Ramsdell House: On the Amazing Things We Find When We Ask

There's nothing like small-town tourism -- the civic pride of community leaders, the friendly folks who like showing the way.  Always push through the "there's nothing here" and you will get to the interesting.

We recently visited the Kenova Pumpkin House, four hours away from home base.  We stayed overnight and explored the region the next day.  Someone told us about the Ramsdell House, that it was an Underground Railroad stop open infrequently but that we could drive around and spot its historic cellar.  A little GPS work and we pulled up in front of it, finding it open.

Turns out Ramsdell is a wonderful historic home, recently restored and typically open four days a week as well as by appointment.  It's got an amazing story of protection and preservation, having been a rental property and a community center and in disrepair, all in recent history.  

Most significantly, it started the town of Ceredo, begun as an abolitionist colony steps from both Confederate and Union Civil War forts.  It was an Underground Railroad stop just at the Ohio River -- freedom on the other side.  During the time since, much of the house's contents have been miraculously preserved, just locked in the attic.  There are everyday objects, papers from McKinley before his Presidency, shoe-making tools, religious leaflets from the Christian tradition,  newspapers ... all sorts of too-close-to-forgotten history now saved. And the found toys -- they are nothing short of delightful. The building was probably a house church as well as a civic center, and those in town promoted a vision of economic change and development. 

Director Deborah Wolfe, the individual responsible for coordinating much of the restoration, gave us a personal tour.  We discussed directions for future interpretation, including the link to the Native Burial Mound on which the site is situated. We have every confidence that this site is becoming a place of memory and reconciliation -- and we know its staff, including its volunteers, are willing to become your fast friends. Just read the story of the dedication.

Excitingly, traditionally African-American churches across the river are capturing the oral histories of the descendants of the formerly enslaved that made it to freedom.  There are now connections to this wonderful site -- and how powerful to know its success in such a real way. 

Things to Know

• These folks seriously want to show you treasures.  Contact them, and they will try to welcome you when it is convenient for you.  They have a Facebook page called Ramsdell House.  Do reach out -- they are still updating their web presence, and you don't want to miss out because you didn't reach out.

• Free admission, always a gift. 

• There are opportunities to purchase a small souvenir or book from their shelves reserved for such. 

For Further Exploration 

• We were inspired to find Criel Mound, another Native Burial Mound, on our West Virginia Turnpike trip back to Virginia.  It is in South Charleston, both easy to find and large by comparison. It's also in town, allowing one to reflect on its preservation. 

• If you also like to explore mound builder sites, there are others within the broader region.  We've also visited Town Creek Indian Burial Mound in North Carolina; it's interpretation gives more context from cultural geography.

• Oh, and there are Ramsdell House ghost stories.  Of course.

History's Variety: A Day in Richmond

Richmond, VA--close but far.  It's an easy drive from the Roanoke Valley, and it is a whole different place.  It's also full of treasures--multiple museums, National Parks sites, just plain interesting places. J had heard that the Virginia Historical Society was running a fun special exhibit on toys, and we had to go see what overlapping things we own or with which we played.  Really.

The Toys of the 50s, 60s, and 70s exhibit alone was worth every effort to visit.  This is a grand display of true life as it was often imagined from a Sears Wish Book, complete with period living rooms and commercials to watch.  Items on display range from Raggedy Ann dolls to Barbie Dream Houses, early Legos to lawn darts.  The interpretation makes it easy to understand changes in toys related to changes in parenting styles and popular culture overall.  In the back of the exhibit, there are a few play spaces including a Nerf ball area in a simulated garage that will remind you of the Brady Bunch backyard.  There's a modest cost ($10 per non-member adult).   We're often flattered to be asked how to help young people interact with museums and understand their relevance--it isn't hard to engage kids in conversation about personal and family history here.

The Virginia Historical Society itself is a free museum (excepting special exhibits) to visit with interesting galleries.  There's a large exhibit of Virginia's story, prehistory to the present, that includes many interesting artifacts and some interactivity.  Other exhibits focus on various firearms, silver, interesting Virginia homes, and the like.  The Landscapes of Virginia exhibit is an excellent primer on Virginia geography, too.  If you have a student in Virginia and US History (usually about 4th/5th grade), everything here is on point with the curriculum expectations.  Additionally, part of the museum was once known as the "Battle Abbey" and pays tribute to the US Civil War, including through lovingly-restored large murals.  The gift shop is splendid, featuring a good selection of academic resources as well as more popular-press histories at various price points. Our least-expensive buy, a book on Jewish history in the Commonwealth, was just $1.

After the museum visit, we took our National Parks Service Passports and went over to Tredegar Iron Works, a site at which many Civil War-era cannons were made.  Interestingly interpreted, the Iron Works is a site of American history as well as industrial history.  The interpretation includes information about Richmond, about the Civil War, and about industrialization in the region.  E completed the Junior Ranger program here to his enjoyment and at no cost.

At the Virginia Historical Society, there's free onsite parking--and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (also free) is right next door.  At Tredegar, you'll pay to park--but a pretty modest $5/day.  Just take the parking times seriously--you have to have your car out before the lot closes for the evening or pay a hefty $50 fee to have the gates opened.  If you go and do this same trip, take some snacks and eat dinner as your main meal.  We headed out to the Short Pump area for a bunch of options.

Speaking of Indulging Our Interests: Pennsylvania National Fire Museum

E wants to be a firefighter.  He adores stopping at fire stations and driving by fire stations--we even sometimes plan drives around our home city of Roanoke, Virginia, to incorporate multiple fire stations.  When we realized the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum in Harrisburg, PA, was just a short drive from Gettysburg, PA, we planned a visit.

A charming, well-kept specialty museum, the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum possesses an impressive collection of fire apparatuses, including steamers dating to the 1700s and 1800s.  The museum clearly shows the history of fire fighting in America, including the roles of horses and dogs. Displays include fire fighting-related toys and a functioning alarm headquarters, circa 1900.  On the day of our visit, specialists were working on the headquarters, and they allowed us to pull a fire alarm box, using one of the alarms boxes to trigger various communications at headquarters.    There's also a charming collection of firefighter "parade hats" from days long gone.

Upon arrival, our visit was immediately welcomed, and we received the attention we needed as we toured--but we were not "suffocated" by museum staff.  The host was knowledgeable and answered our questions, and there's a small gift shop that sells souvenirs.  If you go, note the easy, fee-free surface parking nearby, and you are just a very short drive from Whitaker Center.

The Ratcliffe: A Local History Museum That's Fun For Kids

 

If you've been exploring our blog, you know Justin and Kim will enjoy just about any type of museum, and we're raising our kids in the hope they'll be able to do the same.  Pulaski's Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum makes it simple to get kids--or anyone--interested in local history, whether or not you know much about Southwest Virginia.   The Ratcliffe's presentation is impressive, including appropriate signage and an attractive museum catalogue for sale to those interested.  If you know local history and local museums, you do not take these things for granted. 

The collection features prominent transportation-related items, most notably two antique fire engines from the town's early departments and an extremely impressive model train layout of Pulaski, VA.  The layout was crafted as a life-long hobby of a local dentist, and it was obviously a realistic model of the town, even to our first-time visitor eyes.  Most of the structures in the model are made of reused cereal and shoe boxes, and you can see professional photos of them on the museum's Facebook page.  Expect the majority of the rest of the collection to showcase Pulaski history.  There are photographs of workers from local industries, architectural components from local theatres, and signage from local stores.  For kids, there's a "train table" for play.

The museum's friendly staff welcomed us warmly and provided nifty information as we toured, even allowing Elijah to access one of the antique fire engines.   He can describe its parts, including its hand-cranked siren, quite well, and he'd be happy to give you a tour if you want to take him on your trip!  If you go, know there is a playground nearby, and it looks like a decent spot for a simple picnic.  We didn't readily find lots of other tourist stops or shops, but there are plenty of fast food outlets for lunch.