Visitors from around the community and beyond were in attendance on Saturday, April 12th, as we celebrated reopening the museum following a short closure while we installed new exhibits. Patrons who have visited the museum in the past had said they would like to see items from Poquoson, and now visitors have that opportunity.

PHOTO DERIVED SKETCH OF POQUOSON MUSEUM'S OLD COUNTRY STORE EXHIBIT
What's back there? Step back in time and see, by visiting your Poquoson Museum.

The theme for one of the new exhibits is “Old Country Store”. You will be amazed to view some of the articles that were stocked in an old country store at the turn of the century.

Complementing the country store exhibit is a display of various vintage quilts, a spinning wheel, a “yarn counter” and textiles. This display also includes the museum’s “Wood Carvers Quilt”. You can read an article with a photo about this quilt on our web site. All of the items on display have been donated or loaned to the museum by the citizens of poquoson.

The museum volunteers hope you will participate in the reopening of the museum.

On July 7, 2008 Archaeological & Cultural Solutions, Inc. began an achaeological survey at the current location of the historic Tom Hunt Store. The Phase I survey consists of the excavation of a series of shovel test units on a grid pattern over the property. All soils excavated are screened through hardware mesh and artifacts are bagged and labeled by hole and layer.

George and Eva Firth recently donated a twenty foot boat built in Poquoson by Mr. Odell Carmines in the 1960's. The boat is in need of repair and will undergo an extensive restoration, after which the museum plans to put the boat on display.

Kiwanis Club President Dr. Larry Svihla presented a $500 check to Poquoson Museum past president Mrs. Tommie Turner at a recent club meeting. The generous gift will be used by the museum to promote the historical and cultural past of Poquoson.

The membership of the Poquoson Museum was presented with a resolution by the Poquoson City Council, commending it for its vision and determination in establishing a museum in the Poquoson community. The resolution was signed by all City Council members and placed on a handsome plaque.

Mayor Gordon Helsel presented the plaque on behalf of City Council, with museum president Diane Holloway accepting the resolution on behalf of the museum membership.

          ···<<< copy of the City Council Resolution >>>···

The resolution will be proudly displayed in the museum for visitors to view, an enduring appreciation and reminder of how the Council and other city departments support the museum in its mission to preserve, document, interpret and promote the history and heritage of Poquoson, and in its effort to educate and share this with the general public.

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The Poquoson Museum Gift Shop is now offering a collectable red Christmas ornament featuring the museum farm house, and dated 2007. This ornament is the first in what will be a series of collectable dated ornaments. The price on this item has been reduced to $8.00.

The Gift Shop is also offering a Brandywine model of the museum farm house. A collector's item, the detail is exact in every way, even to the old curtains in the windows. The model is selling for $15.00. We hope you will visit the museum and see these and the other items we have in stock at good prices and great quality.

Poquoson Museum happily celebrated its Grand Opening on Sunday, August 26. The event occasioned not only opening its doors, but also featured the launching of the museum's first two exhibits, and live entertainment. The museum will now be open to the public each Saturday from 10:00 until 5:00 and Sundays from 1:00 until 5:00.

On a hot morning in late August, six good samaritans from the Poquoson Kiwanis Club began painting the museum farm house foundation and front porch for the museum's Grand Opening. This prestigious group of handimen were Richard (Dick) Long, John Ambrose, Mike Stinson, Ken Wissinger, Jim Harney and Mac Crane.

Linda R. Freeman and Manfred C. Freeman, Jr. are two of the most dedicated patrons of the Poquoson Museum. Their generous gift of $50,000 has prompted the museum to name the Marsh Walk Trail as an enduring remembrance of Manfred's grandparents, Edward R. and Emma Moore Freeman.

Poquoson Museum Vice President Georgia McDaniel came up with the idea in 2003 of creating a campaign to construct a wood carver's quilt. The quilt of wood carvings has now been given form, highlighting Poquoson heritage through the techniques and talents behind its thirty carved blocks.

The construction phase is now underway in developing the Poquoson Museum's "Marsh Walk". You can view background information and check on it's progress here. We hope to provide more photos as development continues.

Much work and progeress took place during 2006 on the renovation of Miss Becky's Store, a circa 1930 building that became one of Poquoson's more well-known twentieth century landmarks. The original article on the renovation project has been updated with photos of the store taken both before and after the renovation work. Have a look.

Robert Holloway (L) and Cliff Coffman recently signed an agreement creating an important partnership between the Poquoson Historical Commission and the Poquoson Museum. The partnership is certain to enhance the efforts of both groups to research, document and preserve the history and cultural heritage of Poquoson, Virginia.

The museum plans to rehabilitate the building back to its 1930's appearance. The building is seen here being moved to its new location on the future marsh walk trail at the museum campus.