Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of speaking at the Valentine Museum and the Library of Virginia on free speech and my forthcoming book for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”  It was a great event, and I appreciate everyone who came out on a frigid Friday to join me. I wanted to share a few images from the museum itself, which is a true gem in the middle of Richmond, Virginia.

The Valentine is a truly gorgeous museum that includes Wickham House, one of the great houses of Richmond. It was the first museum of Richmond and, at 125 years old, is one of the oldest museums in the state. It is an absolute delight to visit with everything from a vast collection of period clothing to historical artifacts to quirky mementos from the past. The staff could not be more friendly and eager to show visitors the exhibits. It has all of the Southern charm and hospitality that have long characterized this city.

The museum was funded by Mann S. Valentine II, who made his fortune with Valentine’s Meat Juice. This was a health tonic made from beef juice that he invented to try to nurse his ailing wife (below) back to health. It was a huge success, leading to the Valentine Meat Juice Company and a fortune. Even President James Garfield requested a bottle for his health.

The Valentines were collectors and philanthropists. Mann Valentine left a bequest for the museum, including the John Wickham House. The house is magnificent, with unusually large rooms for the period and details such as rounded doors to match the rounded walls.

Completed in 1812, the house was designed by famed architect Alexander Parris. It is filled with Victorian-era decorations and many of the original wall paintings have been restored.  Many of the original furniture pieces were doggedly tracked down over the years. One of the most beautiful pieces, the dining room credenza (shown below), was found after a couple on a tour remarked that they thought that they might have a piece of furniture from home. They were correct and later decided to donate the piece to the museum.

John Wickham was a lawyer, slaveholder, and a loyalist during the Revolution. After moving to Richmond, he married well.  His second wife, Mary Smith Fanning, was the mayor’s daughter and had a considerable estate. They would have 17 children in addition to his two children from an earlier marriage. (By the way, that was 17 pregnancies since there were no twins).

This was my first visit to The Valentine, which is surprising since I am a history nut. I waited far too long. If you are in Richmond, this is an absolute must. It is a relatively small museum, but captures the rich history of the city from the table around which city fathers decided to surrender in the Civil War to one of the lunch counters in the Civil Rights sitdown protests to the curious “gun hole” of Richmond.

The staff was kind enough to give me a tour behind the scenes, including the large storage of artifacts and clothing being carefully preserved and catalogued. (That included the cowboy hat below that belonged to one of the most famous Jewish businessmen in the city). The museum has such a large collection of clothing and costumes that it has a relationship with LSU’s Textile and Costume Museum to display the “Valentine collection” in Louisiana.

Richmond is a great city full of history that is too often overlooked by those driving to Washington, D.C. If you are on I-95, take a brief detour and visit Richmond and The Valentine. You will not regret it.

Here are a few pictures: