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| Bassett Historical Center |
3964 Fairystone Park Highway
Bassett, Virginia 24055-5547
Phone: 276-629-9191
Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10:00 a.m.‒5 p.m.; Tuesday, 12:00 noon‒5:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m.‒2:00 p.m.
E-mail: baslib@hotmail.com
Repository
Bassett Historical Center is an independent, stand-alone research facility used by patrons in Henry County, across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States, and, so far, from thirteen foreign countries. We preserve and promote family and local history and help you research to find that bit of information that you are seeking. Patrons take pride in the place where their family lives now or lived long ago, as you will find facts and documentation as opposed to a myth or oral history that has not been documented. Our files and records are open to you, the public, as they will be to future generations.Be Prepared
There is no admission charge to research at the Center. We do ask that visitors leave tote bags and large purses in your vehicles, or you may use individual lockers available. Black and white copies are 15 cents each, color copies are 25 cents; photos scanned by staff are also 25 cents each. You may keep account of your copies and pay at the end of your visit, as we do not use coin-operated machines. You may not use a flash drive, but cameras (no flash) may be used for certain exhibits with permission from staff. Please check our catalog, available on our website http://www.bassetthistoricalcenter.com to be familiar with our holdings.Should you not be able to visit us researching at the Center, we do take e-mail queries or queries sent by regular mail. No phone requests, please, and we ask that you reimburse the Center for copies and postage.
Holdings
You will find 20,000 books and/or manuscripts at the Historical Center. Some of the materials are only available at the Center, as the “Henry County Cohabitation List, February 1866” and the twenty-nine volume “Bicentennial Collection” set. This particular set is taken from loose papers found at the old Henry County courthouse in the mid 1970s, thus the title, but papers are as early as 1777. |
| Bassett Historical Center Interior |
Obituary collections, indexes, photos, and records from businesses that no longer exist are here, those of DuPont, Bassett Furniture Industries, Bassett-Walker Knitting, Tultex, Henry County Plywood, Blue Ridge Hardware and Virginia Machine and Tool. Our “War Room” is one of the favorite areas at the Center, as are our Native American exhibits and books. We not only have records for Virginia, but those of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, too.
Collections
You will see on our website the word “explore” and we hope that you will take the time to do so. Different collections that have been donated to the Historical Center are listed, along with the information and materials for each noted collection.Another new collection is that of Mrs. Anne Bassett Stanley Chatham (Mrs. Hugh Hill Chatham, Sr.) This collection contains a vast genealogical collection, plus museum items, as Mrs. Chatham researched for many years. It is considered to be a three-generational collection, as there are papers, records, photos, portraits, and items from the J.D. Bassett Sr. family (her grandparents), the Thomas B. Stanley Sr. family (her parents), and the Chatham family (that of her husband). Each and every item points to a lesson in the history of our community and some of our Commonwealth, as her father was Governor Thomas B. Stanley of Virginia, 1954-1958. Some museum items and portraits are already on display, a welcome addition to the Historical Center.
Museum items are on display, with changes made to the displays every few months.
Pat Ross, Director
Bassett Historical Center
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