Fincastle Museum received 6 million from state

The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors agreed to accept $6 million in state funding to create a new Fincastle Museum in which to showcase the county’s history when the supervisors met on September 27, 2022 at the Botetourt County Administration Building at Greenfield.

They also agreed to .created the Botetourt County Citizen Commission for Preservation of Historical Properties.

The Commission was created to engage in a concerted and sustained effort to identify, prioritize, and facilitate the preservation of historically important properties and sites throughout the county, specifically private properties.

Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton said the valuable and historically significant properties are often forgotten and neglected. In some cases, he said, they are falling to ruin.

The Commission would work with a county official to locate historically significant properties and contact property owners to encourage preservation efforts. The Commission would assist with education efforts and support planning and other efforts to sustain the properties.

The new Fincastle Museum would be constructed from a single payment of $6 million from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, along with a county contribution of $500,000.

The county’s contribution could be in-kind services, such as planning and design work, locating property for the facility, etc.

The proposed museum has no location or any other plans, and, “was a little bit of a surprise,” Chairman Dick Bailey said. “We didn’t see it coming.”

The funding was appropriated by Virginia House of Delegate Terry Austin during the last budget session.

                                                                 Anita Firebaugh – Special to The Botetourt Bee