The George Washington Hull House

The Highland Historical Society recently purchased the historic antebellum George Washington Hull House in McDowell. George Washington Hull was Highland County's delegate to the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861. The Historical Society is now trying to raise over $400,000.00 to restore this house to its wartime appearance and turn it into a museum for the county which will showcase the Battle of McDowell. It will also serve as one of the five major orientation centers for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Historic District. All profits from the 2003 McDowell Reenactment and McDowell Battlefield Heritage Days event are going into this project. The Highland Historical Society's track record in preservation is impressive, especially considering there are only 2000 inhabitants in the county. Earlier events have helped the Society raise money for worthy projects such as the acquisition of the Bullpasture River Field - 55 acres of the core area of the McDowell battlefield with incomparable sight vistas.

If you would like to make a donation to this worthy project, make your check payable to the Highland Historical Society, and send your check to the following address: Highland Historical Society PO Box 63 McDowell VA 24458

The Gateway to Highland County's History:

Open the wide wooden door, and glimpse the past. Cross the threshold and experience the fascination of more than 150 years of the lives and events that have shaped Highland County and that influence it even today.

In 1851, just four years after Highland became a county, George Washington Hull, a prominent farmer, merchant and delegate to Virginia's State Convention of 1861, built his home in the little village of McDowell. A decade later, as the Civil War raged through the area, the house served first as host to officers and then as a hospital for the wounded in the opening salvo and the crucial first Confederate victory in Stonewall Jackson's brilliant Shenandoah Valley Campaign: The Battle of McDowell. Union General George McClellan credited the Valley Campaign with disabling his efforts to take Richmond. Jackson's victory at Mcdowell gave new heart to the Confederate cause and also served to help protect the Shenandoah Valley as the "breadbasket of the Confederacy." After the war, the house became a major stage-coach stop and hotel on the historic Staunton-to-Parkersburg Turnpike, and was named The Mansion House.

The obscurity of time settled on the house. Now, today, the Mansion House is preparing.to host new kinds of visitors: local residents intent on recapturing and preserving family and county histories, and tourists interested in learning about the county, its past, and the part it played in war and peace. The house will be a museum and historical research center, and will also serve as a gateway and orientation center for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Highland is an unspoiled, remote area, and today's vacationers are seeking safe yet easily-reached destinations. Though only hours away from major population centers, Highland County retains its timeless, rural character. It offers visitors the opportunity to step back in time, to experience the mountains and winding country roads as travelers have for the past two centuries. And the McDowell Battlefield is considered to be the most pristine Civil War battlefield in the United States, allowing visitors a unique opportunity to understand and experience the impact of the Civil War on the region.

The museum will also contribute to the local economy. Tourism is the third largest industry in Virginia, generating revenue of over $1 billion statewide and $1.4 million locally! To continue to capture and increase tourism income, it is essential that the county have a Visitor Center and Museum as a magnet. Currently, the county has no such facility. The Highland Museum and Heritage Center will allow visitors to discover the heritage and the history of Highland County, as well as the significance of the Battle of McDowell and how it fit into Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign. In addition to telling Highland's story, the house will offer travelers the opportunity to rest, refresh, and learn about local food, lodgings and attractions.

The first floor will serve as museum, and will also contain the cluster orientation center (see box at right.) The second floor will house historical records, genealogical information and offices. Outwardly a strong and sturdy structure, Mansion House is a rare reflection of its time. Inside are faux-painted walls, a decorated ceiling, a magnificent stairway, beautiful original walnut and pine woodwork and cabinetry . . . . . . and the stress of time.

Before the valuable artifacts and mementos of Highland's history can be given a permanent home, the building must be restored. Of course, extensive rehabilitation is required: in addition to architectural work, the building must have climate-control, plumbing and other systems updated to conform to modern museum standards. This will also enable the museum to apply for and receive funding for museum-quality facilities.

WHAT'S NEXT?

But none of this will happen unless you, and others like you who are committed to preserving the past for the benefit of the future, take part in the work.

Time is not on our side! Highland County's historical records, photographs, decorative arts, artifacts and furnishings are disappearing almost daily. Although many families would prefer to have their heirlooms remain in Highland County, there has been no safe and secure repository for these objects. The Highland Museum and Heritage Center will fill this void!

You can let the door remain closed, and lose it all. You can help make the difference!

Your financial participation, as well as your commitment to sharing the excitement with others, is vital to reopening the door, and keeping it open in the future.

Now you can become a vital part of this extraordinary opportunity to save our heritage!

Send your tax-deductible contribution to:

The Highland Historical Society Museum Fund - Post Office Box 63 - McDowell, Virginia 24458