Summer 2024 Newsletter

Museum of the Streets

Thanks to the efforts of Jim Vadas and his special projects team and  the West Point Rotary Club, we have installed 15 historical markers around town. We plan to install more but our next step will be to add “QR codes” to all current markers. When these QR codes are scanned (by your phone), there will be additional information about the person or place pictured on that sign. These markers will truly become a Museum of the Streets in West Point. Look for a map coming soon.    

Remembering D-Day

On June 8 in conjunction with the VFW, we had a meeting and Bill Casterline told us the story of D-Day and especially the story of local heroes Melvin Rosson and Robert Moskalski who landed on D-Day and lost their lives. We thank Bill for all of his hard work and for a great presentation.  Here is a link to the video of that meeting. 

https://www.facebook.com/westpointheritage/videos/745373754342080

Scavenger Hunt

Young folks or older folks that visit our museum this summer may take part in an internal scavenger hunt to locate items in our exhibits. Prizes will be awarded. Stop in and have some fun while you learn about our local history.

Chesty Puller Race Day

The museum will not be open on June 22 for Chesty Puller Race Day but we will have a table with a few historical items to include a new Chesty Puller exhibit. Stop by our table and say hello to Katie Gibson. Also you can see one of our historical markers at the Puller house on First Street. 

Social Media

The Historical Society of West Point has an active presence on social media. We have an active Facebook page with over 1400 followers. We have a You Tube Channel with 28 videos. We hope that you will explore these resources and our newly designed website at https://hswpva.org/. More information is added to these sites regularly. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. 

Museum Library

Our library of history books at the museum continues to grow. If you visit the web site, you can access a listing of all current books in our library. Any of these books are available for members to use or to borrow. Check it out.  

HISTORY TIDBIT

This is a copy of a 1912 Army Corps map of the Southern Railway Terminal in West Point. Also shown are the steamship berths and some of the many warehouses. It was a busy area. Stop by our museum to see more pictures of our history and learn more about this era in the history of our town. You can also see this 1912 map. 

Expansion Plans

We are well under way with our major fundraising campaign in order to turn the “shed” behind our museum into exhibit space. Our plans are to refurbish and expand the current shed so that it will hold and display the old West Point fire pumper, the antique Model T truck from the Chelsea plantation, and several other large items that we now have in storage. We have been awarded a grant by the Cabell Foundation. It is a matching grant which means that we only get their help by matching funds that we can raise locally. Please consider helping us out with a financial donation for this major project. Thank you.