Luray, Virginia
Archaeology, Botanical Garden, Children's, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library, Natural History, Park
The Luray Valley Museum is an intriguing and thorough presentation which celebrates our early Shenandoah Valley culture. Visitors begin the tour at the log Stonyman building which houses an overview of the Valley's history, supplemented with historic documents, decorative arts, items of clothing and artifacts. The museum displays items in chronological delivery from pre-contact Native peoples to life in the bustling 1920s. A 1536 Swiss bible in the German vernacular, the centerpiece of the collection, connects the valley's history and development of the European immigrants who settled the region from Pennsylvania through the ports of the northeast. Natives, Africans and Europeans carved out a life together in the original American frontier.