POQUOSON — Since reopening to the public this past April, the Poquoson Museum has seen several new updates and changes at its historic location.
Located at 968 Poquoson Avenue on the former 16-acre Dryden Farm, the museum is open on weekends for visitors to come and experience Poquoson’s cultural and historical heritage.
America Goes to War, the museum’s biggest event of the year, which displays military history through living history interpreters and interactive exhibits, has come and gone. Now, the museum is getting ready for new events as well as some changes.
“We’re just starting now to set up for our next exhibit, which I believe is going to open later this year,” museum board member and Membership Committee chairman Tom Forrest said.
The museum, which opened to the public in 2007, is now shifting its focus from World War I and World War II history to civic organizations in Poquoson.
“Poquoson Civic Groups: A Legacy of Service!” will celebrate Poquoson’s civic organizations and its legacies.
The two-year long exhibit is expected to be fully set up over the next couple months, Forrest said. Until then, the museum will be ready to release more information about the exhibit in the coming weeks.
Along with the upcoming new exhibit, the museum has made several changes on the property.
On July 16, a new front lawn museum sign was installed to include updated information about the museum and the York-Poquoson Master Gardeners, which established the Poquoson Learning Garden in 2013 as a partnership with the Poquoson Museum.
The museum’s front porch has also seen some remodeling, as volunteers from the U.S. Air Force have been preserving and painting the museum porch.
In partnership with the York-Poquoson Master Gardeners, a new split fence was recently installed in the museum’s parking area behind the building, replacing orange and white barrel cones that were previously used to represent the parking spots.
Another major project that the museum is actively working on is raising funds for the Tom Hunt Store, one of the oldest buildings in Poquoson.
Built around 1880, the historic structure previously stood at the corner of Odd Road in Poquoson and served as a general store and post office.
In 2019, the store was moved down the road to the Poquoson Museum for preservation. Now the museum is raising money to renovate the store to a point where it can safely re-open to the public.
The museum is currently open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., though Forrest said that its hours depend on whether a docent is available to run the museum, a problem that has been significantly affected by the pandemic.
Guests can also visit the Poquoson Museum Marsh Trail, the one mile loop down to Topping Creek that includes boardwalks, observation decks and interpretive signs that detail the marsh environment and wildlife.
The museum will soon prepare for its annual Halloween event for children.
For more information about the museum, visit the Poquoson Museum website.
