THE HALLER - GIBBONEY ROCK HOUSE MUSEUM
205 E. Tazewell Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
The home of Wytheville’s first resident, Dr. John Haller, the Rock House was constructed in 1823. The original portion of the home is made of native limestone with a wooden addition added around the turn of the century.
The Town of Wytheville purchased the home in 1967 from Kathleen Campbell, the great-great-granddaughter of Dr. Haller. In 1972, the Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum opened as the town’s first historic museum. Period furniture, furnishings and artifacts tell the stories of one of the town’s first families.
In 1972, the Museum was also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The historic landmark was closed in mid-2022 for extensive stabilization and restoration work. The Museum re-opened September 13, 2023 with a 200th Birthday Celebration!
THE THOMAS J. BOYD MUSEUM
295 Tazewell Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
The Thomas J. Boyd Museum opened in December 1983. Located beside the Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum, the Boyd Museum is named for Thomas Jefferson Boyd, who is known as the “Father of Wytheville.” Boyd was an attorney, Town mayor, surveyor, hotel builder and Virginia legislator.
In addition to information about Thomas J. Boyd, the museum contains a large collection of artifacts within exhibits on two levels: mining and military history, communications, early Wytheville fire department and the 1950 Polio Epidemic in Wythe County. An observation honeybee hive, as well as the local museum gift shop, are also located within the museum.
THE GREAT LAKES TO FLORIDA HIGHWAY MUSEUM
975 Tazewell Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
The Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum opened August 20, 2011. The third museum owned and operated by the Town of Wytheville offers visitors a chance to return to the days when the Great Lakes to Florida Highway (Route 21) was the main route from Ohio to Florida. Original artifacts, newspaper clippings and exhibits tell the story of the development of Route 21 and Interstate 77.
The gas station, which started out as a Texaco station, was built in 1926. About 1934, the station changed from Texaco to Esso. Candy and other snacks were added in the 1940s. By the 1950s, the gas station was phased out, and it became a small grocery store.
Wythe County Decorative Arts Museum – The Homestead
1125 Tazewell Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
Open since March 2023, the nine-acre Homestead interpretative site depicts rural life from the late 1700’s to the mid-20th century and offers unlimited educational opportunities for visitors of all ages. Includes public tours, living history demonstrations and an historic foodways program with kitchen, garden and cooking demonstrations on an open hearth and earthen bake oven. The site is also open for quarterly themed events, student field trips, and private rentals.
A focal point of The Homestead is the Wythe County Decorative Arts Museum. The museum houses a growing collection of furniture, textiles and weaponry made in Wythe County and gives visitors a glimpse of Wythe County’s contributions to the rich and diverse history of Southern decorative arts.
For more information on rental space for special events, contact Michael Gillman, Manager of Historic Sites/Homestead Museum Operations, at (276) 617-0773, michaelg@wytheville.org.