Reflection on Studying Magnolia Grange

Choosing a structure to study was relatively simple. Virginia is filled with historic structures, and the county I live in is no different. There are many buildings and museums within driving distance that I’ve never visited. Magnolia Grange was simply the first one that came to mind. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to choose a structure that more accessible information about it. My initial plan was that I would be able to visit the house as well as the local historic society research library during Thanksgiving break. As it turns out I was unable to do either due to odd museum hours and a busier than expected Thanksgiving. This unfortunately limited my research to what could be found online, and like most other small house museums, there was very little to be found. One incredibly useful source was the nomination form to put the house on the National Register of Historic Places Inventory. This form was essentially an abbreviated historic structures report. While useful, the form did not go into very much detail on anything, and was completed in 1979. That left a 37 year gap to be filled in by other sources. I was able to find out through a local newspaper about some restoration that had been done earlier this year, and I learned that there were two sales of the property since the nomination form had been done.

Despite the lack of easily accessible information on the structure, I was able to gain a much better understanding of Magnolia Grange through this project. On the surface, the house is only remarkable for its architecture, but on closer examination it became obvious that the occupants of the house had made an incredible impact on their community. I believe this is important to remember when engaging in public history because it serves as a reminder that a historic structure is often important in more ways than one.