Nelson County Historical Society
Welcome to the Nelson County
Historical Society!
 
We invite you to join Nelson County Historical Society. Individual memberships are $25/year and family memberships are $40/year.

ONLINE JOIN 

Make a donation to help us continue our work in preserving Nelson County's rich history.

ONLINE RENEWAL

DONATE 

Once you are a member, we encourage you to take advantage of searchable features to provide you with the very best historical information on Nelson County families and places.

 

Oakland Museum is now Open.

Located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Hwy, Arrington, Virginia 22922

(U.S. 29) opposite Tye River Elementary School

Oakland will open to the public with some new exhibitions and lots of new programs planned for the year.
Beginning on March 5, Oakland will be open Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you are scheduling a group tour, please contact us in advance.
Research help is available on Wednesdays from 1 pm - 3 pm at the Nelson Memorial Library
All inquiries for research or group tours may be sent to: info@nelsonhistorical.org
Or call (434) 263-8400 and leave a message.  
 
New Exhibit on Textiles and Manufacturing Opens at Oakland     
 

 

 

Oakland Museum will open a new exhibit on Textiles and Manufacturing on Saturday, March 22. The ground floor exhibit in the Nelson Timeline Room highlights early textiles that were hand-sewn or machine-sewn and enhanced with beautiful handmade lace, as well as items made all of lace, using donated items in the Historical Society’s collection. The exhibit also highlights the move to manufacturing textiles, showcasing Nelson Manufacturing located in Lovingston.

Using more items from the collection and also loaned, numerous materials for home sewing are displayed on Oakland’s second floor in the room devoted to rural electrification. The exhibit shows home repurposing of materials, such as a flour sack dress and quilting, while catalog ordering allowed rural people to shop for factory-made items

Oakland is open on Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 5365 Thomas Nelson Highway just north of Colleen. 

 

 

 
Nelson County Historical Society's Publications Committee
announces a new annual publication:
 
The Journal of Nelson County History 
 
Please email your submissions: Click Here
Instructions: Publication guidelines
 
 

 

Stephanie Renée to Share Her DNA Journey

 

Stephanie Renee, an award-winning broadcast producer and writer, will present her Nelson County family DNA and genealogy findings at the Nelson County Library in Lovingston on Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m.

 

Renée is an award-winning broadcast producer, writer, grassroots organizer, and message crafter with over 30 years of experience in entertainment, journalism, and public policy. It was this experience in media, along with her passion for genealogy, that prompted her to explore creative writing and filmmaking as the vehicles through which she could begin to tell her family’s stories. Her presentation is sponsored by the Nelson County Historical Society.

 

Renée served as Program Director and on-air host of “The Mojo” at WURD Radio Philadelphia from 2012 until October 2018. She was able to bring her listening audience along on the ride as she received her DNA results and began to understand what those results meant for her family research. 

 

The short film clips that she shot during her first visit to Nelson County in 2017 in search of answers have evolved into a much more interactive community for sharing genealogical findings.  Renée now continues sharing through The DNA Journey blog on social media platform Substack, and via her episodic video series of the same name.

 

A question-and-answer session will follow her presentation. 

 
 

Statue Unveiling Ceremony in YouTube

 

Incredible walking tour of Lovingston has been moved to

About Nelson County

 

The following organizations or businesses are sponsors of the Nelson County Historical Society.  We hope you will support them as they support the Society's mission.
 
Thanks to our 2025 Business Sponsors: