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Home » In the Children’s Gallery

In the Children’s Gallery

Stay Tuned!

Alexander Black House
204 Draper Rd. SW
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm

St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall
203 Gilbert Street
Open by Appointment

Phone: 540-443-1600
Email: info@blacksburghistory.org

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

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While researching for our exhibit redesign at the

While researching for our exhibit redesign at the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, we came across yet another artifact that belonged to Nettie Anderson (1889-1980) of New Town!

This 1924 Atlas of the World and Gazetteer was copyrighted in 1917 and displays an entirely different world than what we know today. If you’d like to come see what that world looked like, stop by the museum and take a look this artifact that once belonged to the wonderful Nettie Anderson!

ps. The Alexander Black House is closed today, September 19 for our annual Blues, Brews, and BBQ at St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall. Come out to 203 Gilbert Street to see progress on the restoration, and enjoy some blues, brews, and bbq!

We had a wonderful time last week with author @kat

We had a wonderful time last week with author @kathleencurtiswilson where she discussed her debut novel “The Fabric of Wishful Thinking”!

If you liked this author talk, stay tuned for more programming!

Thank you to everyone who came out!

Lady D & Mi$$ion, another music legend, is joining

Lady D & Mi$$ion, another music legend, is joining us again for our annual Blues, Brews & BBQ event this Saturday from 12-5 at St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall!

Lady D regularly performs as a duo with keyboard or guitar, and she has made many appearances with blues luminaries such as Bruce Katz and Johnny Rawls, but she is best known as front woman for her 4-piece band, Mi$$ion. This group of seasoned musicians easily cover several genres that make up their shows. From R&B, blues, jazz and reggae to pop and soul, as well as her own original music, Lady D & Mi$$ion hold their own on any musical line-up. Lady D & Mi$$ion have been the opening act for soul legends such as the O’Jays and Jagged Edge and performed at the Obama for Change Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC in January 2009.

We are thrilled to welcome JoJo Stockton @jojo.sto

We are thrilled to welcome JoJo Stockton @jojo.stockton.3 back to our annual Blues, Brews & BBQ this Saturday! JoJo has opened for several Grammy-nominated artists at venues such as the Harvester Performance Center, The Cove, The Taubman, The Moss Center, 5 Points Sanctuary and the Bower Center. Corey “lil pop” Ledet, “TAZ” Brandon Niederauer, Delbert McClinton, Adrian Crutchfield, Cedrick Burnside, Rueben Studdard, Eric Gales, and Christone Kingfish Ingram are among the artist he’s performed with or opened for. The list of local artists he’s jammed with is way too long to list, and we are glad to be included in his busy schedule!

This journal belonged to Nettie Anderson (1889-198

This journal belonged to Nettie Anderson (1889-1980) of New Town, a historically segregated neighborhood in Blacksburg, Virginia. Nettie Anderson was an educator in Montgomery County Schools and a long time Blacksburg resident.

Nettie used this journal as a way to keep in touch with her classmates, from a university that her classmates colloquially called “The Force”, or what we believe to have been Wilberforce University. Wilberforce University is a historically black university in Ohio, founded before the Civil War.

So far, this journal is the only artifact in our archives that suggests where Nettie may have studied. However, we are actively researching every day to find more information about the people of New Town. We can’t wait to show you more of what we find!

Make sure to stop by and take a look at this gem!

When our team first saw @seedpickermusic after one

When our team first saw @seedpickermusic after one of our art opening receptions, we knew we had to try our best to get them to play Blues, Brews & BBQ. To our absolute delight, they said yes, and we are very excited to welcome them to this year's stage! They will be playing from 2-3pm during the festival at St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall.

Seedpicker is a blues-based rock and soul outfit whose goal is to get audiences moving and grooving! Since the release of Virginia Rhapsody in 2020 (available on all streaming platforms), the band has continued to write original music that highlights the culture and heritage of Southwest Virginia, while covering and reimagining some of the favorites that have made music what it is today. Singer/songwriter and bassist, Marcus Morris, is backed by some of the hardest working musicians in the area, Henry Lazenby on guitar, Brian McKee on drums, as well as Kollin Elliot on sax.

We have a new chess set at the museum! This beauti

We have a new chess set at the museum! This beautiful Aztec set is crafted from marble and quartz.

We've strategically placed the set in our game board nook for you all to use, so find your greatest opponent and come play a game!

Make sure to stop by to view the Blacksburg Region

Make sure to stop by to view the Blacksburg Regional Art Association's theme show "We the People" before the show ends on Friday, September 18!

We wanted to take a few moments to appreciate some BMCF staff favorites, beginning with June Johnson’s "A Gathering Place".

This piece is part of a series of six works entitled "Birthplace of the Blues". Inspired by the rich musical traditions of the Mississippi Delta Blues, the series beautifully depicts the profound influence of the Blues and its significance within Black American culture.

We’re proud to celebrate the stories, traditions, and artistic expressions that continue to shape and enrich our culture. A heartfelt thank you to June Johnson for donating this piece, along with "Front Porch Gig", for the exhibit redesign at the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall!

While these works depict a specific region and expression of Black American culture, they also beautifully represent the cultural traditions and community spirit surrounding New Town and the St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall. We’re so grateful to June for helping us bring these stories and connections to life through her art. 💙

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