Members and friends of the Botetourt County Historical Society gathered on April 29 for their annual meeting at the VFW Post 1841 building in Daleville. John Rader, resident of the organization, conducted the meeting. County Supervisor Steve Clinton led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes from the 2020 annual meeting were read by Acting Secretary Susan Hays and the 2020 financial statement was presented by Treasurer Weldon Martin. Directors were elected for the upcoming year.
Lynsey Allie, the new executive director, introduced herself to the group. A native of Botetourt County, she is a graduate of Lord Botetourt High School and Roanoke College, and has a master’s degree in Archival Studies through Clayton State University. A certified archivist, she is also the manager of the History Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke. That museum has just opened the exhibit “Botetourt County: 250 +1 Years of Delight,” an exhibit tracing the history of Botetourt through its decorative arts, which features more than 300 items on loan from museums and private collectors spanning the United States. She encouraged all members to come view this extensive exhibit which will be on display through November 2.
Several committee reports were given. The artifacts committee reported that the little book, “A Manual of Religious Instruction, specially intended for the oral teaching of Colored Persons,” published in 1857, received a $250 grant toward its conservation. T
he Sestercentennial Anniversary Committee will be presenting a 250th anniversary plaque to the county at the Fincastle Festival on September 18; the committee is also planning a gala at the Blue Ridge Vineyard on October 10.
The Heritage Park Planning Committee is selling bricks that can be engraved with names; the bricks will be displayed in the form of a patio and walkways throughout Historic Greenfield.
The museum will need to be temporarily relocated during the renovation of the courthouse and members are working with county officials on this process.
The program was presented by Weldon Martin, the former executive director. In celebration of Botetourt County’s 250th anniversary, Martin gave a talk on General James Breckinridge, “Soldier, Lawyer, Politician & Planter.” Breckinridge was one of Botetourt County’s earliest residents. When his father died, he was mentored by his uncle, Colonel William Preston. He studied law under George Wythe at the College of William and Mary and became a lawyer and politician who served in both the Virginia House of Delegates and in the U.S. House of Representatives. A friend of Thomas Jefferson, he served on the commission that established the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Breckinridge owned a large amount of land north of Fincastle where he built his home, Grove Hill.
The Botetourt County Historical Museum currently houses the original Breckinridge Law Office. In his book “Seed-Bed of the Republic,” R.D. Stoner referred to James Breckinridge as having “…honor, industry and patriotism…a mighty oak of Botetourt.”
For more information on this museum located in Fincastle, visit https://bothistsoc.wordpress.com.
