Explore history by visiting a cemetery. History is Fun continued from page 11 Learn about local stories from your community museums. values and traditions of the community from which they spring. Each tombstone is like a little pocket of history hidden in plain sight, and a stroll through a cemetery can provide information about military involvement, mortality rates, occupations, hobbies and so much more. If you are looking for more involvement, you could try volunteering with your local historical society to clean and document cemeteries in your area. One such group, the Fauquier Historical Society, is currently working with high school students to map the Warrenton Cemetery so that genealogists are better able to locate their ancestors. LOCAL MUSEUMS CULPEPER COUNTY The Museum of Culpeper 803 Main Street, Culpeper, VA Phone (540) 829-1749 Website: www.culpepermuseum.com Graffiti House 19484 Brandy Road (Exit Hwy 29/15 at Rte. 663/Alanthus Road) Brandy Station, VA Phone (540) 727-7718 Website www.brandystationfoundation. com National Capital Squadron Museum 12499 Beverly Ford Road Brandy Station, VA Phone (540) 727-0018 Website www.nationalcapitolsquadron. org Piedmont Railroaders 204 East Main Street Remington, VA Phone 540-439-3357 Website www.trainweb.org/ PiedmontRR THE MOSBY Museum 173 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia Phone (540) 351-1600 Website www.mosbymuseum.org Weston Farmstead 4447 Weston Road, Casanova, Virginia Phone (540) 788-9220 Website www.historicweston.org If Your Family Loves: Reading and exploring new places PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY Haymarket Museum 15025 Washington St, Haymarket, VA Phone (571) 261-1375 Website www.haymarketmuseum.org Manassas Museum 9101 Prince William St. Manassas, VA Phone 703-368-1873 Website www.manassascity.org Weems Botts Museum 3944 Cameron St, Dumfries, VA Phone (703) 221-2218 Website www.historicdumfries.com Freedom Museum Inc. 10600 Harry J Parrish Blvd, Manassas, VA Phone (703) 393-0660 Website www.freedommuseum.org Manassas National Battlefield Park 12521 Lee Highway Manassas, VA Phone (703) 361-1339 Website www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm Prince William Forest Park Take Route 234 east to I-95 south. Travel one exit to exit 150-B (VA Route 619/Joplin Road). The park entrance is the second right. http://www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm You Should Try: Visiting your local museum Why You’ll Like It: Museums are where my love for history came from. People are often indifferent to the sweeping motions of history, but if you can tell them a good story, you have got them hooked. Museums are some of the best places to discover great stories. Through displays of period artifacts, most museums do an amazing job of presenting little slices of everyday life from years gone by. Bonus points if you visit a historic house museum where you will actually get to walk through the museum’s most important artifact – the house itself. Summer is the perfect time to breathe life into your inner history buff. All you need to do is try a few new activities. With a little trial and error, you’re sure to find the perfect fit for your family! Frances Allshouse is the director of the Fauquier Historical Society’s Old Jail Museum in Warrenton, VA. She holds a bachelor’s of science in Biology and Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington. FAUQUIER COUNTY Old Jail Museum 14 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia Phone (540) 347-5525 Website www.fauquierhistory.org Liberty Heritage Society Museum 26 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia Phone (540) 347-7785 Monroe Park Goldmining Museum 14421 Gold Dust Parkway, off Rte. 17, Goldvein, Virginia 22720 Phone (540) 752-5330 website www.goldvein.com 12 Piedmont Family Magazine 2013 • Issue 4