HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Hanover County celebrated its tricentennial by having a party and opening a new museum at the historic courthouse Saturday.
The free event to celebrate the county's 300th birthday featured vendors, artisans, live music and performances, games for children, and re-enactors who performed in the county's historic Courthouse, which officials said is one of the oldest courthouses in America still in use.
There also was a ribbon cutting at the county's new Museum of History and Culture, which also serves as Hanover's official welcome center.
County leaders said the new museum is a special way to commemorate Hanover officially becoming a county 300 years ago in 1721.
“We have a fantastic exhibit from the Smithsonian that really celebrates and explores the rural character, not just of Hanover County, but of our nation in general,” Hanover County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Angela Kelly-Wiecek said.
Hanover is the first of six sites to host the traveling exhibit, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," which features stories of rural change and growth.
One of the museum's other features is an exhibit exploring the history of public safety in Hanover County.
The museum at 7496 County Complex Road is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
