I was coming to Lynchburg for other reasons,& searching for things of interest to me. Thank you Trip Advisor, b/c that's how I learned about this amazing resource. They are a genealogy & history library, separate from the local library, but housed on the floor above. The collection covers widely, but its strengths are in VA and the surrounding states. Unique to them are the Family files, which have been submitted by other patrons whom they have helped research their genealogy. If your family is from VA, & has been here for quite a while, you will likely find them there. It even turned out that I was related to 2 of the staff members, so they were able to break through brick walls for me. The staff are the best part of this collection b/c they know the resources so well, are so keen to help, and aren't overwhelmed w/ patrons (usually). I've been researching for 20 yrs., on Ancestry for 10, gone to DAR, NARA, VA state library, VA Historical Society, etc. I've never had such great help and individualized attention. I spent 10 hrs. there over 2 days, and left w/ a treasure trove of finds and leads. I would suggest a weekday if you can, as they can get quite busy for their small staffing on Saturday. They have historic maps, microfiche, the Lynchburg paper (which isn't elsewhere) for obits, regional history books, early marriage records for many counties, etc.If you're just beginning, or stuck on those late 1700 ancestors as I was, this is worth going out of your way. My only regret is that I didn't find them earlier.Thank you SO much!

I came to the museum to do some research on my family history and the staff were so helpful and friendly. The museum is small but the displays are professionally curated and interesting. It’s also free, so go check it out!

I went to Jones Memorial Library several months ago when I needed to do some research for a person buried in Old City Cemetery, because I wasn't having any luck finding information online. Not only did the library have numerous books that were of help, but the staff was exceptionally knowledgeable about the individual's ancestors and the very early history of the city. Due to my expressed interest, one of the staff decided to take time away from the task she was working on and led me over to the map drawer and proceeded to pull out numerous maps of the city, at different stages of its growth, from the very earliest days coming forward. She provided so much information about the people, issues concerning growth, societal issues, etc. It was fascinating! I spent a good deal of time there and asked many, many questions, and was always met with earnest joy on their part to share what they know. I very highly recommend this library to those needing to do serious historical research.

We went there because I wanted to investigate history of racial relations in Lynchburg. I remember a Virginia textbook from Linkhorne Junior High School--it was a standard Va public school textbook. It said that enslaved people were happy and the abolitionists were liars. It talked about scalawags and carpetbaggers. I was outraged at the text. None of my Facebook friends from Lynchburg seemed to remember the book. I also remembered that the Lynchburg papers had separate columns for help wanted White and Black. I looked up the old Lynchburg papers to see this. The librarians were extremely helpful and wanted more information from me.

If you need to do family genealogy in area around Lynchburg, make the Jones your first stop, not the last!