Chesterfield County Museum and Historical Jail
IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
6813 Mimms Loop Chesterfield, VA 23832
Contact: 804-768-7311
MUSEUM PROGRAMS
Spring of 2020
For information on the museum, programs call Pat Roble 804-768-7311
APRIL EVENTS
WOMEN OF CHESTERFIELD - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
April 4th, 11 am.
Through the Ages with Women of Chesterfield. A look at some accomplished women of Chesterfield County and their impact on the world around them. Speaker is Terry Wells, Chesterfield Historical Society Library Committee. This event takes place at the Chesterfield County Museum, 6813 Mimms Loop. For more details call Pat Roble, 768-7311.
THE COUNTY MUSEUM
The Chesterfield Museum is a brick reproduction of the colonial courthouse of 1749. It sits on a tract of land that was known in the 18th Century as "Coldwater Run". The County was a rural community and the Courthouse of 1749 was not only a social gathering spot, it was a political nexus. Speeches, horse trading, games, drinking, and fistfights were standard events of each court day. The old courthouse stood until 1917 when it was razed for a new "courthouse" Preservationists could not save the building. The courthouse-museum complex was a project conceived by The Bermuda Ruritan Club and later a total of ten other Ruitan Clubs were involved in the project. Thanks to these Ruritans, the Museum was built in 1977 and officially dedicated on July 4, 1980.
THE OLD 1892 JAIL
The 1892 jail, now commonly referred to as "the Old Jail", could hold up to 24 prisoners whose meals were prepared by the sheriff and his family. The building was seldom used in the 20th century until 1936, when crime became an issue in the county. Eventually the building became home for the Chesterfield County Police Department and, later, the Fire Department. It was designated a museum in 1982. The Old Jail is open for tours which begin at the County Museum next door.