Montgomery Museum of Art & History

Montgomery Museum of Art & History Founded in 1983, the Montgomery Museum serves the whole of Montgomery County and surrounding New River Valley.
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Our mission is to preserve history and present art by regional artists. Come visit our regularly changing history and art exhibits!

Come mimic Matisse at the Montgomery Museum with artists Ruth Lefko and David Ferrell!Join us for Paint Night where YOU ...
09/07/2026

Come mimic Matisse at the Montgomery Museum with artists Ruth Lefko and David Ferrell!

Join us for Paint Night where YOU design your painting. This promises to be our most creative Paint Night yet! We will channel Matisse’s iconic style — expressive color, simplified forms, and flat decorative patterns. Bring your creativity and a few of your favorite brushes — we’ll provide the rest!

You will receive all materials needed, and both a canvas and a page of watercolor paper to create your masterpiece. This paint night is $45 for Museum Members and $50 for non-Members. Seats are limited, so reserve yours soon! Register yourself now at www.montgomerymuseum.org/events-page/matisse!

Photographing History - Switchboard OperatorsLong before smartphones and automated routing, many calls required manual l...
09/06/2026

Photographing History - Switchboard Operators

Long before smartphones and automated routing, many calls required manual labor. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that the transition from manual plugboards to automated direct dial systems occurred. Initially teenage boys were hired for this position - until Emma Nutt in Boston, MA became the first female telephone operator in 1878. Beginning after she was hired, women operators were more heavily recuited as they were considered to be more polite, and were better received by customers than their male counterparts.

(Historic News Messenger Photo Collection, Montgomery Museum)

Do you happen to be searching for a familiar face? You might just discover a photo of someone you used to know, or recog...
09/05/2026

Do you happen to be searching for a familiar face? You might just discover a photo of someone you used to know, or recognize from your community. Photographs and memories from schools and communities around Montgomery County are preserved in our local college and public school yearbook collection. These yearbooks offer a wonderful glimpse into the lives, trends, friendships and pastimes of previous generations.

Come spend some time looking through our collection in the quiet environment of our library and study space. You may find photos of your parents, grandparents, former classmates, or even teachers who made an impact on your life! Whether you’re doing family research, reminiscing about your school days, or simply curious about local history, come see what memories you can uncover!

Photographing History - Labor Day and local Railroad WorkersBefore the Long Labor Day weekend officially begins, the Mon...
09/04/2026

Photographing History - Labor Day and local Railroad Workers

Before the Long Labor Day weekend officially begins, the Montgomery Museum wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a hard day's work used to look like. This striking negative from our archives features real faces of the American Industry, highlighting a local railroad crew. Did you know, that the Pullman Strike of 1894, which halted rail traffic across the nation, prompted the birth of Labor Day? As we enjoy the long weekend, let us remember the victories of the workers who came before us.

(D. D. Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)

With crocks, glass jars, canning tools, and so much more, our current exhibit on canning will give you a detailed view o...
09/02/2026

With crocks, glass jars, canning tools, and so much more, our current exhibit on canning will give you a detailed view of canning as a tradition and art form!

A Useful Art: Canning in Montgomery County explores the food preservation strategy known as canning through technological, social and artistic lenses. The exhibit approaches canning as an art form in two senses: as a skill or technique acquired by experience, study and observation, and as a body of objects and processes intended to enliven the mind and senses.

By considering the art of canning in domestic, community and commercial settings, visitors will learn how local values and histories connect to broader themes in U.S. popular culture. A Useful Art also contains interactive stations, including jar dating and an oral history listening station that contains interview clips of Montgomery County residents who were involved in the local community canneries.

Becky Bullerwill be performing at the Montgomery Museum's upcoming Sounds of Appalachia concert, so make sure to not mis...
09/01/2026

Becky Bullerwill be performing at the Montgomery Museum's upcoming Sounds of Appalachia concert, so make sure to not miss it! This concert will be located at the newly renovated Christiansburg High School Auditorium, starting at 7:30pm on October 24. Tickets are available for purchase now! Get yours at www.montgomerymuseum.org/events-page/becky-buller

Becky Buller has written for GRAMMY-winning albums by the Infamous Stringdusters, Travelin’ McCourys, and Molly Tuttle. Becky has released eight solo albums, including the Billboard Bluegrass and FAI chart-topping Jubilee (2024), featuring Aoife O’Donovan.

Photographing History - Old Montgomery County CourthouseTaken from the front step of the post office in downtown Christi...
08/31/2026

Photographing History - Old Montgomery County Courthouse

Taken from the front step of the post office in downtown Christiansburg, the 1836 Montgomery County Courthouse is shown in the background of this photo, where a large group of men gather around the Confederate Monument. This courthouse was replaced in 1909.

(D. D. Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)

Join our special Author Book Signing & Meeting Event with Kathleen Wilson on Thursday, September 24 from 5-7pm at the Mo...
08/30/2026

Join our special Author Book Signing & Meeting Event with Kathleen Wilson on Thursday, September 24 from 5-7pm at the Montgomery Museum!

Wilson's debut novel, The Fabric of Wishful Thinking, is a richly researched portrait of 1910 rural Appalachia, written by an author with deep expertise in Appalachian history, craft, and culture.

Along with its compelling story, Wilson's book offers a rare look inside early Southern textile mill culture. The Fabric of Wishful Thinking is a powerful story about families and the fractures that result from divided loyalties.

Kathleen Wilson is an Honorary Fellow at Virginia Humanities, Charlottesville, Virginia. Her work in the field of Appalachian craft for more than three decades has been recognized in the publication of countless articles, four books, and the history of the Southern Industrial Educational Association, 1905-1926, a digital resource. She has given scores of public speeches and lectures at professional conferences and public meetings in the United States and abroad, seeking new opportunities to share Appalachian cultural traditions with a wide audience.

Come mimic Matisse at the Montgomery Museum with artists Ruth Lefko and David Ferrell!Join us for Paint Night where YOU ...
08/29/2026

Come mimic Matisse at the Montgomery Museum with artists Ruth Lefko and David Ferrell!

Join us for Paint Night where YOU design your painting. This promises to be our most creative Paint Night yet! We will channel Matisse’s iconic style — expressive color, simplified forms, and flat decorative patterns. Bring your creativity and a few of your favorite brushes — we’ll provide the rest!

You will receive all materials needed, and both a canvas and a page of watercolor paper to create your masterpiece. This paint night is $45 for Museum Members and $50 for non-Members. Seats are limited, so reserve yours soon! Register yourself now at www.montgomerymuseum.org/events-page/matisse!

Address

4 East Main Street
Christiansburg, VA
24073

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+15403825644

Website

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