Scottsville possesses a rich history, one frequently photographed by a local photographer named Willie Burgess.  His images captured the grace and ambience of town life between 1890 and 1935.  Many of Willie's photographs and those of twentieth-century Brownie camera enthusiasts exist in private collections today.  These pictures constitute an invaluable historical record of Scottsville -- a cherished treasure.

In 1999, Scottsville Museum initiated a long-term preservation program, Capturing Our Heritage, to digitize and preserve old photos, historical documents, and oral histories of Scottsville life.  Today, community members from across the United States collaborate with us to capture and document this material.  Electronic versions are displayed on this web site for immediate and convenient access to all.

Please enjoy our photo archive of Scottsville and return many times to see new additions.   If you, too, would like to share old photos, documents, or memories of our town, please contact us at the museum or via e-mail at smuseum@avenue.org.  Together we will retell the story of Scottsville, an historic Virginia town on the James River...

A Scottsville citizen since 1911, Mayor Thacker greatly values our town's extensive history and the many accomplishments of its citizens.   As a little boy,  he sat at the feet of old Confederate soldiers on Scottsville porches and listened to these men talk about their war and life experiences.  "I learned a lot from those men and thought a lot of them,"   the Mayor says. Later, Mayor Thacker served as Scottsville's mayor for three decades and to this day actively works to preserve our town's historic buildings, artifacts, and oral history.   "Scottsville represents a rich heritage for everyone, not just for the people who live here,"  remarks Mayor Thacker.   "It's something we ought to preserve for future generations."  We asked him the following question:   "Of all the small towns in America, what makes Scottsville unique?"  His eloquent response is worth hearing:

 (MP3, 43k),  or    (WAV, 627k).

                                If you need to download a media player to listen
                                to above audio file, select  Winamp 5.32.