Wilderness Road Regional Museum - Newbern, Virginia

By Susan M. Thigpen © 1985

Issue: March, 1985

The community of Newbern, Virginia is celebrating Founders' Day on Sunday, March 10, 1985, and along with this event the Wilderness Road Regional Museum will have their annual Stone Stew. The stew will be cooked and served at the Newbern Community Center due to restoration in progress at the museum. Serving will begin after 12:00 pm and end at 4:30 pm. For $2.50 one can enjoy a delicious bowl of homemade stew, cornbread, desert and drink. Quantities of food may be purchased to take home. Please bring containers.

The Anniversary Dinner (5th year celebration) is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, 1985 at the Wilderness Road Regional Museum. The dinner served by candlelight will be fresh homemade food and music with an Irish theme.

EDITOR'S NOTE...I had the pleasure of attending last year's Anniversary Dinner. Out of a chilling April mist, we stepped into the warmth of the Wilderness Road Regional Museum. We were immediately greeted and ushered to a table covered with a cloth and a beautiful arrangement of old fashioned flower garden blooms - peonies, daffodils and such. The atmosphere was so inviting, with the candlelight and fires going in the open fireplaces in each room. A single, pure voice of a woman was heard singing a folk song accompanied by a guitar.

A beverage and salad were quickly brought to the table and then, at our leisure, we chose the main course and vegetables from the buffet. It included a variety of pickle relishes and homemade butter to spread on home baked bread.

Dessert was also brought to our table as the dishes from the main course were cleared away. Besides dessert, there was a little plate of homemade after-dinner mints at each table.

After enjoying dessert and a last cup of coffee, we wandered through the rooms of the museum. There were people there who were knowledgeable of everything on display it seemed, and were happy to discuss the history with you.

In short, the meal was delicious, the atmosphere was relaxing and the people were the warmest and friendliest you'd ever want to meet.

Reservations to the buffet dinner may be made at 5:00, 6:30 or 8:00 pm by calling Geraldine Mathews 703-980-7499 or Daisy Williams 703-674-5888. The $12.50 per person fee will be applied to paying the remainder of the note on the museum. The museum building was purchased in 1980 for a sum of $75,000. and the people of the Wilderness Road Regional Museum have already reduced the sum to $11,000. In the past five years the building has been completely rewired, a new heating system put in, as well as a security system and now the kitchen has been reworked.

The Museum represents Floyd, Pulaski, Montgomery, Giles Counties and the City of Radford with rooms containing artifacts from each.

There is seating for approximately 70-75, people at each serving time, so call now for your reservations.