Place matters. Ask any Parisian this week as they mourn the damage to Notre Dame and they’ll agree – place defines us and helps form our impressions from our earliest days. Even places that are no longer there or that we might never see again remain in our minds and hearts forever.

Ellenbrook, one of the stunning historic homes on the Tour to Eden bus tour

We all have special places that hold meaning for us on a personal level, but there are sites that hold a much larger place in our collective story – places significant in the history of our nation. Here at the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, we are fortunate to be in the vicinity of many such places, some of which survive and some of which exist only in memory.  

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam presents award to Dr. Lawrence Fleenor

We’re even more fortunate to have a volunteer who has made it his life’s work to research and learn the stories behind such places. Dr. Lawrence Fleenor, Jr., of Big Stone Gap. Dr. Fleenor was honored last week with the 2019 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer and was earlier named the 2018 Virginia State Parks Volunteer of the Year.  

Dr. Fleenor has dedicated more than 5500 volunteer hours to the service of the museum since 2005. Most of this work has been toward creating our very popular summer bus tours to historic sites around the region. Dr. Fleenor has developed several perennial favorites, including the “Wandering the Wilderness” tour, which takes participants from the Anderson Blockhouse to Cumberland Gap, stopping at important locations along the Wilderness Road. Dr. Fleenor also developed the Coal Camp Bus Tour, during which we explore area coal camps, including Stonega, Derby and Keokee. His “Tour to Eden” Bus Tour travels to Elk and Burke’s Garden to view spectacular scenery and historic homes dating back to the early 19th century.  

Stonega coal camp in the early 20th century, in Wise County, Virginia.

His enthusiasm for the history of these very different places is evident in his unflagging energy throughout the long days on the bus and off, and his story-telling flair keeps people coming back year after year. The museum also benefits from being the repository of Dr. Fleenor’s research for posterity, and we are privileged to stock all of his published books in our gift shop.

To Dr. Fleenor, this place matters – his home of Southwest Virginia – and lucky for us, his passion for our history has made it matter to the people in Richmond – 500 miles away. We’re honored to have him work with us.