A museum with a fair-to-middlin' Ulster Scots story

Given recent posts here at the 'Burn, you might be shocked that there is such a thing as a museum with a fair-to-middlin' Ulster Scots story. Well there is, and I have been to it.

Here it is. The Settlers Museum of SouthWest Virginia was one of our stopping points on our honeymoon back in September 1997. (I first wrote about it in this article in Feb 2007) It's a converted farmhouse, tucked away in the southernmost corner of Virginia. In one room there, converted into an exhibition space, I learned more about myself and my ancestors than I have ever done in any museum or heritage centre in Northern Ireland. The staff were all volunteers, courteous and knowledgable. I remember an elderly lady called Dorothy who referred to "Northern Ireland" on the map there as "Ulster Scots Land". Sounded good to me!

If you want to visit, here is a Googlemaps link:


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For US readers, I hope you enjoy your visit. For me however, it's approximately 4000 miles away. You can join their group on Facebook, and there are a few short movies on YouTube:



I think they've got a lot right. Community heritage makes so much more sense.