Westmoreland County Museum

08/28/2026

These bottle seals were recovered from Nomini Plantation in Westmoreland County. Among the 15 seals discovered at the site are two dated 1686, believed to be the earliest dated bottle seals found in the United States.

Finds like these show that Westmoreland County’s history is not only locally important. It contributes to the larger story of early America. Preserving that history requires more than placing artifacts in a display case. It requires collections care, continued research, thoughtful exhibits, educational programs, and a museum that can make these discoveries accessible to the public.

The Westmoreland County Museum depends on community support to do that work. When you become a member, you help keep Westmoreland County’s history preserved, studied, and shared here in the community where it belongs.

Individual memberships begin at $50 and include early access to exhibit openings, invitations to special events, free admission to our lecture series, and museum updates. Business memberships are also available.

If this history matters to you, we invite you to become part of preserving it.

Join today: https://givebutter.com/9EjqHG

08/27/2026

Before James Monroe became the fifth president of the United States, he was a young Continental Army officer from Westmoreland County.

Born in Westmoreland County on April 28, 1758, Monroe enrolled at the College of William & Mary in 1774. As the Revolution unfolded, he left college and joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army.

On December 26, 1776, at approximately 18 years old, Monroe participated in the American attack on Trenton. During the fighting, a musket ball struck him in the shoulder and severed an artery. His wound could have been fatal, but physician John Riker intervened and stopped the bleeding.

Monroe recovered and was subsequently promoted to captain. He continued his Revolutionary service, participating in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth and spending the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge.

His experience at Trenton is one part of Westmoreland County’s extensive connection to the American Revolution. George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Arthur Lee and James Monroe each influenced the military, political or diplomatic course of the struggle for independence.

Continue exploring this history in person. Visit the Westmoreland County Museum to see our newly opened Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation exhibit and learn more about Virginia’s role in the creation of the United States.

Read the full article:
https://www.westmorelandcountymuseum.org/post/born-here-built-a-nation-westmoreland-county-and-the-american-revolution

Researching, preserving and interpreting these histories is part of the ongoing work of the Westmoreland County Museum. Become a member to support this work and help preserve Westmoreland County’s history for future generations.

08/26/2026

Last Saturday brought plenty of excitement to Old Courthouse Square in Montross as people gathered not only to enjoy live music but also to explore a special exhibit that had come to town. Part of the VA 250 celebrations, “Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation” was created by the V...

08/26/2026

August 25 marks the deaths of two women whose influence reached far beyond their own lifetimes.

Mary Ball Washington died on August 25, 1789, after a long illness now understood to have been breast cancer. Earlier that year, her eldest son, George Washington, had traveled to Fredericksburg to visit her before leaving Virginia to assume the presidency. Washington described the visit as possibly the “last Act of personal duty” he would be able to pay his mother. Mary lived long enough to see the son born at Popes Creek in Westmoreland County lead the Continental Army to independence and become the first president of the United States.

On August 25, 2026, America also lost Dolly Parton. Her influence came through music, storytelling, generosity, and a lifelong commitment to helping others. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, she established Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995. What began in her home county in Tennessee grew into an international program that placed hundreds of millions of free books into the hands of young children.

Mary Washington raised an American president. Dolly Parton encouraged generations of children to read, imagine, and believe their beginnings did not have to determine their futures. Their lives were separated by centuries, but each offers a reminder that influence is not measured only by public office or formal authority. It is also found in the people we prepare, the opportunities we create, and what we make possible for those who follow us.

Today, we remember Mrs. Washington and offer a heartfelt farewell to Dolly Parton, two women whose legacies became part of the larger American story.

Historical note: The familiar account of Mary giving George her final blessing was recorded decades later by George Washington Parke Custis. Washington’s own writing confirms the final visit, but the longer conversation should be treated as a later recollection rather than a contemporary transcript.

Photo credits: Dolly Parton, 1970s. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Mary Ball Washington. Public domain image from the Library of Congress, accessed through George Washington Birthplace National Monument, National Park Service.

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us Saturday for our Open House!

We loved welcoming so many visitors and sharing the stories that make Westmoreland County such an extraordinary part of American history. A special thank you to our musicians, food vendor, volunteers, members, community partners, sponsors, and everyone who helped make the day a success.

Don’t forget: Our raffle winners will be drawn live online today at noon! You do not have to be present to win. We will contact each winner directly after the drawing.

If you couldn’t attend the Open House, there is still time to visit. Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation will remain on display through September 26, alongside Rebellious Westmoreland, as part of our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

We hope to welcome you soon!

08/22/2026

🎟️ LAST DAY TO GET YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS!

Today is your final chance to enter the Westmoreland County Museum raffles!

We have several gift baskets packed with local goodies, gift certificates, museum favorites, and more, plus our 50/50 CASH RAFFLE!

🎁 Gift Basket Raffles
💵 50/50 Raffle — $5 per ticket

Purchase your tickets TODAY at:
📍 Westmoreland Mercantile & Museum Gift Shop
📍 Murphy Seed Supply

The winners will be drawn LIVE Monday, August 24 at NOON!

You do not have to be present to win, so stop by today and get your tickets before the raffle closes!

Thank you to all of the local businesses and community members who donated items and helped make these raffles possible. ❤️

Every ticket purchased helps support the Westmoreland County Museum and our work preserving and sharing Westmoreland County history.

🎟️ Last chance. Get your tickets today!

08/22/2026

🇺🇸 TODAY IS THE DAY!

Join us today, Saturday, August 22, from 11 AM–4 PM at the Westmoreland County Museum’s Historic Courthouse for our Give Me Liberty Open House!

Come spend the afternoon celebrating the people, places, and stories that helped shape our nation, right here in Westmoreland County.

🎶 Live music from Chauncey Fortune and ALE
🥪 Aimee’s Sandwiches
🎟️ Raffles, including our 50/50, gift baskets, and Inn at Montross Weekend Getaway
🏛️ Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation
📚 Museum exhibits and local history
🤝 Special guests and community partners
🛍️ Visit the Westmoreland Mercantile & Museum Gift Shop
❤️ Membership opportunities and ways to support WCM

We’ll also be joined by friends from the James Monroe Birthplace & Boyhood Home, Westmoreland State Park, Menokin, the John Dos Passos Institute, and Daisy Howard-Douglas.

🌧️ Rain or shine! We have tents and indoor spaces ready, so don’t let a little Virginia weather keep you away.

📍 43 Court Square, Montross, VA
⏰ 11 AM–4 PM TODAY
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION

Bring your family. Bring your friends. Come celebrate 250 years of Virginia history and Westmoreland County’s extraordinary place in the American story.

See you at the Courthouse! 🇺🇸

08/21/2026

This weekend, a traveling exhibition exploring Virginia’s role in the founding of our nation and the American Revolution will be setting up at the Westmoreland County Museum as another part of the celebration of 250 years of American history.