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Some Exhibits at the Deaf History Museum
Old technological devices
The dormitory room in the 1950’s
The sports exhibit
The Boy Scouts exhibit
The dollhouse
The old fire engine
An old blackboard showing a widely taught “KEY” English/grammar structure in the early 1900’s.
“COBBS”
The first school for the education of the deaf in America in the year 1812. Col. William Bolling established a school for the deaf at his home, “COBBS.” Near Petersburg, Virginia which was taught by John Braidwood of the famous Braidwood School in Edinburg, Scotland.
This tablet is erected by the Virginia Association of the Deaf, 1923
* This tablet can be found on the first floor by the main stairway and mailboxes inside the main hall entrance. *
Reverend Job Turner’s tombstone
1830-1903
For Thirty-four years a faithful teacher in the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, and subsequently for twenty-eight years a missionary to the deaf for the southern states.
This stone is erected by friends throughout the south and elsewhere who knew the man well and loved him.
Videos:
VSDB’s Deaf Museum by Rhonda Jennings-Arey, 2011
VSDB Campus drive around by Feta Fernsler, 2015
VSDB History by The VSDB, 2015
VSDB – Hampton Remebered, 2014
** there were others and need help locating them, please let us know where they are! **
** There was a well made video of the museum before – need to find it and add it here **
- Historical Society Historic Preservation awards (with Kathleen L. Brockway on Lantz Mills community) (PDF copy here)
- Traveling statewide exhibit tells of deaf village near Edinburg (PDF copy here)
- A sign of a community: Rarely documented deaf village in Edinburg detailed in book (PDF copy here)
- The Shared Signing Community of Lantz Mills
- Article on Lantz Mills tours by Daphne Cox (PDF copy here)
- Community of deaf Virginians featured in traveling exhibit at Waynesboro Public Library
2009 Museum Committee
First row (L to R): Mary Kraus, Jean Drake, Alice Frick, Donna DeVito, Harriet Koch
Second row (L to R): Gloria Shrum, Tracey Mawyer, Shirley Werner, Race Drake
Third row (L to R): Richard Koch, Rocco DeVito, Dawayne Werner (Photo by Becky Sigrist)
The Original Museum Committee
Richard Koch, Shirley Werner (for Dawayne Werner),
Fred Yates, Ralph Kiser and Tom Sebrell
July/August 2023, the local Augusta County Historical Society hosted items from the VSDB Museum. See VSDB’s announcement at https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=756747939787323&set=pcb.756751239786993. Click on images below for a better view or see the link above.
News coverage can be found at 185 years of history at VSDB exhibit in Staunton
(PDF copy here)