Historical Societies Near Me in Wake

Mission:

Inspiring Virginians to enrich their lives through science.

About Us:

Gone are the days when science sat idle in a textbook. Since its founding by the Virginia General Assembly in 1970, the Science Museum of Virginia has brought learning to life with hundreds of experiential exhibits, awe-inspiring artifacts, and interactive technologies.

The Science Museum of Virginia is a place that incites inquiry and cultivates curiosity. We feature permanent exhibitions on space, health, electricity, and the earth - to name a few - and we host visiting exhibitions from around the world.

The Museum is proud to house a theater company, a 30 ton moveable kugel ball, a Foucault Pendulum, and a variety of live animals  - including our own rat basketball team! Our Dome theater is the largest screen in Virginia, creating the ultimate immersive experience.

We are the premier center for hands-on science education in Virginia, and we invite you to join us for presentations, interactive educational programs, summer camps, overnight adventures, and more. 

Going green is important to us. The Museum is discovering new methods of protecting and enhancing the environment through the science of sustainability. We are continually committed to finding new ways of illustrating green science, and hope that you’ll experience our environmental exhibits during your next visit.

Mission Statement:

VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all.

Opened to the public in 1981, Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park presents programs, events, and exhibits on the cultures which have influenced the history of Henrico County, Virginia. Historical interpreters provide insight into the lives of the Native Americans, African Americans, and several generations of the Shepperd family who have called the lands of Meadow Farm home. On selected weekends, focused history programs are offered for various ages. Tours of the historic 1810 farmhouse are offered throughout the year. Meadow Farm also features farm animals who enhance the experience at this living historical site.

The County of Henrico and the Division of Recreation and Parks are also committed to sharing the complete history of all our historic properties. For 40 years we have presented the story of the Sheppard family at Meadow Farm from 1713 to 1980. In fall 2021, and in an effort to honor all the inhabitants of the land at Crump Park, we rededicated the modern building on the grounds the “Parsons Community Center” named for the family of enslaved workers associated with the Sheppard family from 1809 to 1939.

In three new permanent exhibits staff has researched and curated the three important stories previously told only through individual programs. The story of the Native Americans who traversed the land for centuries prior to English settlement. The story of Gabriel, whose narrative was impacted by the actions of two Sheppard family slaves and whose rebellion changed laws governing enslaved individuals throughout the state. Finally, the story of the Parsons family as their lives were intertwined with the Sheppard family for three generations.

OUR VISION & VALUES

The National Museum of the United States Army preserves and honors the accomplishments, sacrifices and commitment of American Soldiers. As America’s Army Museum we are home to all Soldiers: past, present and future.

The National Museum of the United States Army mirrors the seven core values of our Army and Soldiers.

Loyalty
Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, and our Soldiers.

Duty
We fulfill our obligation to provide America and the international community with the comprehensive story of our Army.

Respect
We treat our visitors with respect and dignity.

Selfless Service
We share the incredible stories of selfless service and sacrifice of our Soldiers.

Honor
We pay tribute to our Soldiers who have made honor a matter of daily living and highlight the stories of Soldiers who have received our nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor.

Integrity
The National Museum ensures that our actions are right, legal and moral.

Personal Courage
The National Museum will tell the stories that are hard and at times controversial. We explore these with our visitors freely and without fear.

About:

The Army National Military Cemeteries, consisting of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia and Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army. The Secretary of the Army consolidated authorities and created the Executive Director position to effectively and efficiently develop, operate, manage and administer the program.

Arlington National Cemetery conducts between 27 and 30 funeral services each week day and between 6 and 8 services on Saturday. The grounds of Arlington National Cemetery honor those who have served our nation by providing a sense of beauty and peace for our guests. The rolling green hills are dotted with trees that are hundreds of years in age and complement the gardens found throughout the 624 acres of the cemetery. This impressive landscape serves as a tribute to the service and sacrifice of every individual laid to rest within the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.

Mission

To enrich community life by connecting the public with contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, educational programs, and artist residencies.

Vision

To be a leading center for contemporary art in the Mid-Atlantic region, and a champion of the power of art to enhance public life.

About the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington

The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary visual arts center, was established in 1974 and has been housed since 1976 in a historic school building. Our facility includes nine exhibition galleries, working studios for twelve artists, and three classrooms. At 17,000 square feet, the museum is one of the largest non-federal venues for contemporary art in the Washington metropolitan area.

About the Building

The Clarendon Elementary School was built in 1910 to serve the growing Clarendon neighborhood. The two-story symmetrical building was designed by noted school architect Charles M. Robinson, with a central hall and four classrooms on each floor.

The school closed in 1975, and the building became home to the Arlington Arts Center in 1976. After an extensive renovation in 2005, it now boasts original Tiffany Windows. The Clarendon School is a designated Arlington County Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington is an independent non-profit organization, not a county agency. The museum holds a long-term lease with Arlington County to operate within the Clarendon School building. This valued partnership with the County provides the museum with exceptional space in which to fulfill its mission.

Mission:

The National Air and Space Museum commemorates our aviation and space heritage, educates the public, and inspires new generations of dreamers.

About Us:

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum maintains the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts, encompassing all aspects of human flight, as well as related works of art and archival materials. It operates two landmark facilities that, together, welcome more than eight million visitors a year, making it the most visited museum in the country. It also is home to the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

One Museum, Two Locations:

The Museum's two buildings house thousands of artifacts showcased in exhibitions on aviation, space exploration, and planetary science. At both of its locations, the Museum presents programs, educational activities, lectures, and performances that reflect the American spirit, and the innovation, courage, and optimism that have led to triumphs in the history, science and technology of flight. At the Museum in Washington, DC, which opened in 1976 and is located in the heart of the Smithsonian complex in Washington, DC, some of the most awe-inspiring icons of flight are on display. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located near Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, is a massive structure with open, hangar-like settings that accommodate large aircraft and spacecraft, as well as entire collections of aviation and space artifacts.

In 1860 Gordonsville's Exchange Hotel offered a welcome stopping place for weary passengers on the Virginia Central Railway. Waist-coated gentlemen and hoop-skirted ladies were treated to the sight of the hotel's handsome architecture of wide verandas and stately columns. Inside, guests received a warm greeting and gracious hospitality that was the hallmark of the South, but the leisurely pace of life belied a worsening political situation that would soon become the War Between the States.

The verdant farmlands of central Virginia became a vast battleground. In March of 1862, the Army of the Confederacy transformed the Exchange Hotel into the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital. The wounded and dying from nearby battlefields such as Cedar Mountain, Chancellorsville, Trevilian Station, Mine Run, Brandy Station, and Wilderness were brought by the train loads.

Although this was primarily a Confederate facility, the hospital treated the wounded from both sides. 26 Union soldiers died here. The year of 1864 proved to be very busy with 23,000 treated and in June alone 6,000 treated. By war's end over 70,000 men had been treated at the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital and just over 700 would be buried on its surrounding grounds.

By 1865, the Exchange Hotel had been reduced to a shadow of its former self, but the hotel flourished once again as Virginia and the United States healed, until the railroads by-passed Gordonsville, returning it to the quiet rural community of today.

In 1971, concerned citizens formed Historic Gordonsville, Inc., and rescued the Exchange Hotel from near ruin, restoring it to the historic grandeur befitting its unique past.

Today, the Exchange Hotel stands silent watch over a rich past that intertwines Civil War medicine, military actions of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the mighty railroads of Virginia. Visit this unique building and experience Gordonsville's personal history through medical, military, town, and hotel exhibits.

Mission Statement:

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation near Charlottesville, Va., was the center of his world. To understand Jefferson, one must understand Monticello; it can be seen as his autobiographical statement.

Monticello encompassed a house, an ornamental landscape, a farm, a plantation, a small mountain, and a large and diverse community. It encapsulated the interests, talents, ideals, ambitions, and realities of its creative and complex owner.

In 1923, Monticello was purchased by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a private nonprofit corporation and was opened as a public attraction in 1924. Since then, the Foundation has instituted numerous research and educational programs and major restoration and renovation projects, and Monticello has attracted more than 27 million people.

Today, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation remains committed to a twofold mission:

preservation -- to conserve, protect, and maintain Monticello in a manner which leaves it enhanced and unimpaired for future generations -- and
education -- to interpret and present Thomas Jefferson to the widest possible audiences, including scholars and the general public.
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark and the only house in the United States designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Vision Statement:

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation engages a global audience in a dialogue with Jefferson's ideas.

The Foundation seeks to facilitate conversations and to use its extensive research and knowledge to stimulate interactions on a variety of topics that were of keen interest to Jefferson, the most powerful of which are liberty and self government. Through virtual, off-site and on-site engagement, the Foundation seeks to excite the world about Jefferson's relevance today and ignite a passion for history.

History:

The Virginia Discovery Museum (VDM), an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is an interactive, educational museum for young children. VDM was established in 1981 to organize a group of traveling exhibits throughout Central Virginia. As the popularity of the programs increased, the Board of Directors resolved to find a permanent home for the museum in Charlottesville. Located first in a two-story house, VDM quickly outgrew its space and in 1990 moved to its current location on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. In addition to creating new exhibits, VDM established a variety of on-site educational programs and special events for children and families. As part of its commitment to the Charlottesville community, VDM also increased outreach to low-income families, expanded operating hours, forged a closer relationship with area schools and educational institutions, and participated in community-wide tourism and economic development efforts. Today, VDM welcomes visitors from across the country and across the world, but remains at its heart a local institution for the local community. 

Mission:

The Virginia Discovery Museum fosters intellectual curiosity and development for all children of our community. 

Vision:

The Virginia Discovery Museum envisions a future in which all children in our community are inspired to be lifelong learners. We seek to be a vital community resource where children from economically and culturally diverse backgrounds explore, imagine and discover together.  

Open for 50 years, this roadside attraction features over 50 dinosaurs, inviting visitors to step into the world of the prehistoric past, turning back the pages of time to the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs were the only creatures that roamed the earth.

Come visit Dinosaur Land with your kids, your friends or your date. Entertain yourself in our enormous gift shop, featuring gifts for the entire family and of course lots of dinosaur items!