History of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia
History of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia
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's main 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 historic Trinity Church, the Chesterfield Museum, the Historic 1892 Jail and Magnolia Grange House Museum, 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.
Our Governance Committee Chair:
Buddy Cranford
Contact via Email
About Us : Mission: To identify, evaluate and nominate potential candidates to serve on the Board of Directors, and to present the annual slate of Officers and Directors in July for a vote by Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia (CHSV) Membership; to review and update the CHSV bylaws, and to provide oversight to develop committee policy and procedures upon the request of the Board. ​Meets: As needed at the historic Trinity Church
Our Board of Directors
Jerry Netherland - President
Robert Talbott - Vice-President
John Longnaker - Treasurer
Crystal Monroe - Acting Recording Secretary
Scott Williams - Past President
Directors-at-Large
David Limmer
Anne Moseley Brandon
Karen Dailey
Henry Coalter
Lilian Muldane
Robert Talbot
Douglas Blake
Buddy Cranford
Staff
Gina Stith - Administrator, Martha Atkinson and Pat Roble- Historical Interpreters
