Deaf History Museum

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VSDB Museum Plague Sign

Some Exhibits at the Deaf History Museum

lime green antique tty (left) and antique computer or tty (right)
Old technological devices

typical dorm bed and chair with girls uniform(?) hanging on door
The dormitory room in the 1950’s

sports exhibit
The sports exhibit

Boy Scouts Exhibit
The Boy Scouts exhibit
Boy Scouts at VSDB – Created by Mack Harris (PDF file)

Famed Dollhouse
The dollhouse

Antique fire engine (Yes, VSDB did briefly have a fire department!)
The old fire engine

old blackboard from early 1900s showing a simple English structure that was widely taught
An old blackboard showing a widely taught “KEY” English/grammar structure in the early 1900’s.

 

COBBS tablet“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. *

 

Rev. Job Turner's tombstone
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 **

 

Other Articles of Interest:

 

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)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)

 

Museum founders  Left to right - Richard Koch, Shirley Werner (for Dawayne Werner), Fred Yates and Tom Sebrell
The Original Museum Committee
Richard Koch, Shirley Werner (for Dawayne Werner),
Fred Yates, Ralph Kiser and Tom Sebrell

 

Special Events

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.

Augusta County Historical Society Facebook page featuring VSDB's Main Hall from the early 1900s - possibly the 1903 picture the museum also has on file as you can see a dirt road still exists and water fountain has not moved to the sides of the school yet. Cover page from the Augusta County Historical Society featuring VSDB at their gallery in Staunton for the Summer of 2023. Varying VSDB Museum poster and displays being shown at the gallery. A brief timeline of VSDB's history.

several people can be seen checking out the VSDB museum displays at the local historical society gallery. July 23, 2023
People can be seen checking out the VSDB Museum display items at the local gallery, July 23, 2023.  Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=287386457276544&set=a.165259712822553

 

News coverage can be found at 185 years of history at VSDB exhibit in Staunton
(PDF copy here)