Monacan Museum - On the Road
Channel: Blue Ridge Streaming from WBRA-TV - Roanoke VA
Date: 2022-02-08

The Monacan community today centers around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At this site, a log cabin was built in the late 1870s and used as a church for the Indian people. Later, it functioned as a school. Today, the log cabin is a recognized National Historic Landmark.

The Episcopal Church has operated an Indian Mission here, since 1908 and in 1995 it returned 7.5 acres of land to the Monacan Nation. In the late 1960s, the school it conducted was discontinued after Monacans petitioned to attend public schools.

Our tribal museum is located at this site, developed by the Monacan people with grants from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the Sweetgrass Foundation, and the Easley Foundation. The log cabin is presently being restored, and the museum is equipped with proper technology for storing and displaying artifacts. Many artifacts are now displayed at the museum, with plans to acquire more displays over time. @BlueRidgeStreaming