Paige, and Ronald Tetu.

Scottsville Museum wishes to thank you all for your support this year.  Your generosity and continued support makes it possible for the Museum to maintain our buildings, build new historical exhibits, and develop and implement educational projects for Albemarle students.  We are most thankful to have you all on the Museum team.  And may you be blessed by the warmth of family and friends at this beautiful time of year.  Happy holidays to you, and we hope to see you at Scottsville Museum when we reopen in April 2010!

Museum volunteers began returning these artifacts to their owners on 6 November and completed the process eight days later in Star Tannery, VA.  Shown at left is Ann Baber Lloyd of Star Tannery; she is the daughter of Scottsville's Ernie Baber, who served 59 months in the Army Air Forces during WWII.  Ann amassed not only her father's military record and WWII photos for display in our exhibit, but also inspired other Baber family members to share similar information on Ernie's brothers (George W., Hay Norvell, and Herbert M. Baber) and sister (Irene Baber Shields).  Ann is pictured holding her Aunt Irene's framed nurse's cap and Army service pins, the last artifacts to be returned to its rightful owner.  Thank you so much, Ann, for your wonderful support to this exhibit!

The Museum wants to thank the community of Scottsville, including former residents living elsewhere in the world, for their generosity and outpouring of interest in making this exhibit so meaningful.  When the Museum reopens in April 2010, the exhibit will be "Where the River Bends: Scottsville and the James."  Watch this web page for more details on the new exhibit!

Salute to Dr. Charles Luther Fry, Museum Trustee, 3 November 2009:
On 3 November 2009, Charles Luther Fry passed away at his home following a long illness.  Charlie was a longtime Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia until his retirement in 1997.  His love of teaching and learning did not stop with his retirement, and he soon became a Trustee of Scottsville Museum. 

Charlie was an early supporter of computerizing Scottsville Museum and also chaired its Education Committee for the past ten years.  He formed a brilliant partnership with Dr. Phyllis Leffler and the University of Virginia's Department of History that married the talents and creativity of UVA's student interns with interesting historical projects developing in the Scottsville Museum.  The Museum benefitted greatly from Charlie's abilities to define internships that attracted highly skilled and motivated students, who moved our education program forward by leaps and bounds.  Among the major education milestones met by our UVA interns include development of our most successful 'Museum in a Trunk', recording over 150 oral history interviews, photographing the gravestone inscriptions of 9 local cemeteries, and developing new exhibits. 

We have been blessed to have Charlie's vision and dedication devoted to the Museum's program for over a decade.  We will miss him very much.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie's wife, Pat; his family; and his many friends at this difficult time.

We know our readers will enjoy this retrospective on the "Queen of Scottsville."  The October Virginia Living magazine still may be purchased in Virginia at your local bookstore.  Enjoy!

Raymon Thacker Celebrates 100 Years!
On Sunday, October 11, Scottsville's Mayor Emeritus A. Raymon Thacker welcomed more than 500 well-wishers at his community-wide birthday party at the old Scottsville School.  Raymon greeted everyone with hugs and handshakes, and at his side throughout the afternoon was his lovely wife, Arbutus. At one point in the afternoon, the Thackers danced to the music of the featured Ronnie Johnson Band -- much to the joy of all onlookers.  The event was catered by Scottsville's Denise Davis and her wonderful cast of hardworking volunteers.  It was a great afternoon of friendship and celebration of Raymon's 100 years very well-lived. 

During his nearly 98 years of living in Scottsville, Raymon has an amazing list of accomplishments and service to the town.  Born in Stuart's Draft, VA, Raymon arrived in Scottsville in 1911 with his parents, Arthur Lewis Thacker and Eddie Belle Cary Thacker.  He graduated from Scottsville School and the Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN.  Then he began the Thacker Bros. Funeral Home in 1931 with his brother, Homer, which they operated until retirement in 1998. 

Raymon also served eight years on the Scottsville Town Council and over thirty years as the Mayor of Scottsville.  Scottsvillians credit Mayor Raymon with saving the town by his leadership efforts to build a dam for local water purposes and a levee which has prevented further James River flooding damage to Scottsville since it was completed in 1985. 

Raymon is the co-organizer and past secretary of the Scottsville Museum; he has served on its Board of Directors since 1970 and is currently an active member of the board. He also co-organized and served as an active member of the Scottsville Fire Department for seventy-one years.  Raymon is the co-organizer and past President of the Scottsville Chamber of Commerce, and the Scottsville Lions Club.  The Virginia General Assembly declared an A. Raymon Thacker Day in Virginia in 1996.  A remarkable life living and serving Scottsville, Raymon -- happy 100th birthday!

Dotson also interviewed Frank Tapscott, the grandson of James Benson Tindall, who owned and operated Hatton Ferry from 1914 - 1940.  In 1940, Tindall deeded the ferry to the State of Virginia, who has operated it ever since as part of the state's system of highways.  This summer, Virginia's Transportation Department ceased funding the ferry, and Albemarle County found only enough funding to keep it running until 1 October 2009.  Tapscott summed up the ferry's dilemma as perhaps the last poled ferry in America:  "Now the Hatton ferry is the only one to save--is there anything more important than that? "

If you missed the live broadcast of the Hatton Ferry feature on NBC's The Today Show, it may be viewed by clicking on the photo's arrow below.

If you would like to make a donation to save the Hatton Ferry, mail it to:

                                 The Hatton Ferry Fund
                                 c/o Old Dominion National Bank
                                 P.O. Box 321
                                 Scottsville, VA 24590

Moultons Visit Museum, 14 August 2009:
On Saturday, Ranny and Gail Moulton of Macon, Georgia, visited at the Museum.  Ranny was born in Scottsville and is the son of John and Innes (Harris) Moulton and grandson of Dr. Percy Harris, a Scottsville physician from 1912-1955 and town mayor from 1943-1953.  This visit, Ranny brought an old Burgess photo of Scottsville in winter which was taken circa 1920.  After scanning it with a magnifying glass, Ranny identified several structures we'd not seen in other Burgess photos of the town, namely a coal bin structure west of town which supplied the railroad's steam engines.  Also he pointed out a large structure to the west of Valley Street and along the railroad track.  After further consultation with Raymon Thacker, we now believe that it was a granary belonging to the railroad.  Thank you, Moultons and Mr. Thacker, for furthering our knowlege of historical Scottsville.

Museum in a Trunk Visits SAICC Kids Camp, 06 August 2009:
Gwynne Daye and Connie Geary presented the Museum in a Trunk on Thursday afternoon to children attending the Friends of SAICC Summer Camp, which was held at the Scottsville Senior Center during the week of 3-7 August.  Camp attendees spent an hour learning more about Union General Philip Sheridan's raid on Scottsville in March 1865.  The children also learned more about Civil War artifacts and replicas and at the session's conclusion they constructed educational exhibits to display in an educational exhibit about the Union's raid on Scottsville.  We greatly enjoyed our time with these children and applaud their excellent questions and good analytical skills.

Salute to Howard Anderson, Scottsville Businessman and Museum Fan, 15 July 2009:
On Wednesday, 15 July 2009, Howard Haden Anderson, passed away in Gloucester, Virginia.  He was born in Hampton, VA, on 14 January 1943, and was the son of Haden Bledsoe Anderson and the late Hazel Howard Anderson.  Howard and Joan, his wife, were faithful supporters of Scottsville Museum and its mission to preserve and promote the local history of the Scottsville area.  Only four days before his passing, Howard volunteered to fly the Museum's summer interns over Scottsville and the James River so that they could obtain aerial photos of the town and the river, which has been both a friend and a foe in this community's development.  These photos will be featured in the Museum's 2010 featured exhibit entitled, "Where the River Bends."

Museum Interns at Hatton Ferry, 15 June 2009:
Julie Schiff and Lauren Turek (shown at right) visited the Hatton Ferry to learn more about its operation and to experience crossing the James River on this poled ferry.  Julie and Lauren are interns at Scottsville Museum this summer from UVA's Institute For Public History.  Their museum project is to develop plans for our 2010 featured exhibit that will focus on Scottsville's history from 1744 to present and the role played by the James River in its history.  Ferries' important transportation role along the James River, going back to Colonial days, will be presented in the 2010 exhibit at Scottsville Museum.

Julie and Lauren greatly enjoyed their visit to the Hatton Ferry and thank Ashley Pillar, the current Hatton ferryman, for his careful explanation of how the ferry operates and its history.  Quite frankly, a ride on the Hatton Ferry is educational and simply fascinating.  To see additional photos of the ferry in operation, visit Hatton Ferry.

Museum in a Trunk Visits Central Elementary School, 11 May:
Gwynne Daye and Connie Geary presented the Museum in a Trunk to fourth grade classes at Central Elementary School in Palmyra, VA, on Monday, May 11.  Mrs. Brandy Abel hosted our visit in her classroom, and five of Central's fourth grade classes participated in Trunk presentations there throughout the day.  Each class of students first examined Civil War and 19th century artifacts, photographs, and replica items as archaeologists.  They analyzed available information to determine how these items are related, the time period from which they came, and to whom they belonged.  Next the students participated in the retelling of Union General Phillip Sheridan's raid on Scottsville in March 1865 with 10,000 soldiers and displayed relevant artifacts and replicas at key points to help bring this story alive.  Finally, the students became curators and set up mini displays of their artifacts at their tables for all students to examine and enjoy.  We were most impressed by the Central fourth grade students, who were enthusiastic participants in each trunk activity and asked excellent questions.  Thank you, Central teachers and students for studying Civil War history with us.

Milton was a faithful supporter of the Museum and its education mission.  He attended each opening day program for the past several years and offered wonderful encouragement to our volunteers.  UVA interns, who had the privilege to record Milton's oral history remarked at his kindness, intelligence, and love of history.  We learned much from Milton about local history matters and will miss his wise counsel.  We offer our condolences to Milton's family and to his many friends.

"Small Town, Big War" Opening Reception, 05 April:

To see more photos of the Opening Day 2009 at Scottsville Museum, visit Opening.

Love in Wartime:
World War II was a time of intense emotions: excitement, fear, homesickness, longing, love.  Young men, away from home for the first time and facing an uncertain future, sought comfort in correspondence to sweethearts waiting back home.  These romances often led to wartime weddings.  A feature of the Museum's 2009 exhibit is a display of wedding photos of Scottsville area couples married between 1941 and 1948.  One such wartime romance was that of Scottsville's Rosemary Tapscott and William Leslie Harrison, who are shown in their 1944 wedding photo at right.  Leslie served in the U.S. Navy from 1941-1945 and married Rosemary while on leave. 

To see other WWII era wedding photos of Scottsville couples, visit Love in Wartime.

2009 Institute for Public History Interns at Scottsville Museum:
Shown at left are Lauren Turek and Julie Schiff of the University of Virginia's Institute for Public History, who visited the Museum during its Spring Opening.   Lauren and Julie have accepted Summer 2009 internships at the Museum to research and create a multimedia presentation that will form the basis of a new museum exhibit.  Lauren is a PhD candidate in American History at UVA and possesses a background in museum studies and previous exhibition design experience at the firm of Ralph Appelbaum Associates.  Julie is an undergraduate student at UVA with an English major and History minor and possesses well-developed communication and research skills.  We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with these two talented students. Welcome, Lauren and Julie!

So do plan to attend our opening day reception -- we would love to see you on April 5th!  For more information and a glimpse at the Museum's rich World War II offerings, visit WWII on our web site.

Docent Reception, March 15:
Gwynne Daye, Co-President of Scottsville Museum hosted an appreciation tea for Museum docents at Haven Daye Farm on Sunday, March 15th.  A wonderful afternoon of friendship and museum discussion was experienced by all attendees.  We all were thrilled to have several of our past and present student interns from UVA's Institute for Public History in attendance, namely, Monica Shenouda, Steve Knepper, and Lauren Turek.  Each year over forty volunteers volunteer their time each month to serve as docents at the Museum.  Our docents' donation of time allows the Museum to continue our free admission policy for the public from April through October each year. 

If you would like to become a Museum docent, please call Scottsville Museum (434-286-2247) or contact us via e-mail at: smuseum@avenue.org

The World War II Service of Sykes Scherman :
On December 7, 1941, the course of American history changed forever.  The forces of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.  Americans who had watched Hitler gobble up Europe knew suddenly that they, too, were going to war.  Selective service was already in effect.  Wartime production had been supplying European allies in France and Great Britian.  As the American "sleeping giant" prepared to strike back, longtime Scottsville resident Sykes Scherman was deciding how best he could serve his country.

For the full feature article about Sykes Scherman by John McQuarrie, visit WWII Service of Sykes Scherman.

James was an avid historian of Hatton and southern Albemarle County.  He met with Museum staff on numerous occasions to recount his experiences and Hatton events.  Thanks to the wonderful support of James and his sister, Virginia, Scottsville Museum presented a well-received exhibit on the Tindalls and Hatton Ferry in 2004.  We always learned from James and will miss collaborating with him on local history matters.  We offer our condolences to James wife, Bickie, and his family and many friends.

Museum in a Trunk Visits B.F. Yancey Elementary School, 5 February:
Gwynne Daye and Connie Geary presented our Museum in a Trunk to fifth grade classes at B.F. Yancey E.S. in Esmont, VA, on Thursday.  Hosting our visit were Kristie Obrecht, Yancey's Library Media Specialist, and Jennifer Longbrake, Yancey's 5th grade Social Studies teacher.  The Trunk is a traveling, interactive exhibit geared for upper elementary students studying the Civil War as part of their Virginia Studies curriculum.  Shown at right are Yancey's 5th graders as they supported the narrative of Seizing Scottsville, Sheridan's Final Raid by showing relevant Civil War artifacts at appropriate times throughout the presentation.  On 12 February, this class will travel to Scottsville for a follow-up exercise to see the homes that Union soldiers commandeered during Sheridan's raid on Scottsville in March 1865 as well as other notable Civil War sites such as the Scottsville Confederate General Hospital and Cemetery.

For additional photos of B.F. Yancey students actively engaged in their Civil War studies with our Trunk  artifacts, visit B.F. Yancey Elementary.

Letterboxing in Scottsville:
Did you know that Letterboxing is a very popular activity in Scottsville?  Letterboxing is a type of treasure hunt that started accidentally in southern England in 1854.  According to legend, a Victorian gentleman put his "business card" in a bottle and hid it in a remote area of Dartmoor, England, to be found by curious visitors.  The idea caught on, and there are now reported to be over 10,000 letterboxes in Dartmoor alone. 

Five letterboxes have been hidden around Scottsville: three by Cathy Tyler of Letterboxing North America and two by Scottsville Museum.  Clues to locate each letterbox are available on the Museum's web site at Letterboxing.  Anyone can take this list of clues and, armed with a rubber stamp, pen, and an ink pad, walk through Scottsville on a letterbox adventure.  When a letterboxer finds a box, he/she stamps the box's guest book and writes a message.  Shown at right is a recent entry in the Barclay guest book from the Girl Guides of College Park, MD.  The letterboxer then uses the rubber stamp in the letterbox to stamp his/her own notebook.   Each letterboxer also learns a little bit about the history of each Scottsville letterbox location.  We encourage history adventurers of all age to come find Scottsville's letterboxes.  Just click on the Letterboxing link above, print out the clues and come have some history fun!