The Smyth County Historical Society & Museum was organized in 1961 by a small group of local citizens who wanted to preserve our county’s history before valuable artifacts and information were lost. Today our collection contains thousands of objects, documents, photographs, books, and other records related to the history of Smyth County, Virginia and surrounding region. We are proud to say that every single one of the items in our collection have been donated by people who saw, and continue to see, the value of preserving local history.
Activities & Projects
Speaker Series: The Smyth County Historical Society hosts a series of 8 speaker events a year on topics of local history. For a full schedule of events, please see http://www.smythcountymuseum.org/events/
Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Marion: In partnership with the Marion Downtown, we developed a historic walking tour of Downtown Marion we call the “Marion History Experience.” The walking tour features historical information about buildings in and around the downtown area. To view a digital version of the map, please visit: http://www.smythcountymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Marion-History-Experience-Historic-Walking-Tour.pdf
Christmas At The Museum: For the holiday season, the Smyth County Historical Society & Museum hosts its annual “Christmas At The Museum” event. The event features Christmas tree displays all decorated by the community. The museum is fully decorated for the holidays and visitors can come in and vote on their favorite community decorated tree during Downtown Marion’s “Merry Marion” weekend.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Madam Russell Historical Marker: In 2023 we were able to fundraise to have a marker installed at the gravesite of Elizabeth Henry Campbell “Madam” Russell. It was brought to our attention that the information on Russell’s original stone had worn away so that it was no longer legible.
