Mathews Museum

A Model Ship by Capt. Vernon James

A model of a mid-1800’s clipper ship done by Capt. Vernon James during World War II has been donated by Cindy Register.

The model was presented to Cindy’s father James R. Lewis, who was a pharmacist and owner of Hudgins Drug Store. The model is in a wooden case 48” (L) x 18” (w) x 36” (h).

A Portrait of Thomas Mathews

This portrait is a gift from the estate of Emily Nimmo Trant Burgwyn, a direct descendant of Thomas Mathews. She commissioned the painting in the late 1960s / early 1970s, and the portrait is signed by the painter Louis Mesa.

Mathews County is named after Thomas Mathews who was a general during the Revolutionary War and was the 7th Speaker in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1782 - 1793.

This is a photograph of the Thomas Mathews Portrait. The photograph was taken by John A. Caramia, Jr.

The Tommy & Doris Hunley Collection

The collection consists of a number of objects Tommy collected from numerous country stores in Mathews County. The collection also includes a number of wooden store display cases and the post office boxes from Diggs Post Office.

Tommy displayed his collection in an old building behind his home in Mathews. The collection is on permanent loan from the estate of Tommy and Doris Hunley.

These are two photographs of the Hunley Collection as displayed by Tommy Hunley.

The photographs were taken by Kathy Hunley.