The Valentine partnering to provide free weekend of Richmond history at 14 area sites

Some of the Richmond area’s most renowned historic sites will be open to the public for free this coming weekend, thanks to a special partnership with The Valentine. The “Time Travelers Passport” weekend, a special admission-free weekend, will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 24th and 25th at 14 sites across town.

Tourists and locals alike are invited to discover the area’s treasures, spanning 400 years of fascinating history and including the homes of John Marshall, Jefferson Davis, John Wickham, Major James Dooley and other important Virginians. Participating organizations include Agecroft Hall, Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia, National Park Service, Preservation Virginia, Maymont, Henrico County Parks & Recreation, American Civil War Museum, Edgar Allan Poe Museum, The Valentine and Wilton House Museum. Each site will offer complimentary admission to visitors who show a Time Travelers Passport, available via download from any website of participating attractions.

The participating organizations are offering a grand prize drawing. Anyone that visits any of the sites will be entered to win.  The more sites that someone visits will increase their chances of winning. The prize is a collection of items from each of the participating sites’ gift shops.

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Agecroft Hall

Agecroft Hall, home to Richmond’s Tudor house, was first built in England in the 1500s, then transported across the ocean and rebuilt in Richmond in the 1920s. Today it is a museum furnished with art and artifacts from 17th century England. Located just west of Carytown at 4305 Sulgrave Road, visitors are encouraged to take a guided tour, stroll the manicured gardens overlooking the James River, explore the architectural exhibit, and shop in our museum store. Open Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 804.353.4241 or visit agecrofthall.org.

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Chimborazo Medical Museum (Richmond National Battlefield Park)

Chimborazo became one of the Civil War’s largest military hospitals. When completed it contained more than 100 wards, a bakery and even a brewery. Although the hospital no longer exists, a museum on the same grounds contains original medical instruments and personal artifacts. Other displays include a scale model of the hospital and a short film on medical and surgical practices and the caregivers that comforted the sick and wounded. The site is located at 3215 East Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is free.

For more information, call 804.226.1981 or visit nps.gov/rich.

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Dabbs House Museum

The Dabbs House, built in rural eastern Henrico in 1820, gained attention as Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s field headquarters during the summer of 1862. The museum provides a place to learn about the history of the house from its use as a residence for the Dabbs family to its tenure as Henrico’s police headquarters from 1941 to 2005. Visitors can tour the 1862 field headquarters, browse the exhibit galleries, and view a video on the history of the house. On September 17, 2010, Henrico County opened its first Tourist Information Center, which is located inside the Dabbs House Museum and provides visitors with resources on many other Richmond area attractions. This facility is owned by the County of Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks. Dabbs House Museum will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is located at 3812 Nine Mile Road in eastern Henrico.

For more information, call 804.652.3406 or visit dabbshouse.henricorecandparks.com.

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The John Marshall House

The John Marshall House, built in 1790 in the fashionable Court End neighborhood of Richmond, was the home of the “Great Chief Justice” for forty-five years. Listed on the National and Virginia historic registers, The John Marshall House has undergone remarkably few changes since Marshall’s lifetime. The property remained in the Marshall family until 1911. It is currently owned and operated by Preservation Virginia. Visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the house, stroll the newly renovated garden, and visit the Museum Shop. The John Marshall House will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 818 East Marshall Street in Richmond.

For more information, call 804.648.7998 or visit preservationvirginia.org/visit/historic-properties/the-john-marshall-house.

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Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Businesswoman. Leader. Civil rights activist. Maggie L. Walker was all these things, and more. A tour of her home highlights her achievements and reminds us of the obstacles she overcame to emerge as an inspirational figure in the early twentieth century. The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is located at 600 N. 2nd Street in Richmond, Virginia, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter), with tours of her home available daily, and is free of charge.

For more information, call 804.771.2017 ext. 0 or visit nps.gov/mawa.

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Maymont

Maymont, a 100-acre American estate, was the home of New South business leader James Dooley and his wife Sallie from 1893 through 1925 and an extraordinary gift to the city of Richmond. Marvel at the 21 restored rooms that offer an unusually complete depiction of upstairs-downstairs life in the Gilded Age. The opulent upstairs interiors are adorned with Tiffany stained glass, frescoed ceilings and other sumptuous detailing and filled with original furnishings and artwork. Downstairs service rooms tell the story of household tasks and technology and the challenges of working in domestic service during the Jim Crow era. The surrounding landscape features Italian and Japanese gardens, magnificent trees, and a carriage display as well as Virginia wildlife exhibits, a Children’s Farm and the Robins Nature & Visitor Center. Maymont Mansion will be open 12 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is located at 1700 Hampton Street in the heart of Richmond. (Grounds are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

For more information, call 804.358.7166, ext. 310 or visit maymont.org.

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Magnolia Grange, Chesterfield County Museum and 1892 Historic Jail

Built in 1822 by William Winfree, Magnolia Grange is a handsome Federal-style plantation house named for the circle of magnolia trees that once graced its front lawn. Noted for its distinctive architecture, the mansion contains elaborate ceiling medallions, as well as sophisticated carvings on mantels, doorways and window frames. The house has been carefully restored to its 1820s look and feel. The Chesterfield Museum is a reproduction of the colonial courthouse of 1750. Its collections tell the history of Chesterfield County from prehistoric times through the 20th century. Exhibits include early Indian culture, artifacts from the first iron and coal mines in America, which were in Chesterfield County, early household and farming tools and a country store of the late 19th century. The Old Jail, built in 1892, houses historical exhibits from the county’s Police department that are displayed downstairs. Upstairs, visitors may view cells as they were when they housed their last prisoners in 1962. Magnolia Grange, the County Museum and Historic Jail will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and 12 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Magnolia Grange is located at 10020 Iron Bridge Road; the County Museum and Jail are located nearby at 6813 Mimms Loop in Chesterfield.

For more information, call Magnolia Grange at 804.796.1479, the County Museum and Historic Jail at 804.768-7311 or visit chesterfieldhistory.com.

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Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park

Meadow Farm, one of the last remaining 19th century farms in Henrico County, is an 1860 living historical farm focusing on rural Virginia life just before the upheaval of the Civil War. Costumed interpreters provide insights into the lives of Dr. John Mosby Sheppard, the owner of Meadow Farm, his family and those who were enslaved at the farm. Daily and seasonal activities are portrayed in the farmhouse, barn, doctor’s office, blacksmith’s forge, kitchen, fields and pastures. The Museum also offers a schedule of special events, living history programs, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. This facility is owned and operated by the County of Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks. Meadow Farm Museum will be open 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is located at 3400 Mountain Road in old Glen Allen. (Grounds are open from dawn to dusk.)

For more information, call 804.652.1455 or visit henricorecandparks.com.

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The Edgar Allan Poe Museum

Opened in 1922, Virginia’s only literary museum, the Poe Museum in Richmond, boasts the world’s finest collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The Poe Museum provides a retreat into early nineteenth century Richmond where the author of “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” lived and worked. The museum explores Poe’s life and career by documenting his accomplishments with pictures, relics, and verse, and focusing on his many years in Richmond. One of the structures in the museum’s four-building complex is the ca.1754 Old Stone House, the oldest residential structure in the original city limits of Richmond. The Poe Museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 1914 East Main Street in Richmond.

For more information, call 804.648.5523 or visit poemuseum.org.

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The Valentine First Freedom Center

The Valentine First Freedom Center houses 2,200 square feet of exhibits that delve into America’s experience of religious liberty from its European antecedents through today. It is located on the site where Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom was enacted into law by the Virginia General Assembly in 1786. Outside, a 27-foot spire, a limestone wall etched with the enacting paragraph of the Statute, and a 34-foot banner of a seminal Jefferson quote imprint the importance of the “first freedom” on all who come upon that busy corner. The Valentine First Freedom Center is located on the corner of South 14th & Cary streets and will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Parking is available on the street or in public pay lots.

For more information, call 804.649.0711 or visit thevalentine.org/firstfreedomcenter.

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White House of the Confederacy (American Civil War Museum)

The house was home to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and his family from August 1861 until the evacuation of Richmond on April 2, 1865. It served as the political and social epicenter of wartime Richmond. The White House currently holds a large number of furnishings and artifacts that were in the house with the Davis family. All of the remaining items are original to the period, except for the textiles which are reproductions based on original fabrics or period patterns. All tours are guided. The White House of the Confederacy will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 1201 East Clay Street in Richmond. Time Travelers Passport Holders will only receive free admission to the White House of the Confederacy house tour. The American Civil War Museum’s entrance fee is $10 and will not be free for the promotional weekend.

For more information, call 804.649.1861 or visit acwm.org.

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The Valentine & The 1812 Wickham House

The Wickham House, built in 1812, is a spectacular example of 19th-century Federal architecture and displays some of the country’s finest examples of interior decorative painting. Listed as a National Historic Landmark, the Wickham House, built by John and Elizabeth Wickham, illustrates the lives of one of Richmond’s most prominent families. The Wickham House was purchased by Mann Valentine, Jr., and in 1898 became the first home of the Valentine Museum. It is managed and operated by the Valentine. All tours are guided. The Valentine and the 1812 Wickham House will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 1015 East Clay Street in Richmond. The Valentine’s current exhibitions, Valentine Garden, Edward V. Valentine Sculpture Studio and the Valentine Store will be open as well.

For more information, call 804.649.0711 or visit thevalentine.org.

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Wilton House Museum

Experience the centuries-long history of Wilton House through the contemporary ceramic artwork of Michelle Erickson in our featured exhibition, You & i are. . .Earth. Displayed throughout the historic interiors of Wilton, Erickson’s works both complicate and complement the varied history of the site while commenting on the concerns of today. Long-recognized for the quality of its mid-eighteenth century paneling, collection of Southern-made furniture, and inspired story of historic preservation, Wilton House Museum’s current contemporary art exhibition is the perfect opportunity to return or enjoy a first time visit to this historic landmark. Wilton House Museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 215 S. Wilton Rd.

For more information, call 804.282.5936, or visit wiltonhousemuseum.org.