Wythe County Historical Society

05/15/2026

Step back to the summer of 1950, when fear silenced the streets of Wytheville, Virginia. Told through powerful firsthand accounts and rare archival footage, this documentary reveals how one small town became the epicenter of one of America's worst polio outbreaks. Families barricaded their doors, ch...

05/11/2026

A temporary exhibit on “Longrifle Culture of Wythe County” is now open at the Wythe County Decorative Arts Museum at The Homestead. Featured are longrifles from the Shaffer family shop in Wythe County. The Museum, located at 1125 Tazewell Street in Wytheville, is open Wednesday- Friday from 10 AM - 4 PM.

05/11/2026

This week is Police Week and May 15th is recognized as National Peace Officer Memorial Day.

We will celebrate our officers and mourn all those that have given their lives in the line of duty.

Wytheville has had one Police Chief, two Police Officers, and one Deputy Sheriff killed in the line of duty within our corporate limits.

Tuesday through Friday, we will highlight one officer each day.
These four law enforcement officers are memorialized in the Wytheville Police, Fire, and Rescue Museum located in the Wytheville Visitors Center 975 Tazewell Street.
Open seven days a week 9:00am to 4:30pm, free of charge.

05/04/2026

04/28/2026

Two weeks ago, pictures of Main Street views from an 1890 promotional brochure were posted and the response and interaction were a wonderful surprise. There was discussion about the views being from NY and not Wytheville and I wanted to attempt to clear up the confusion.

THE WYTHEVILLE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY had SOUTH PUBLISHING CO., ENGRAVERS & PRINTERS, from 76 Park Place, New York print the promotional brochures and if you look closely you will see the original photographer shown in white script was "Noel" who was a photographer here in Wytheville by the name of Walter Noel around the time this brochure was printed.

On another note, the publishing company of these brochures along with several other businesses were located in the five-story Taylor Building at 76 Park Place that during the evening hours of Saturday, August 22, 1891, became the scene of an historic explosive disaster that killed 61 people and would forevermore be known as The Park Place Disaster.

Following are photos of the entire brochure (from our collection) and photos of a HARPERS WEEKLY article discussing the disaster which came from: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000020243340&view=1up&seq=170

04/15/2026

04/14/2026

Get your copy of the documentary, "Resolved To Live and Die: The Revolutionary Roots of Southwest Virginia" - produced by Blue Ridge PBS and PBS Appalachia. DVDs are now available for $20 (plus tax) in The Museum Shop, located within the Thomas J. Boyd Museum, 295 Tazewell Street. The museum is open Wednesday-Friday from 10-4 (closed 1-2 for lunch).
The documentary was produced in partnership with the Wythe County Decorative Arts Museum at The Homestead and the Wilderness Road Regional Museum. The Town of Wytheville Museums are also sponsors, along with Visit Wytheville and Wytheville Community College.

04/14/2026

View of West End, Camp Jackson Area. Photocopy of photograph in land sale promotional booklet, "Wytheville, Virginia," 1986.06.0009.001. Shows homes and industries in Wytheville circa 1890. Heavily wooded area with dirt streets. Looking west from Main Street or Spring Street. building on left is Wytheville Woolen Mills, later Betterway Laundry. The larger house on the right center was a tavern on the Great Road.