Generations-old family stories, a brightly-colored
quilt, a chair from Colonial times… those are just a
few of the timeless treasures preserved at the
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley at Winchester. Joining
with Glen Burnie Historic House and Gardens, the
museum preserves and presents the story of this history-rich
area.
“The most unique thing about this museum, I think, is
the interviews with people, sharing family stories,” says
Mitzi Price, a visitor from Broad Run, Va. “I’ve always been
interested in genealogy and the interviews were inspiring.
You don’t have to lose memories, you can go home and interview
your own family. You can listen to as many stories or
as few as you want. I brought my six-year-old daughter,
nine-year-old son and 15-year-old niece to the museum –
they enjoyed it because there was something for everyone.”
Price recently returned to the
museum for brochures to send to relatives
who will be coming to the area for
a family reunion.
The museum was a $20 million project
completed after almost eight years of
research, planning and funding. The new
50,000-square-foot museum has three
levels. The first floor features a learning
center, tea room and museum shop.
Offices and meeting rooms are on the
third level. History lies on the second
level, which features four main galleries
with 11 gallery rooms for touring.
The three rooms of the Shenandoah
Valley Gallery cover valley history. Decorative
arts are displayed in three more
rooms. The Julian Wood Glass Jr. Gallery
exhibits the collector’s private assemblage
of paintings, furniture and other objects.
The popular R. Lee Taylor Miniatures
Gallery includes a collection of miniature
houses and rooms.
The Changing Exhibitions Gallery,
unlike the other display rooms, presents
different exhibitions throughout the year.
One recent exhibition was 1940-1970
watercolors of Virginia landscapes by
Pierre Daura, an artist who lived in Rockbridge
Baths, Va.
Glen Burnie, home to the Wood and
Glass families for more than two centuries,
is now part of the museum complex.
The mansion, built in 1794, played
a role in the settlement of the valley and
is furnished with 18th and 19th century
furniture. The house is surrounded by
six acres of gardens including 14 formal
gardens featuring a Grand Allee, fountains
and sculpture.
Another museum visitor, Betty Ann
Childress from Vienna, Va., came mainly
for the R. Lee Taylor miniature collection
which she had seen featured in several
miniature collectors’ magazines.
“I’m a realtor and sell big houses but
I collect miniature houses – that’s irony,”
she says. “I especially loved the replica of
the Glen Burnie House and the attention
to detail.”
Open year-round; house and gardens
operate on a seasonal basis March 1-Nov.
30. Hours for all: Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4
p.m. 1-888-556-5799 or 540/662-1473,
www.shenandoahmuseum.org.
—Gail Fleenor
