Chesterfield County Museum and Historical Jail
will remain CLOSED except for the
following programs listed below.
6813 Mimms Loop Chesterfield, VA 23832
Contact: 804-768-7311
MUSEUM PROGRAMS
At this time the County Museum and Historical Jail remain close for tours
but will be open for the following programs below. Unless otherwise noted in the program description, all programs are free but reservations are encouraged. Space is limited. Face masks required and social distancing guidelines are in place.
To reserve a seat for these programs contact Bryan Truzzie, 804-751-4946. All programs start at, 11 a.m.
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY MUSEUM PROGRAMS
Saturdays, 11 a.m.
Feb. 6 - Black History Talk “My Story of a Sharecropper’s Life”
Join local Matoaca author James McKnight as he will share his book that recounts the life of his grandfather’s experiences as a sharecropper
Mar. 13 - The Campaign for Women Suffrage in Virginia
Learn the untold story of the remarkable women who, for ten years, argued, cajoled, and marched to win the right to vote. The talk compliments the Library of Virginia's current exhibition "We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia."
March 27 – 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.
April 10 - Where Have All the Monarch Butterflies Gone?
A Chesterfield Master Gardener presentation concerning the preservation of our American monarch butterflies. Please join us to see how easily you can help these beautiful, iconic insects survive.
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.