This column started out as a history of the Isle of Wight County Museum, and it still is. 

But along the way, I concluded that history, for many people, is dull. What’s important is what exists today, and in the case of our museum, that’s an exciting topic, because the Isle of Wight Museum is a repository of the county’s history and culture — and much more. 

The storied Smithsonian is known as “the nation’s attic,” and local museums often become something akin to that for their communities. The Isle of Wight museum, located in the former Bank of Smithfield building at the corner of Main and Church streets, began life that way and remains, first and foremost, that repository of artifacts. A full-fledged country store, complete with rural post office, woodstove and checkerboard, remain its centerpiece, but there is so much more. Native American artifacts, Isle of Wight archaeological treasures rest alongside the world’s oldest ham — and now, the last Smithfield Ham to be cured.

But that’s where the “attic” description ends. The museum, under the direction of a talented staff and volunteers, entered the digital world some years ago — and did so enthusiastically. They began interviewing county residents about local places and things. The result is a truly remarkable double set of videos available to the world on the museum’s website. 

The two sets of videos, labeled “Behind These Walls” and “Memories and Reflections,” are worth any local resident’s time, but it’s a safe bet that only a tiny percentage of county residents know about them. They are just waiting for more people to go exploring.

So that’s a bit of what the museum now has to offer under the guidance of Director Jennifer England and Curator Rachel Popper. The museum is open seven days a week, but the online features, of course, are available around-the-clock. 

Now for history, which is itself impressive.

The museum dates its initial opening as 1976, but could just as easily be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, for it was in 1974 that the Board of Supervisors named the Isle of Wight Museum Commission, the organization responsible for collecting and displaying the museum’s initial artifacts.

The commission first met in May of that year to organize and begin its work. Bank of Smithfield executive Calvin G. Elder, who would soon serve as chairman of Isle of Wight’s Bicentennial Commission, encouraged creation of the Museum Commission. He was, in turn, named the museum’s first curator and commission chairman. 

Commission members went to work immediately, calling on county residents who might have local artifacts. They encouraged donations, but accepted loans and documented what they learned about but couldn’t acquire.

At that initial meeting, the commission also voted to use the 1750 Courthouse, then owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, as an initial location for displaying artifacts. That plan, which seems never to have materialized, was always viewed as temporary until the museum could find a more permanent home.

And that home was close by. Smithfield Foods owned the tiny Gambling House that sits alongside the colonial courthouse, and the company offered to make it available for museum exhibits. That set the stage for the museum’s official opening, which took place in November 1976.

The commission was not to be the permanent governing body of the museum. Just over a year after the museum opened, it was absorbed by the Isle of Wight Recreation Facilities Authority, which also owned the Carrollton Nike Park. That authority would be disbanded some years later and its programs, including the museum, passed to the Isle of Wight Department of Recreation.

The museum’s future direction was more fully shaped when, in 1978, the Bank of Smithfield opened a new office on Main Street (now BSV). The county acquired the bank’s previous home on the corner of Main and Church streets, and it became the museum’s permanent home in 1979. Three years later, the county acquired the Golding Department Store building adjacent to the museum, and together the two buildings would house exhibits from then until now.

The bank building provided sufficient space for the museum to create its signature display, the country store. Soon after the museum opened in the former bank, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Warren, lifelong collectors of Native American artifacts, donated their collection, which formed the basis for another popular museum exhibit. 

All went well for the museum for more than 25 years until, in October 2006, a freak rainstorm dumped up to 18 inches of rain on downtown Smithfield. The deluge flooded the Twins’ Olde Towne Cafe, The Smithfield Times and the basement of the Isle of Wight Museum.

The result was disastrous. Some documents stored in a basement bank vault were ruined, others damaged, mold quickly began growing and the museum was closed to the public. The building remained off-limits to the public for over two years while repairs were made. Fans of the museum had a difficult time understanding what took the county so long to repair the building.

Many of the museum’s artifacts were moved to a climate-controlled storage unit on the Peninsula following the flood and remain there.

The museum reopened Nov. 15, 2008.

In 2014, Isle of Wight County threatened to cut off funding for the museum, alleging that the facility uniquely benefited the town of Smithfield. The town agreed to share in the museum’s operating budget and museum staff now report to the town. 

Through floods, county and town squabbles and other challenges, the Isle of Wight Museum has not only survived. It has thrived. Today, it’s a vibrant organization that has adopted technology to open doors to our past that were not even imaginable a decade ago.

 

John Edwards is publisher emeritus of The Smithfield Times. His email address is j.branchedwards@gmail.com.