welcome to the Westmoreland County Museum

our Mission Statement

“The purpose of the Westmoreland County Museum and Library is to preserve the history of Westmoreland County and its people through its collections, library, research materials, exhibits, and educational programs in order to increase the understanding and

appreciation of the County’s heritage”

Westmoreland County, Virginia is ancestral home of three of our nations first five presidents – George Washington, James Monroe and James Madison. The only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence- Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee were also Westmoreland County residents. The County is also the location of Nomini Hall, where Robert Carter III voluntarily freed nearly 500 of his enslaved people, beginning in 1791. This manumission is the largest known release of the enslaved in North America prior to the American Civil War.

Founded in 1939, the Westmoreland County Museum, Inc. preserves and advances the history of our special place in the Northern Neck. Stop by the original museum to view the Charles Willson Peale painting of William Pitt (Lord Chatham) from 1768, as well as furniture donated by the Washington family.

The Historic Courthouse features rotating exhibits on local history and includes the Henry Hungerford Library and Genealogical Research Center. Make sure to stop in the Wakefield Building on Saturdays to shop at our Mercantile and make yourself a float at the Soda Shoppe.