Chesterfield County Museum and Historical Jail
Hours of Operation
Sunday & Monday - Closed, Tuesday- Friday 10AM- 4PM, Saturday 10AM- 2PM
Admission and events are free, donations are appreciated.
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.
ON-GOING WWI EXHIBIT - FREE
“Chesterfield Remembers World War I: A Centennial Commemoration"
A two-part display that tells the story of the WWI Soldier from Chesterfield County and the story of the Home Front. The Chesterfield County Museum will display artifacts from WWl. The exhibit will include wall murals and display cases to show the life and times of our soldiers. The County Historic Jail will exhibit activities that Americans here in the USA homeland performed to help assist the soldiers overseas.
JANUARY EVENTS
ART HISTORY OF AMERICAN 21ST -CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY
Jan. 25th, Saturday, 11 am.
Learn about the establishment of photography as a legitimate art form in America. Speaker Charles Koutnik will discuss the various movements, people and images that made photography the perfect art for a young forward-thinking country. This event takes place at the Chesterfield County Museum, 6813 Mimms Loop. For more details call Pat Roble, 768-7311.
FEBRUARY EVENTS
"MY STORY" BY CHARLOTTE B. WOOD
February 8th, Saturday, 11 am
African- American Schools in the Segregated Era/ “My Story” Charlotte B. Wood, a retired Social Studies Teacher of Chesterfield County reviews the impact of the Segregated Era as she shares “My Story,” a personal account from that of a student in the county’s segregated schools to becoming a teacher in one of its first integrated high schools. This event takes place at the Chesterfield County Museum, 6813 Mimms Loop. For more details call Pat Roble, 768-7311
MARCH EVENTS
TIME TRAVELERS WEEKEND
March 14th, Saturday, 11 am. - 2 pm.
AND
March 15th, Sunday, Noon - 4 pm.
This program will give guests the opportunity to visit various historical sites—including Magnolia Grange, Chesterfield Museum, and Historic 1892 Jail—via an admission-free event Saturday and Sunday. The event takes place at Magnolia Grange, 10020 Iron Bridge Road. For more details call Lorie Arnold, 748-1498.
APRIL EVENTS
WOMEN OF CHESTERFIELD
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.