The People, Places, and Things of Montgomery County, Virginia

FAIN: PY-234429-16

Montgomery County Museum and Lewis Miller Art Center (Christiansburg, VA 24073-3537)
Samantha Parish (Project Director: June 2015 to December 2016)

Three community digitization events held at the Montgomery-Floyd Library, the Newman Library at Virginia Tech, and the Montgomery Museum in Christiansburg, soliciting privately held resources documenting the history and culture of Southwestern Virginia. The final event would coincide with the museum’s yearly Heritage Day celebration and feature a presentation to interpret selected objects contributed at the events. The digitization events would also provide community members with information on the basic care of their cultural objects. Archival preservation materials would be available to attendees to protect fragile ephemera, documents, and photos. This project would involve multiple community partners including staff and students from the University Libraries at Virginia Tech.

Exploring the intersections between material culture, family and community forms the basis of “The People, Places, and Things of Montgomery County, Virginia,” a cultural heritage project focusing on preserving local history. The utilization of objects in this project to spur memories will allow public opportunities of camaraderie and reflection, resulting in successful educational and collaborative community efforts. These free events will aid in adding valuable information to our historical knowledge base by examining historical and communal connections from within family heirlooms, photos and documents. An introductory lecture followed by two, day long events of digital documentation of personal objects will conclude with a session facilitated by a public historian providing commentary on selected items brought in by the public. Participants will be given a free digital copy of their object, and the opportunity to include those items on a public website dedicated to the project.