ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The Black History Museum and Cultural Center
of Virginia was founded in 1981 by Carrol Anderson, Sr.
In 1991, the Museum was opened to the public
at its present location, 00 Clay Street, in the historic Jackson Ward district of
Richmond.The house built in 1832 by German descendant Adolph Dill, incorporates both the
Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles. Under the leadership of Maggie L. Walker,
the country's first female and Black bank president, the Council of Colored Women
purchased the house in 1922.In 1932 it became the Black branch of the Richmond Public
library and was named for Rosa D. Bowser, the first Black female school teacher in
Richmond.
The Museum seeks to become a permanent
repository for visual, oral and written records and artifacts commemorating the lives and
accomplishments of Blacks in Virginia.
Our goal is to become a statewide resource
on the many facets of Black history through exhibitions, discussions and celebrations. The
Museum collects documents, limited editions, prints, art and photographs for use in its
Black History Archives Program.This program will be of major significance because of the
scarcity of written records on the Black experience.
