Mathews Historical Museum Board of Directors and Officers

Chair: John A. Caramia, Jr.
Vice President: Edith Turner
Secretary: Elsa Verbyla
Treasurer: Hugh Turner
 
Class of 2021
Gaylen Davis
Katherine Davis Small
Jim Pavik
Edith Turner
Sandy Warhol
 
Class of 2022
Barbara Bass
John A. Caramia, Jr.
Gregg C. Faulkner, Sr.
Josie Thorpe
Elsa Verbyla
Class of 2023
Alexis Foster
Tom Karow
Dr. Steven A. Forrest, Sr.
Cindy Roman
Doug Wilton

Why A New Museum?

  • Currently, no single entity in the County provides a comprehensive view of our history, telling the stories of the land, people and their way of life. The Mathews Historical Museum will provide a panorama of Mathews County’s history from prehistoric times to the present day. The Museum's anticipated collections, community activities and programs will give our visitors a view of the counties past and present while they contemplate the future. The MCHM will serve as an added attraction to the current offerings in our county to entice visitors to our community.
  • The new Museum will feature Mathews County’s history through interactive displays, stationary exhibits and programming.
  • Visitors will be able to view cherished Mathews County items and memorabilia as they interact with state-of-the-art displays, modern exhibit design and technology. The Museum will be purposeful and distinctive and “not like anything else” in the community.
  • This new community museum will showcase only those materials made or used in the county or associated with a person, place or event in the county.

What Might A Visitor Find in the New Museum?

  • As we develop our new county museum, we will be searching for and rediscovering our own history some of it know and what has not previously been known.
  • Prehistoric Displays:  Significant prehistoric artifacts from local area sites on loan to the Museum.
  • Archeological exhibits of significant historical sites.   These include a 1650 tobacco farm which shows us how the early settlers of Mathews lived and worked; and North End Plantation which was the home of John Page, a significant individual in Colonial Virginia history. 
  • Voices of Mathews:  The Mathews County Historical Society, in conjunction with the University of Florida, has interviewed a significant number of residents as well as merchant mariners from World War II, to capture the memories of time gone by. The Museum will build upon that work and make available audiovisual presentations for museum visitors.
  • Inhabitants of Mathews County: Through visual displays, visitors with be able to learn about all the people who lived and worked in the county dating back to the first settlers.  There will exhibits on the important institutions in the county:  stores, churches, schools, post offices and gas stations. 
  • Unique Landscapes of Mathews:  Visitors will learn about the impact of this landscape on agriculture, lumbering, boatbuilding and fishing that were so important to the history of the county.
  • Exhibits highlighting the experiences of the people of Mathews experienced during Revolutionary War, Civil War, World I & II, Korea, Vietnam, and the recent conflicts in the Middle East.