I’m sitting here at work at the Blacksburg Museum trying to think of a blog topic, and it came to me, why not share a little about this place. (Plus I already had this handy infographic from another project) Many people who come in to look around question whether they’re even allowed to be there. You are always welcome, and it’s free! Let me tell you a little about it.

So I work at the Alexander Black House, the Queen Anne Victorian style house on Draper Rd. It makes up half of the Blacksburg Museum. The other half is St. Luke & Oddfellows Hall on Gilbert St. Both buildings are important to Blacksburg’s history.

The Alexander Black house was name built in 1897. It was originally the family home of Alexander Black, who was the great great nephew on Blacksburg’s founder, William.

After Alexander died in 1935, the house became a funeral home and changed ownership several times. In 2002, the Town of Blacksburg purchased the home and moved it across the street to Draper Rd.  to save it from demolition when they started working on Kent Square.

Before segregation, St. Luke & Oddfellows Hall on Gilbert St. was the center of the African American community of Newtown. Meetings, social gatherings and musical events were hosted there.

About two years ago, after finishing some renovations, the Blacksburg Museum opened to the public. The Alexander Black House is open Tuesday through Saturday. You can tour the house and also see exhibits from local artists. St.Luke’s is open on Thursday and Fridays.

Pretty cool, right?

So I work as a docent and cashier at the museum. I greet visitors, tell them some history of the house and answer any questions. During slow times I also work on various projects. Recently I’ve gotten to help design some posters for exhibits and help plan the Alexander Black Tie fundraising gala. Here’s me selling balloons to pop for prizes: (The event was 20s themed, if you couldn’t tell)

It’s been a pretty chill place to work. I’ve learned a lot about Blacksburg and even met some of the Black relatives. Alas, I’m graduating in December and I’ll be leaving. If you read this post maybe you can have my job.