About the Museum

The Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia was founded in 1987. It is a nonprofit, donor supported institution, located on U.S. Forest Service land. It receives no government funding. The purpose of the museum is to tell the story of the people who settled the mountainous southwest corner of Virginia and how its unique culture was developed. The visitors discover this as they move through the museum's Visitor's Center, 1890's School and Farm.

The Migration Story of the people who came to these mountains in the mid-1700s is told through a series of displays in the Visitor's Center. This is a tale of two-groups, the Scotch-Irish and the Germans, who carved their farms from the wilderness and formed the mountain culture.

The restored 1894 Lindamood School is a prime example of this self-sufficient culture that created its own schools generations before the state claimed responsibility. Visitors will enjoy participating in the lessons and games of that era and hearing the story of educational development.

The Farm, with its restored farmhouse and nine outbuildings, has the look and feel of an average farm in this area 100 years ago. All these buildings have been preserved so none are reconstructed. The farm encompasses 67 of the 275 acres that was in it in 1897. The visitor will find the crops of that time and interpreters demonstrating some of the activities carried out in that period.