Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia "Saving the Past for the Future"

Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia “1981-2021: 40 Years of Saving the Past for the Future - Click on Photo for Details

The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia held its first meeting on September 23, 1981, at the Central Library with 258 charter members. A private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization funded with membership dues and tax deductible donations, the Society mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and promote Chesterfield County’s unique past for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. Historic Trinity Church (1887), located at 10111 Iron Bridge Road, serves as the organization headquarters and research library. In addition, the Society maintains collections in the County Museum and 1892 Old Jail on the historic 1917 Courthouse Green, as well as in Magnolia Grange (1822), a house museum on Iron Bridge Road. The Society also helps maintain eight battlefields. Our events and programs calendar includes lectures, genealogy workshops, rotating exhibits, battlefield tours, themed fundraisers, public speaking engagements, and programs for educational outreach, home schools and scouting.

Visit our Research Library and discover your Chesterfield ancestors and their rich history. Our volunteers are there to assist you if needed.. See our library page for more information.

Magnolia Grange Closure: Due to unforeseen electrical problems, Magnolia Grange House Museum is closed today, October 21, 2021. It will reopen on October 22, 2021 at 10:00 A.M.

Newest Museum Exhibit: "Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia - 1981-2021: 40 Years of Saving the Past for the Future": Go here

Veterans Day Event, November 11, 2021 at the Historic 1917 Courthouse - Go here New Book for sale "Murder in Midlothian" Go here

New Museum Exhibit: The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia and Chesterfield Department of Parks and Recreation opened a new exhibit at the Chesterfield County Museum: "Quilts from the Past: Memories and Traditions" and exhibited through December 31, 2021. These treasures date from the 1850s to the1970s, and document women’s lives and their social, political, and family connections. Some are “planned” quilts that utilized purchased fabrics, and others are informal quilts, pieced together with leftover scraps of fabric that held special memories. Among those displayed will be quilts that were said to have been buried in a creek to hide the family’s silver during the Civil War, crazy quilts, an African-American patchwork quilt, and a “signature quilt” that raised funds in 1938 for the Chester branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. This quilt contains 340 embroidered names/initials from area residents. The public is encouraged to identify any of the names or initials that may belong to their ancestors. County Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, excluding holidays. The museum is located at 6813 Mimms Loop, on the Historic Courthouse Green along Route 10/Ironbridge Road in Chesterfield.

Vistit the Sherfiff's Office Exhibit: Go Here for details Civil War Tours: Go Here for details Scout Programs: Go Here for details

Chesterfield County Historic Sites

Point of Rocks

Strachan House Point of Rocks is a historic site on the Appomattox River is designated "Pont of Rocks Park". Abraham Lincoln walked with Union Generals discussing ways to win a war. Clara Barton served as the head nurse to many wounded and sick Union soldiers in the largest hospital in the world. The house was used for the surgeons quarters and is still standing and currently, the house is being stabilized. Evidence of Indians who lived on the river is just below the house. It is one of Chesterfield's most historic sites and not yet open to the public.

Magnolia Grange House Museum

Magnolia Grange House Museum The "Magnolia Grange House Museum" is an elegant Federal period home built in 1822, named for the circle of magnolia trees that once graced its front lawns. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Magnolia Grange’s distinctive architectural features include elaborate ceiling motifs, a half-turn open carved stairway and hand-painted scenic wallpaper produced by Zuber, a French manufacturer.

Castlewood

Historic 1817 Castlewood was built ca. 1817-1819 by Parke Poindexter. Poindexter was the Clerk of the Court at Chesterfield County from 1812 until 1847, almost 35 years. The original landowner was Henry Winfree, who received the property as a land grant in 1754. County Clerk Mr. Poindexter purchased the 180-acre tract in 1816 and began his efforts to construct a new home. One of the three or four finest Federal period houses in the county, Castlewood features a formal five-part plan differing from any other recorded Virginia dwelling.

1892 Jail

A two-story granite and brick building, it served as the county prison until 1962. During the 1940s, the jail also served as Police headquarters and housed the county communications center. In 1982, it was 1892 Jail c. 2021

designated a museum and made available to the Chesterfield Historical Society of VA as its first head office location. Upstairs, original iron-barred cells still enclose metal bunks, primitive ablution facilities and graffiti. The front porch features a stone step preserved from the first Chesterfield County courthouse of 1749. Go here for the Chesterfield Museum

Help Save Chesterfield County's Rich History

Point of Rocks c. 1842

Point of Rocks is a historic site on the Appomattox River recently acquired and designated "Pont of Rocks Park". Here Abraham Lincoln walked with Union Generals discussing ways to win a war. Clara Barton served as the head nurse to many wounded and sick Union soldiers in the largest hospital in the world built during the Civil War. The house was used for the surgeons quarters and is still standing. In need of repairs, the house is being stabilized. There is evidence of Indians who lived on the river just below the house. It is one of Chesterfield's most historic sites and not yet open to the public.

Eppington c. 1768

Eppington Plantation was built in 1768 by Francis Eppes VI, brother-in-law to Thomas Jefferson, who were close friends and, after Jefferson’s wife Martha died in 1782, the newly widowed Jefferson entrusted his two daughters, Maria and Lucy, to the Eppes family while he served as minister to France. Lucy died of whooping cough and buried on the property. Maria grew to adulthood, married the eldest Eppes son and remained on the property until her death in 1804. The house itself is a Chesterfield County Historic Landmark, a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Confederate Fort c. 1864

An intact Confederate fort, not named, will soon be destroyed to make room for a car dealership in 2021. It is heavily surrounded by woods and has been there since 1864. This fort was built as a back-up fort in the event Union Forces broke through The Confederate defenses during the Bermuda Campaign. It was part of the Howlett Line defenses. It would have made a nice park and a site to bring tourists, especially those who enjoy Civil War history, into Chesterfield County, VA. That would have been a source for tourism dollars.

Summerseat c. 1860

According to tradition, this 19^th century house was used by a county magistrate as the “seat” of his court during summer months due to the muddy and rutted roads which made travel to the courthouse in the center of the county almost impossible. The lower brick portion of the house was the “jail” or “detention center, complete with bars that held prisoners or those persons awaiting trial. It is not a large building at 18 by 16 feet. The house is part of Virginia State University.

"Turkey Run" (The Justis House)

James HIll Spears was born in Chesterfield County, VA in 1793. He was a bachelor for many years and about 1836, he built a beautiful two-story Flemish Bond brick farm home on a large plantation in Chesterfield County and named “Turkey Run” in the 20th Century. It sat at the bottom of a hill on a large wooded tract east of Hallsboro Tavern. Spears died in 1863. His property was worth $43, 422 (in inflated Confederate Currency) and 612 acres were sold in 1870. The property passed through several people. In 1946, the house was in disrepair. Then, Ada Corpening restored the house. It was later purchased by the Justis family. When Mrs Virginia Justis passed away, the house and property were sold to Chesterfield County. A school was built near the house and it fell quickly in disrepair. The county desired to tear it down and currenty a committee of concerned citizens are trying to save the house.. (Picture courtesy Lindsay Cassada)

C. 1879 Trinity Church

The old church sits in a stand of a few trees not quite visible from Krause Road but adjacent to Ironbridge Road where it is plainly noticeable. It offers an unobstructed view at that corner. Not so vacant any longer and no longer a huge storage shed for odds and ends, it serves a new purpose in its longevity of survival. It is alive with activity once again. Presently, the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia is utilizing the building as its headquarters and library until historic Castlewood is renovated. Historic Castlewood, ca. 1817-1819, sits nearby to the church just across Krause Road and was once the parsonage for the Methodist.