Attractions

Pittsylvania County History Research Center

The Pittsylvania County History Research Center is located in the 1918 Southern Railway Depot in Chatham. 

The Center is a museum with temporary and permanent artifact exhibits, including clothing, tools, crafts and photographs. The library provides computers for research as well as a state-of-the art microfilm reader/printer, printed resources and databases.

The Center is also home to the Veterans History Project, which collects, preserves and makes available the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

The results of this collaboration are high-quality DVDs of local veterans recounting their experiences in World War II as well as other conflicts. A copy of each recording is sent to the Library of Congress; copies are retained locally and will be available for viewing in the depot.

In addition to preserving local veterans’ history, it is important to provide recognition of the contributions that a railroad presence had on the economic and social foundation of Chatham and Pittsylvania County.

The station agent’s section contains a model train exhibit representing the 1874 rail line through the County. This line is commonly called the “Old 97” track, one that had numerous passenger stations in many small communities. A train-spotting platform adds to the recognition of the importance of rail transportation.

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