Window into the past

THE FIRST FRONTIER

Once at the edge of American civilization, Virginia’s past is preserved in the Shenandoah Valley

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY ADAM CULLER

The museum’s 1820s American farm exhibit gives visitors an idea of what life was like in the 19th century.

Tucked away on 200 acres of land near the intersection of Interstates 64 and 81 in Staunton, the Frontier Culture Museum is a window into Virginia’s past.

Eleven exhibits capture specific moments in history, interpreting the cultural heritage of America’s indigenous inhabitants and early immigrants. The displays include depictions of Old World settlements in England, Germany, Ireland and West Africa, and snapshots of how the cultures blended together in the New World with the inclusion of Native Americans.

“Each of the exhibits interprets living history,” said Joe Herget, director of marketing for the museum. “When you put all of them together, it forms a fantastic picture of the evolution of American culture and how it came into being. The museum provides the opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of this history, and telling the stories of those cultures is vital.”

The museum opened in 1988 with the mission to teach the elements of a culture that developed from westward expansion into the Shenandoah Valley— once America’s final frontier. Today, visitors can wander the grounds and witness the traditions of the prominent cultures that settled in Colonial Virginia.

Museum interpreters paint a portrait of life in the Old and New Worlds and describe the motivation that led populations to immigrate—willingly or unwillingly—to America. Homesteading for a living upon their arrival, colonists worked tirelessly and adopted cultural practices from neighboring immigrant communities to survive early struggles on the frontier.

Museumgoers can relate to the early settlers who farmed to provide for their families and worked to pay off debt to landowners.

“I think it’s interesting for folks to see that things weren’t so different then than how they are today,” said Sally Landes, one of the museum’s historical interpreters. “It’s neat for them to discover our roots, because without them, we wouldn’t be who we are or where we are today.”

Landes, who has worked at the museum for 19 years, tends the 1600s English farm exhibit. She cultivates one-eighth of an acre, mainly growing root vegetables that would have sustained a family in the 17th century, as well as the herbs that were used for medicine.

With seven functioning farms on display, agriculture is at the forefront of the Frontier Culture Museum.

“It’s critical to connect people to the past, and that’s what we’re here for,” Landes said. “Farming is important, because if we don’t support farmers and have everything in place, we’re going to be in trouble. And I think the museum shows the continuum of farming through the years, and you can see that they’ve always found a way to feed their families, neighbors and countries.”

Clockwise from top: Primitive tools and wares on display at the 1700s Ganatastwi (American Indian) farm exhibit; AJ Graham, the Frontier Culture Museum’s head blacksmith, demonstrates the technique at the 1700s Irish forge exhibit; and wigwams are characteristic of dwellings used by Eastern Woodland tribes indigenous to the Shenandoah Valley in the 1700s.

plan your visit

Staunton

Frontier Culture Museum

The Frontier Culture Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Nov. 30, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Dec. 1, 2020, through March 8, 2021.

Guided tours of the museum are available on the hour throughout the day.

General admission is $12 for adults, $11.50 for seniors, $11 for students ages 13 and over, $7 for children ages 6-12, and children under 6 are admitted for free.

Annual passes begin at $35, and groups of 15 or more may contact the museum for special group rates.

For more information, visit frontiermuseum.org or call 540-332-7850.

Multicultural contributions on display

Of the collective stories told about America’s roots at the Frontier Culture Museum, not all are uplifting—but they are historically significant.

Among the museum’s 11 exhibits, two display the living and working environments of West African and Native American civilizations before their lives were upended by European colonialists.

Staying true to an educational mission to depict the past accurately, the museum doesn’t shy away from portraying the darker side of Virginia’s past.

“Some stories, obviously, were very unfair, and the way things happened with indigenous populations and the slave population was horrendous,” said Joe Herget, director of marketing for the museum. “They’re important stories that have to be told from the standpoint of their historical importance to help people understand what our past is and how it relates to the issues we have today.”

Interpreters at Ganatastwi—a depiction of a Native American village in the 1700s—educate visitors on the impact colonization had on Eastern Woodland indigenous tribes. Daily activities demonstrate a way of life that has all but disappeared in the 400-plus years since colonists first encountered Native Americans.

The vibrancy of African heritage is on full display at the 1700s West African exhibit, often the first stop for many museumgoers. Here, interpreters teach visitors about aspects of West African culture that have been adopted into modern American culture, such as food, music and worship.

Interpreters also detail the agricultural expertise offered by enslaved laborers that frequently resulted in the economic success of white settlers.

“These cultures made significant contributions from an ideologic and cultural standpoint, but they also made incredible sacrifices in terms of what they gave up to help build American culture,” Herget said.