VA250 Mobile Museum Experience launches with ‘A Salute to Southwest Virginia’
January 18 event also commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Fincastle Resolutions.
RICHMOND, VA – Revolution rolls into Roanoke January 18 when Virginia’s new mobile history museum makes its statewide debut at “A Salute to Southwest Virginia: 250th Anniversary of the Fincastle Resolutions,” an event commemorating the pivotal role Southwest Virginia played in America’s founding.
The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) Mobile Museum Experience will bring the spirit of the American Revolution to schools and communities across the Commonwealth through interactive exhibits, engaging storytelling, and innovative technology. The traveling museum, housed in an expandable tractor trailer, will showcase Virginia’s vital role in the fight for independence and inspire future generations.
The January 18th event will also feature:
- Fincastle Resolutions Commemoration: A special program will honor the 15 courageous frontiersmen who signed the Fincastle Resolutions in 1775, marking the first time Americans declared that independence was a cause for which they were willing to give their lives, a sentiment famously echoed two months later by Patrick Henry.
- “VA250 Fanfare”: A dynamic new musical composition by Broadway Music Director and Arranger David Chase, performed by the brass and drum ensemble from the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
- Special Exhibits: Explore new exhibits that delve into the history of Southwest Virginia and its contributions to the American Revolution.
“The Fincastle Resolutions represent the unwavering spirit of liberty that has always defined Southwest Virginia,” said VA250 Executive Director Cheryl Wilson. “This event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this historic milestone and showcase the innovative VA250 Mobile Museum Experience that will bring the story of the American Revolution to life for Virginians of all ages.”
The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience is provided free of cost and designed to appeal to a wide audience, including families, students, history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about Virginia’s role in the American Revolution. It will be in Roanoke through January 24, followed by Floyd County High School January 29, and Greensville County Schools February 4. Future stops (subject to change) are listed on the museum’s schedule.
Beginning at 10:30 am in Wytheville, there will be a short history of the Fincastle Resolutions by Michael Gillman, Manager of Historic Sites/Homestead Museum Operations for the Town of Wytheville Department of Museums.
The kitchen house at The Homestead was converted into the Fincastle Courthouse and a recent re-enactment of the January 20, 1775, signing of the Fincastle Resolutions was filmed by Blue Ridge PBS and PBS Appalachia Virginia as part of the upcoming documentary: “Resolved to Live and Die: The Revolutionary Roots of Southwest Virginia.”
After a reading of the Fincastle Resolutions in the converted kitchen house, staff and visitors will be traveling to Hotel Roanoke for the 2 pm commemoration of this important moment in the history of Southwest Virginia. A procession will travel up Shenandoah Avenue to the steps of the Roanoke History Museum where remarks from VA250 National Honorary Chair Carly Fiorina will be heard. A ribbon-cutting of the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience will immediately follow the conclusion of the program.
Wytheville event details:
- Date: January 18
- Time: 10:30 am
- Location: The Homestead Museum 975 Tazewell Street, Wytheville, VA 24382
Roanoke event details:
- Title: “A Salute to Southwest Virginia: 250th Anniversary of the Fincastle Resolutions”
- Time: 2:00 pm
- Location: O. Winston Link & Roanoke History Museum 101 Shenandoah Ave NE, Roanoke, VA, 24016
- The Roanoke event will be livestreamed on VA250’s Facebook page
- Register to receive important updates
Patriotic musical performances by:
- VMI Regimental Band
- Roanoke Symphony Orchestra brass and drum ensemble
Event highlights:
- Master of Ceremonies Joe Dashiell
- Flag presentation by the Virginia SAR Color Guard
- Reenactment of William Christian delivering the Fincastle Resolutions to Williamsburg on horseback
- Dramatic reading of the Fincastle Resolutions by local students
- Keynote remarks by VA250 National Honorary Chair Carly Fiorina
- Grand opening of three new exhibits at the Roanoke History Museum
- Ribbon-cutting ceremony and official debut of the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience
- Free and family-friendly