Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum

11/01/2026

Today we will share about the ghost sign on the building on First Street. The use of the structure was for a wholesale grocery ran by Robert Rolen Moore Jr. You can barely make out the word grocery still today. The business would have been in the building most likely between 1900-1927. Moore is listed as a merchant and wholesale grocer between those years and died of a stroke in 1927. He supposedly raised some nice Thoroughbred horses too. The building by 1939 was being used as offices and storerooms for Appalachian Power as indicated by the advertisement in the County's Centennial edition of the Southwest Times. Special Thanks to our museum Chair Jeff for knowing the Moore name which helped connect the dots for this ghost sign.

10/31/2026

Following up on the previous post, the barely visible ghost sign on West Main Street was originally for Umberger and Son. We know this from an old post card dated 1908 which shows the painted sign and store front sign as well. And the building is listed as dating to the late 1890s in the historic registry. More research should reveal what type of business Umberger & Son offered. A later business on Alum Spring Road was ran by Carlos Kent Umberger as a grocery, but he was born in 1908 so not sure of the exact connection to the business on Main Street. Please share if you know additional information.

10/30/2026

So we went ghost hunting and wanted to share some familiar and overlooked ones in Pulaski. And to clarify, it was ghost signs from the 1880-1950s that we were in search of. We will share more about each in later posts but thought you might enjoy seeing the collection so far.

10/24/2026

The Crossfires of Maryland Fall Cruise is here in the New River Valley. They are staying at the Jackson Park Inn and have been soaking in the culture of Southwest Virginia. They have visited Hillsville, Wytheville, Floyd, and of course Pulaski. This morning we meet them early for a tour of the museum before they start another adventure today. This was a very entertaining and engaging group and we are so happy they stopped by to spend some time learning about the history of Pulaski. Please come back and see us again.

09/19/2026

Our friends at the Norfolk & Western Historical Society shared the attached photos of Big Spring Mill. These are wonderful images. And the NRV is so happy that the mill is back up and operational, thanks in part to David Hagan. If you would like to learn more about Big Spring Mill, railroad history, or any of the rich heritage of Eastern Montgomery County, please plan a visit to Meadowbrook Museum. That little museum is packed with very interesting items and lots of connected history to our side of river and tracks too.
Mill pictures are from 1935.

09/12/2026

The bright green Illinois Terminal engine just flew through town heading west. That engine is moving fast but shouldn't be too hard to spot.

08/25/2026

Yippie!! We caught NS #1776 heading west through town. This one honor the Liberty Bell. This is a collection of 6 engines NS has to honor our nation's 250th Anniversary. We will keep an eagle eye out in hopes of seeing them all. But this one was exciting to see.

08/15/2026

08/08/2026

One of the new Landmark Series engines just headed through town going east. This one was the "Chicago" 8383. It features the Tuscan Red to Black fade and honors cities that are important in railroad history. The other named ones are the "Birmingham", the "Atlanta", and the "Altoona". I am not sure others are planned but they should consider a "Roanoke". Very pretty engine and nice nod to history as well.