Researchers may schedule an appointment to view primary documents in the Museum’s Archives by calling the museum during hours of operation.
The Museum’s Archives include a wide range of primary documents, including letters, business records, store ledgers, family records, and legal records that date from as early as the middle years of the eighteenth century in the area of Pulaski County, Virginia. This treasury tells the story of this place and its people from the time of its founding on the American frontier through the twentieth century. Unique in scope, the Archives include documents related to early settlement, to slavery in the pre-Emancipation era, to farming during the late nineteenth century, and to the industrialization and de-industrialization of the region.
Primary documents pertaining to slavery and emancipation include records of legal proceedings, business transactions, poll tax lists, voter registration files, and lists of persons who voted in Pulaski County from the late 1800s up through the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Archival Photograph Collection includes rare photographs of Southwest Virginia communities, street scenes, public gatherings, construction work, businesses, and schools.
The Museum holdings also include letters from the front lines of the Civil War, the First World War, and the Second World War. Records of family farms in Pulaski County, spanning generations of farmers, are also available.
Nearly 15,000 primary documents are available by appointment to historians, researchers of family history, and the general public.
The Wilderness Road Regional Museum is proud to offer research opportunities for the community. However, because we depend on volunteers, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the Museum to work with our archives so that we can ensure that someone will be able to assist you. By following the three steps below, we will best be able to help you make the most of your experience!
- Download, print and fill out the Archives Log form.
- Use our Research Resources to search for the files that best pertain to your research needs, and write in the records that you would like to use for your research.
- Email your completed Archives Log form to us, and we will call you to set up an appointment.
OR
Call us at (540) 674-4835 to set up an appointment, and bring your completed Archives Log form when you come.
We look forward to your visit! Please feel free to email us for help, or call to speak with an archivist.
Available Archivists
APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED! Please call to book an appointment in advance.