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FARMVILLE – History is a thing best preserved for all of those who wish to experience the times gone by. At the Moton Museum, that’s exactly what they’re striving for – and now, you have the chance to be a part of history in the making. 

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 14, the museum is opening its doors to donations. Residents can bring parts of their own collections to be donated and shared with the community through one of the museum’s displays. The goal here is to find pieces of Prince Edward County’s history and then have these things accessible digitally for any students, teachers or community members who want to see them.

“We were recently able to expand to be able to house more artifacts,” said Leah Brown. She serves as Moton’s Associate Director for Education and Directions. “So, we (decided) to ask people in the community if they had things to donate. We can even take digital items or photos of things like letters.”

Brown said Moton staff would simply scan a copy of the letter and return the original to its owner the same day. And while they’re searching for any pieces of the county’s history, the museum staff is specifically hoping to find scrapbooks, diaries, school papers, along with the letters and photographs mentioned. They want anything from when the museum was Robert Russa Moton High, including school uniforms, library books, yearbooks, any PTA memorabilia and material from the free school. Any tickets, pennants, programs, cards or tokens from any part of Prince Edward County’s past would also be welcomed, Brown said. 

How will it work?

So once you bring your material on Friday, what happens next? First, Brown said, you just come and talk to a staff member about your donation. The staff will have you complete a donor form and either scan or take the physical piece for the collection. For a physical donation, you have to sign a form saying the item now belongs to the Moton Museum.
On the digital side of things, staff will scan the item and then return it to the donor. Moton will keep the digital scan as part of the collection. These physical and digital items will be used in education programs to help tell the Moton School story. 

Testing things out at Moton Museum

This is meant to serve as a test run of sorts. 

“This event is the first of its kind at the museum, and the hope is for a great turnout that will encourage the community to make their way back for future donation and collection events,” Brown said. 

In addition, the hope is to encourage members of the community to take an interest in preserving the important events, artifacts and people of the community’s past and educate themselves in the process. 

“We are excited for the opportunity and are planning another event like this in the fall, if all goes well,” Brown added. 

The Moton Museum opened in 2001, and, on their website, their mission states, “Moton strives to promote dialogue and advance positions that ensure empowerment within a constitutional democracy.” 

The Moton Museum is located at 900 Griffin Blvd. in Farmville, and is open from 12 PM – 4 PM Monday through Saturday. 

For more information regarding the museum, collections day, or other ways you can get involved, you can reach the Moton Museum at 434-315-8775, or via e-mail at info@motonmuseum.org, or visit the website at MotonMuseum.org.