Greene County Historical Society

06/01/2026

GCHS will be closed on June 6th as we'll have a booth setup in Stanardsville for the Black Bear Festival.

05/14/2026

Join us for a hands-on sustainability class hosted by the Upper Mattaponi Tribe’s Agriculture & Environmental Departments 🌱

Learn how to turn invasive blue catfish into nutrient-rich fertilizer, supporting our gardens while helping manage local ecosystems. The session will include a live, step-by-step demonstration by Carrie Fox.

This incredible experience is open to tribal members and the public however spots are limited to 25 participants, so be sure to reserve yours early!

✅ RSVP by June 22, 2026 to [email protected]
📍 Upper Mattaponi Tribal Grounds - 13746 King William Road, King William, VA
🕓 4:00 to 6:00 PM

Come learn, connect, and grow with us 🌿

05/11/2026

More than 300 books, genealogical binders, and pamphlets on Greene County history, along with profiles of local residents, have been inventoried and rearranged at the museum's revamped Reading Room.

The public can now better access and enjoy this vast collection of local family histories and the background of Greene County activities for more than 188 years.
The wide collection of materials is cataloged and easy to find with a shelving list and accompanying shelf markers, ranging from the Revolutionary War up through recent events.

The Reading Room is open during museum hours, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Books cannot be removed from the premises, but even an easy chair welcomes guests to the new space.

05/03/2026

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!

For The Greene County Historical Society Annual Meeting on Sunday May 17 at 4pm our location has changed from the Court House to Stanardsville United Methodist Church across the street.

04/18/2026

We had a fun day at the Earth Day celebration at the Greene County Historical Society today. Here are some some quick pics as people were setting up today. Not sure of everyone’s names so If you recognize someone in the pictures feel free to tag them or let us know. Several people, both children and adults, seemed to enjoy the Animal
Alphabet Challenge and talking to local
Author Scott Haas in the gallery space today. A special Thank You goes out to all workers and artists who made todays event a success.
👍👏🏻🥰

04/18/2026

Earth Day is tomorrow!!! Members of the Art Guild of Greene, along with Virginia Master Naturalists, Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Cooperative Extension & 4-H (Greene County), Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and Greene County Historical Society will be holding an interactive event for all ages on the grounds of the Greene County Historical Society - 360 Main Street, Stanardsville.

04/08/2026

GCHS hosted the Greene County Chamber of Commerce breakfast this morning.

02/15/2026

The Rock and the Clock part 2
As well as wondering why the picture depicting winter at the bottom right of the clock is of a duel, you might ask what it all has to do with the Olympics? In the Olympic sport of curling, competitors slide large (average weight 44 pounds) round rocks down the ice, aiming for their ‘home’ and trying to dislodge the stones of their competitors. Every single Olympic curling stone is cut, ground, polished and assembled in that same town of Mauchline, harvested from the unique granite found just off the Scottish coast on the island of Ailsa Craig – and nowhere else in the world. The company KaysCurling has been making curling stones in Mauchline since the time when Mr. Ferguson was making his clocks.

See below for a nice article from the BBC with lots of photos – although the Scottish accents might be a little tricky for some.

A small Ayrshire business crafts curling stones by hand using rock found on an island off Scotland’s west coast.

02/15/2026

A Clock and a Rock.
What connects the Greene County Historical Society to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan?
Our answer is the beautiful 19th century tall case clock in the main room of our Museum, given to us by the heirs of Jon Beverly Whitlock. Its believed to have been purchased by Ivy Bickers in the early part of the 20th century. The family (daughter and sons of Blanche Whitlock) remember the clock being in the North East corner of the living room, where the corner cupboard now stands. The maker’s name is written on the clock face - “M. Ferguson” of Mauchline in Ayrshire, Scotland. Mr. Ferguson was one of many clockmakers working in Mauchline in the 18th and 19th centuries.

01/31/2026

As you can imagine, we are closed until the temperature gets above freezing for a while! We have drained the water in the museum and gallery to make sure the pipes don't freeze. There is snowcrete - yes, that is a word - in so many places that we will just wait it out. Forecast says it will be warmer next week, but still be down in the teens at night. Watch this space, and stay warm and safe!