Civil War Tours
“1981-2021: 40 Years of Saving the Past for the Future"
Chesterfield Historical Society
of Virginia
History of the
Chesterfield Historical Society of VA
Chartered on
September 23, 1981, to meet the growing
demand for genealogical and historical
research, the Society traces its origins to
a Museum Society, organized in 1961,
responsible for the first County Museum
which opened in 1980. The original
CHSV office was located in the historic
Historic 1892 Jail, granted for use by the
Society in May 1982. CHSV moved into
the 1917 Chesterfield County Courthouse in
1990 where it operated a small research
library and opened its first Museum Gift
Shop. In 1998, the Society head
office and research library were relocated
to historic Castlewood (1817) on the corner
of Iron Bridge Road and Krause Road in
Chesterfield. The restoration of this
structure started in 2013. Currently,
the CHSV office and research library are
housed in Historic Trinity Church (1887)
located one block west on Iron Bridge Road.
In
addition to its operations at Trinity
Church, the Museum, the Historic 1892
Jail and Magnolia Grange, the Society
also helps maintain the preservation of
eight Civil War battlefields, an integral
part of the 1864-65 Bermuda Hundred
Campaign.
We are a volunteer organization governed by approved by-laws and all volunteer Board of Directors that provides leadership to CHSV committees to develop educational and fundraising programs and conduct research.
The Society offers more than 60 events and programs each year which attracts around 10,000 patrons including 1,000 school children. Our Events Calendar includes an annual winter lecture series, genealogy workshops, rotating exhibits, tours of Civil War sites, paranormal investigations, elegant themed teas served with bone china and finger sandwiches, summer camps for kids and much more.
Board
of Directors
Nicholas Carico -
President
Jerry Netherland -
Vice-President
John Longnaker -
Treasurer
Bernard Anderson -
Recording Secretary
Buddy Cranford -
Past President
Directors-at-Large
David Limmer
Nicole Brooks
Anne Moseley Brandon
Philip Daffron
Henry Coalter
Scott Williams
Crystal Monroe
Staff
Gina Love
- Administrator, and Pat Roble
Chesterfield County Historic Sites
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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.
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.
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.
Help Save Chesterfield County's Rich History
"C.
1860 Summerseat" - According
to tradition, this 19th 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.
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.
Genealogy Research
Summer Camps for Children