Point of Honor T H E
C A M P A I G N
E D U C A T I O N
F O R
T H E
C E N T E R
The capital campaign for the Point of Honor Education Center is being conducted by the Lynchburg Museum System Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) corporation. Operated since 1976 as part of the Lynchburg Museum System, the Foundation provides financial and other support to Point of Honor and the Lynchburg Museum at the Old Court House. Point of Honor is owned by Point of Honor, Inc. and held in trust by the Trust Company of Virginia. STREET ADDRESS: Point of Honor, 112 Cabell Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504 MAILING ADDRESS: L ynchburg Museum System Foundation P.O. Box 529, Lynchburg, VA 24505 CONTACT: (434) 455-6226 EMAIL: museum@lynchburgva.gov POINT OF HONOR AND LYNCHBURG MUSEUM HOURS: M onday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Sunday, 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Closed only on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Facebook/LynchburgMuseum Twitter/LburgMuse Instagram/LburgMuse www.pointofhonor.org www.lynchburgmuseum.org
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THE CASE FOR THE
Point of Honor EDUCATION CENTER
Photo courtesy of the News and Advance Some of the activities for children at Point of Honor: Students in the hearth kitchen, mother-daughter tea, and summer camp featuring Native American crafts.
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THE CASE FOR THE
Point of Honor EDUCATION CENTER
Easter Egg Hunt 2017
MISSION The mission of the Point of Honor Education Center is to expand the ability to keep history alive and stimulate interest for the next generation.
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PURPOSE Since 2006, the number of visitors to Point of Honor (POH) has almost doubled to 13,000 visitors per year. Family events such as Day at the Point and the Easter Egg Hunt alone generate between 2,500 and 3,500 attendees each. The previous additions to Point of Honor were the Carriage House and Kitchen, and these were built over 20 years ago. To accommodate visitor growth, there is a pressing need for more restrooms, program areas, and gathering space. Currently, the Carriage House meeting room seats only 40 individuals and programs generally attract between 50-100 people. None of the three buildings on the property are handicapped accessible, storage is at capacity, and there are only two small public restrooms and one water fountain on site.
Educational programs at Point of Honor have expanded to serve five grade levels of Lynchburg City School students each year, in addition to private and regional school children. Improvements to the structure would accommodate an entire grade level under-roof during inclement weather and allow for field trips during winter months. There is also an increased demand for the Point of Honor Carriage House as a meeting location, wedding venue, and for community events that cannot be served with the present facilities. In response to these conditions, the board decided to raise $1 million dollars to create the Point of Honor Education Center.
Educational space in the existing Carriage House
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THE POINT OF HONOR EDUCATION CENTER The Education Center will be attached to the existing Carriage House along Norwood Street. It will provide an additional 1,700 square feet and will include a multi-purpose space, new restrooms, catering kitchen, and pantry. The Center was designed by Architectural Partners, Inc. of Lynchburg and uses design elements that match or are compatible with the existing structure. A new elevator will connect the Gift Shop to the Education Center and an at-grade pathway will link the Center to parking on Norwood Street. With these enhancements, the facility will become ADA compliant. The current access directly into the Gift Shop will also remain so there will be several ways to comfortably access the facilities. The second floor of the current Carriage House will be remodeled to offer new restrooms that can be accessed from outside and inside and two water fountains to better serve large groups. The remaining portion of the original meeting room space will provide much needed storage. The two existing restrooms on the first level will be retained. Construction cost estimates were done in 2015 and 2016 by two different firms and both were very close at approximately $750,000, which includes site work, new pathway, and a contingency budget. With architectural fees, other site costs, and furnishings the total is nearing $1 million. Any unused funds will be added to the POH Carriage House Endowment Fund. 6
A NEW ELEVATOR WILL CONNECT THE GIFT SHOP TO THE EDUCATION CENTER AND AN AT-GRADE PATHWAY WILL LINK THE CENTER TO PARKING ON NORWOOD STREET. WITH THESE ENHANCEMENTS, THE FACILITY WILL BECOME ADA COMPLIANT.
THE POINT OF HONOR EDUCATION CENTER WILL PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 1,700 SQUARE FEET AND WILL INCLUDE A MULTIPURPOSE SPACE, NEW RESTROOMS, CATERING KITCHEN, AND PANTRY.
Architect’s Preliminary Drawings
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THE PROJECT TO DATE
As Point of Honor is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is within the City of Lynchburg Daniel’s Hill Historic District, care has been taken to design the project to the highest historic preservation standards. Since the addition is on the grounds of Point of Honor, an archaeological investigation of the building and pathway footprint was done in March 2017. Archaeologists did a series of test squares and found that earlier townhouses that existed in that location in the late 19th - early 20th centuries had disturbed the ground, and no intact historic features remained. The project has been formally or informally approved by POH, Inc., the Garden Club of Virginia Restoration Committee, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and the City of Lynchburg. The City administration is providing engineering assistance through the Public Works Department but cannot provide construction funds. In addition to asking the greater Lynchburg community for help in raising the funds necessary for construction, local and statewide foundations will be asked for grants. 8
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BACKGROUND ON POINT OF HONOR Dr. George Cabell built the home on Daniel’s Hill in 1815 overlooking the Town of Lynchburg and the James River. Designed in an unusual variant of the Federal style with semi-octagonal bays on the front, Point of Honor (POH) was the seat of a 750+ acre plantation that encompassed much of today’s Rivermont neighborhood. While the name has been linked to dueling legends over the years, nothing definitive has been found to document that origin of the name. “Point of Honor” may relate to the prominent point of land it occupies. Cabell was one of the first physicians in Lynchburg and served as Patrick Henry’s doctor during Henry’s last days. An entrepreneur, Cabell owned large tracts of land, a blacksmith shop, and a fleet of batteaux that hauled tobacco and other crops from surrounding farms to the Richmond markets, including Thomas Jefferson’s tobacco crop from his retreat home Poplar Forest. 10
By 1830, Dr. Cabell, his wife, and their son and daughter-in-law had all died. Point of Honor passed to Judge William Daniel, the daughter-in-law’s father, and for whom Daniel’s Hill is named. Members of that family lived there until 1848. The home then passed through a number of owners who resided there or rented the property. In 1928, L.E. Lichford sold the property to James Gilliam, Jr. who recognized the historic value of the property and donated it to the City of Lynchburg.
A bequest by Katharine Garland Diggs in 1971 to establish a museum of Lynchburg history provided the necessary funds and a perpetual trust was created. The legal owner is now Point of Honor, Inc. which is a subsidiary of the current trust manager, the Trust Company of Virginia. The firm manages two trusts, the Diggs Trust and Carriage House Trust that benefit POH, and trust earnings help support operations. The Lynchburg Museum System has managed POH since its opening.
The City used the home and grounds as a recreation center until the 1960s. As the nation looked towards the American Bicentennial of 1976, support grew to restore Point of Honor as a historic house museum. The City and the Lynchburg Historical Society partnered to restore the house and opened it to the public in 1978.
The 1978 restoration was led by noted Virginia preservation architect J. Everett Fauber, Jr., and extensive research and documentation were done. The house appears much as it would have when the Cabells lived there from 1815-1830.
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POINT OF HONOR: 1978-2017
Over the years, the presentation and tours at Point of Honor have evolved from a primary focus on decorative arts to a more holistic approach that examines the social, political, and cultural history of early Lynchburg. Since its opening, supporters of Point of Honor have enhanced/expanded the story by adding period antiques and quality reproductions to the interiors. The African American experience is an integral part of the story as there were over 30 slaves living and working at Point of Honor during the Cabell’s day. Research is underway to gain more insight into this aspect of life at Point of Honor. 12
Carriage House Gift Shop
Students in the parlor learning about lifestyles in the Cabell era
Bedroom at Point of Honor
The Carriage House today
The Garden Club of Virginia’s Restoration Committee has assisted with several projects at Point of Honor since its opening. The Club funded the design and creation of stone walkways, steps, and retaining walls, as well as the overall landscape and plantings. The grounds and buildings are cared for by the City maintenance staff as part of the management contract with the Trust Company of Virginia.
In the early 1990s, POH, Inc. and the Lynchburg Museum Foundation raised funds to add a recreated kitchen and carriage house to expand the educational programs at Point of Honor. The structures were designed by noted historical architect Joseph Dye Lahendro to conform to period dimensions and appearance and were placed on the sites where the original dependencies were located. The kitchen has a functional hearth and cooking
Students learn about hearth cooking
programs and demonstrations are done throughout the year. The Carriage House has 2,170 sq. ft. and provides the visitor services entrance, public restrooms, gift shop, and has a small meeting room upstairs. Both structures were completed in 1995-1996. Up until now, that has been the only time a major fundraising effort to benefit POH has been undertaken.
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Decorative designs in this piece are all from the Point of Honor house.
Children’s activities during school visits and summer camp
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CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Capital Campaign Co-Chairman
LYNCHBURG MUSEUM SYSTEM 2017 FOUNDATION BOARD
Ms. Lynn L. Dodge
Mrs. Charlotte A. Fischer, Chairman
Mr. Thomas G. Ledford
Mr. M.E. “Ed” Tinsley, Vice-Chairman
Steering Committee Mrs. Laura B. Crumbley Ms. Lynn L. Dodge Mrs. Charlotte A. Fischer, Chairman Mrs. Marjorie M. Freeman Mr. Douglas K. Harvey Mrs. Elizabeth D. Hutter Mr. Thomas G. Ledford Mrs. Langhorne L. McCarthy Mrs. Patricia D. Meyer Mr. H. Victor Millner, Jr. Dr. Caroline F. Wilson
Dr. John B. Arnold, Treasurer Mr. Robert E. Clarke Mrs. Laura B. Crumbley Ms. Lynn L. Dodge Mr. Garrett T. Ford Mrs. Marjorie M. Freeman
MEMBERS EMERITI
Mrs. Mary Morris Booth Mrs. Ann Scalf Ms. Lucille W. Deane Mr. Raymond H. Stokes Ms. Laura B. Munson LYNCHBURG MUSEUM SYSTEM STAFF
Mr. Douglas K. Harvey, Museum Director
Mrs. Elizabeth D. Hutter
Mrs. Lorie D. Jamerson, Office Manager
Ms. Jennifer Jones, ex officio
Ms. Whitney S. Roberts, Museum Educator/Volunteer Coordinator
Mr. Kenneth S. Mayo Mrs. Patricia D. Meyer
Mrs. Laura E. Wilson, Curator
Mr. H. Victor Millner, Jr Mr. Joseph M. Seiffert Mr. Thomas Smith, ex officio Dr. Caroline F. Wilson 15
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE
EDUCATION CENTER 2017