VA250 Mobile Experience at the Salem Museum

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VA250 Commission

The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s VA250 Mobile Museum Experience will visit the Salem Museum from Thursday, April 16, through Saturday, April 18. The exhibit will be open to homeschool families from 3 to 4 p.m. April 16 and 17, and to the public from 4 to 5 p.m. those days. Public hours will also be held Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience titled “Out of Many, One” is housed in an expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July 4, 2026. Visitors can expect a dynamic experience that will bring together students, families, and the wider community for an unforgettable journey into the era that created the nation.

On Saturday, April 18, living historians from the Fincastle Company will also be on site to demonstrate the professions, trades, and crafts essential to the Colonial era. The Fincastle Company is a group of dedicated historians who portray both military and civilian roles during the time of the American War of Independence. They conduct extensive research into the clothing and equipment of the era in order to be as accurate to the period as possible. The group performs living history displays at various historical sites across the mid-Atlantic region.

The Salem Museum is home to artifacts related to two of the area’s Colonial heroes, Colonel William Fleming and General Andrew Lewis. The French and Indian War battle sword of Fleming, a noted physician and statesman, is featured in the Ground Floor Timeline exhibit, as is a bronze bust of Lewis modeled after the statute standing in front of the Salem Civic Center. Lewis is remembered for leading his troops to victory in the French and Indian War and Dunmore’s War. He also drove Lord Dunmore, the last British Governor, out of Virginia just days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago this July.

This visit is sponsored by City of Salem VA250, The Lofts at Downtown Salem, the Laub Family, the Hart Family, and the Robertson Endowment for Exhibits and Events.