The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) opened in 2005 as a cultural site located in Winchester, Virginia that tells the story of local history, art, culture, and heritage. The museum’s extensive furniture and art collections belonged largely to Julian Wood Glass Jr, a descendant of James Wood, who founded Winchester in the early 18th-century. Julian inherited the Glen Burnie House, which he renovated with his lifelong partner, R. Lee Taylor, to be their country getaway from NYC, their permanent residency. The Glen Burnie House shares the same property as the MSV and is open for special events throughout the year.
The MSV works with other institutions to conduct research, build exhibits, and organize educational programs for both kids and adults.
The mission of the MSV is to preserve and enrich the cultural life and heritage of the Valley.
Although the MSV is by and large an art gallery, they have a Shenandoah Valley Gallery that takes visitors through life in the Valley, starting with the Native Americans and traveling through to industries still rooted in the Valley to this day. The following is a comparative review of the MSV that investigates the in-person museum visitor experience with the digital one that explores the MSV’s online collections.
