OFFICERS

President - Rebecca Weeks
Vice President - Dick Giessler
Second Vice President - Margarent Ann Smith
Secretary - Julie Hancock
Treasurer - Karen Bingham
Historian - Carolyn Shockley
President Emeritus - Judy Blackwell
Parliamentarian-Effie K. Brown
 

Membership:

$15.00 annually

Mail to:
The Floyd County Historical Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 292
Floyd, VA 24091

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FLOYD COUNTY 175th ANNIVERSARY

Floyd County will be celebrating its 175th birthday on January 15, 2006.
In addition to Jan. 15th, there will be scheduled events throughout the year - especially around the 4th of July.
The Jamestown 400th celebration is in 2007, so we expect to have additional events during 2007 also.

Several Historical Society projects are connected with these celebrations.
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In remembrance of our county’s founding, the Historical Society is promoting a postal service project, being led by the Society member, Maurice Slusher.  As part of that project local residents (both youth and adults) will have the opportunity to enter a contest where they can design a U. S. Postal Service pictorial cancellation hand stamp, marking the 175th anniversary of Floyd County.  Contest rules will be in The Floyd Press and also posted in other places around the county.  Deadline for entries is July 1, 2005.
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The Floyd County Historical Society is asking for information on Floyd County cemeteries.  Cathy Whitten, Librarian at Jessie Peterman Library and Genevieve Starkey, Treasurer of Floyd County Historical Society, are working on this project.  Please continue to send information about graveyards - the better known ones and those not so well known, or forgotten.  Send name of cemetery, location, surnames of persons buried there and any other information you have.  Also include a contact name and phone number for information about each cemetery.  Even if your information is incomplete, please send what you have to the address for the Historical Society.  People with a reason to be on cemetery property must be allowed access with the understanding that property will be respected while there - farm gates closed, etc.  And if property owners are nearby, it's always considerate to tell them you are there to visit the cemetery and to assure them that you will look out for their property, making sure livestock, etc., don't get out.
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The Floyd County Historical Society is trying to reach out to Floyd natives who now live in other places.  If you would like to be on a mailing list to learn about activities planned for 2006,

please send your name and address to:

Floyd County Historical Society
PO Box 292
Floyd, VA 24091

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Floyd County Historical Society Fund Raiser

A photographic project called "Windows of the Past: Historic Photographs of Floyd County, Virginia"

We are selling three 11 x 14 size historical prints.

     1.  1956 view of Buffalo Mountain.

     2.  Main Street Floyd, circa 1920.

     3.  The Hotel Brame, circa 1912.

Enclosed with each print is a brief written history.

Each print costs $20.00 and shipping will be provided for an extra $5.00
Please send check or money order to:

Floyd County Historical Society, Inc.
              P. O. Box 292
              Floyd, VA 24091

Profits from the sale of prints will be used to help develop a museum at the Ridgemont - Williams House, which was a former hospital and private residence.
 

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MEETINGS

The Floyd County Historical Society meets on the 2nd Saturday of odd numbered months (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, and Nov) and meetings begin at 1 pm..Our  meetings usually take place at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library in Floyd. For more information, write the Historical Society at P.O. Box 292, Floyd, VA  24091
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Saturday, November 11, 2006, 1:00 pm
Guest speakers will be Effie Brown and Bill Gardner

As part of our celebration this year, Effie Brown and Bill Gardner will speak about the Historical Society's  30-year history. Mrs. Brown and Mr. Gardner helped start the Historical Society in 1976 as a tribute to the Bicentennial. In addition to their talks on November 11th, we will have some other activities that day, in celebration of 30 years. More about this later.
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NEXT MEETING
Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006, 1:00 pm
Guest speaker will be Richard J. Wood.

Many of you are familiar with Dr. Amos Wood’s book Floyd County: A History of Its People and Places.  Well, his son, Richard J. Wood, arranged for Dr. Wood’s research to be published posthumously in 1981.  Mr. Wood will be making the trip from Bluefield, West Virginia, and will talk about the book on September 9th and how it came to be. He will also talk about the Wood family. Along with Mr. Wood, we’re hoping Ann Swain Bailey will be with us that day. She and Marguerite Tise helped make Dr. Wood’s book a reality too.
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Jan. 14, 2006
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Dick Giessler will speak about Floyd County’s famous native son, Robley Evans
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Nov. 12, 2005
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Doug Belcher will speak about the Cherokee and other Native People of this area.
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Sept. 10, 2005
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Dr. Ralph H. Lutts will speak about the history of the American chestnut in this area.  Dr. Lutts  is on the faculty at Goddard College in Vermont but lives at Meadows of Dan.
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July 9, 2005
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Speaker Tom Perry Tom will speak about JEB Stuart
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May 14, 2005
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Speaker - Margaret Smith
Margaret will speak about Jacob B. Wickman, her great great uncle, who was born in Floyd Coutny and fought in the Civil War.  She will tell about a letter he wrote home during the Civil War and how that letter helped her to learn about him.
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March 12, 2005
Jessie Peterman Library in Floyd
Cancelled Because of Weather

            The next meeting of the Floyd County Historical Society will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2005, at 1:00 p.m. at the Jessie Peterman Library. Guest speaker will be Ellen Brown, curator at Glencoe in Radford.  Glencoe was built about 1875 and  is the restored home of Confederate General Gabriel Wharton. In addition to speaking about Glencoe and its history, Ms. Brown will talk about how to start a museum – a subject that is foremost in thought here as steps are taken to develop the Ridgemont-Williams property into a museum.

A business meeting will follow Ms. Brown’s talk and several upcoming projects will be discussed. These include a living-history writing project for 6th graders in the county. Visitors of all ages are  welcome at meetings, as are new members. For those interested in becoming members, annual membership dues are $15. For information, call 745-6555.

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Walking Tour Brochure added 10-15-06

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Updated June 12, 2008
Rena Worthen