Lynchburg Museum Receives Infamous “Rocking Cradle” from City’s Best Known Ghost Story
Early Family Rocking Cradle, 2021.27
Gift of Tom Jackson and Joan Coleman
The Lynchburg Museum recently received one of the most infamous artifacts from local history: the “self rocking cradle” from the early 1800’s that haunted a local home and generated nearly two centuries of ghost stories. The cradle was donated to the Museum by a local man and his sister who are direct descendants of the original 19th-century owners.
According to several local histories, in 1839 the cradle began to rock vigorously without anyone touching it in the home of Rev. William and Laura Smith on Jackson Street. After the young Methodist minister moved the cradle to the middle of the room, he commanded it to rock by itself in the name of the devil “Geoffrey” (later accounts give the name as “Beezlebub”). Upon demand, it began rocking again. Hundreds of visitors came to see the haunted cradle, and the story passed into local lore.
The wooden cradle is large (measuring roughly 3.5 ft. long, 2 ft. wide, and 4.5 ft. tall), made of stained mahogany, and crafted in Sheraton “high poster” style. The original rockers were removed many decades ago, and the current ones are likely 20th-century additions.
The Smiths borrowed the rocking cradle from Rev. (later Bishop) John Early. They later returned it to the Early family, who hid it away in their attic and removed the rockers. Their descendants held onto it, and the cradle reappeared again in 1937 in an inventory recorded by the Works Progress Administration. It remained in the Early family until recently, when brother and sister Tom Jackson and Joan Coleman of Lynchburg decided to donate it to the Museum.
“The Rocking Cradle House,” 1104 Jackson Street, Lynchburg, Virginia
Courtesy of Library of Virginia
The story of Lynchburg’s infamous rocking cradle was first published in 1858 in Margaret Anthony Cabell’s Sketches and Recollections of Lynchburg. Variations of the story appeared in newspapers, books, and magazines throughout the 19th century. In more recent years it was featured in the popular book Ghosts of Charlottesville and Lynchburg by L. B. Taylor, Jr.
Visit the Museum’s blog to read more about the cradle and see the extensive research compiled by Museum staff to verify its provenance.
Just in time for Halloween, the general public can view a special livestream paranormal investigation of the cradle on October 29, 2021, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Museum staff will set up an infrared camera in the dark aimed at the cradle to capture any unexplained phenomenon. Visit the museum’s website (LynchburgMuseum.org) or check our social media channels for the livestream details and link.
The cradle will also be on long-term display at the Lynchburg Museum beginning on Thursday, November 4, 2021. The museum’s open hours in November will be Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (12 noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays).
Point of Honor Receives $25,000 Grant for New Education Center
The Lynchburg Museum Foundation is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from the Al Stroobants Foundation for its capital campaign to build a new Education Center at Point of Honor, Lynchburg’s historic plantation house in Daniel’s Hill. The Education Center will add a 1,700 square foot addition to the Carriage House at Point of Honor to better serve its visitors.
“For our campaign, this is a major gift. We are very grateful for the boost it will give to our project,” said Ted Delaney, director of the Lynchburg Museum System, which manages Point of Honor.
The Education Center is the centerpiece of a new plan to reimagine Point of Honor. The Lynchburg Museum System and Lynchburg Museum Foundation envision the site as an active space for public history programming relevant to schools, the neighborhood, downtown, the city and surrounding counties, and tourists from across the country and the world.
The new Education Center will enable the Museum System to grow its public history programming and create an inclusive learning space for all of Lynchburg. Last year 11,000 residents, students, and tourists visited Point of Honor. Most of the city’s 1st through 4th grade public school students already participate in educational programming at the site. However, further use of the current space is hampered by its small size, lack of restrooms and amenities, and by the fact that buildings on-site are not ADA-compliant. The new facility will address this and more—bringing online a space for public meetings, lectures and community events, as well as attracting more tourism.
In an expanded and more accessible space, the Museum can develop new collaborations and partnerships with schools, community groups, the neighborhood, and the city at large, which will help it address 21st-century challenges through educational activities.
The Education Center will be built by the Lynchburg Museum Foundation entirely with private funding. The capital campaign goal is $1 million, of which approximately $350,000 has been raised from over 200 individuals, businesses, and foundations. The City of Lynchburg provided civil engineering and surveys for the project as an in-kind donation.
Lynchburg Museum Foundation Receives $25,000 from Bank of the James for Point of Honor Education Center
Point of Honor
The Lynchburg Museum Foundation is pleased to announce a pledge of $25,000 from Bank of the James for its capital campaign to build a new Education Center at Point of Honor, Lynchburg’s historic mansion in Daniel’s Hill. The Education Center will add a 1,700 square foot addition to the Carriage House at Point of Honor to better serve its visitors.
“This is a tremendous gift from Bank of the James, and we are very grateful for the boost it will give to our capital campaign,” said Ted Delaney, director of the Lynchburg Museum System, which manages Point of Honor.
The Education Center will provide space for school programs, community and club meetings, and rentals for special events. It will include an elevator and at-grade pathway to provide access for those with physical limitations. The Center will add restrooms and amenities to serve the growing visitor traffic at Point of Honor, which hosts a variety of major events throughout the year, including the annual fall festival Day at the Point and Easter Egg Roll and Hunt every spring. The Center will serve thousands of local students who visit the property each year on field trips.
The Education Center will be built by the Lynchburg Museum Foundation entirely with private funding. The capital campaign goal is $1 million, of which approximately $300,000 has been raised from over 200 individuals, businesses, and foundations. The City of Lynchburg provided civil engineering and surveys for the project as an in-kind donation.
About the Lynchburg Museum Foundation
Established in 1998, the Lynchburg Museum Foundation is the support organization for the Lynchburg Museum System, which includes the Lynchburg Museum at the Old Court House and Point of Honor. The Foundation’s mission is to conduct activities to support and assist the growth and development of the Lynchburg Museum System. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as recognized by the IRS.
About
Point of Honor
The Federal-style home Point of Honor was built in 1815 by the Cabell family. It has been beautifully restored and is now a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. The mission of Point of Honor is to engage and educate a diverse audience by collecting, preserving, and interpreting Lynchburg’s history during the “Era of Good Feelings,” 1815-1830. Point of Honor is open seven days a week for guided tours, and it offers educational programs based on Virginia’s Standards of Learning.
Project Update: Challenge Grant Awarded!
The Lynchburg Museum Foundation has received a $50,000 Challenge Grant for the Education Center at Point of Honor from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. This challenge must be met by November of 2018. Please help us meet this challenge with your gifts to the campaign. Gifts to be matched should reference the grant by name in the memo section of your check or by note.
The Lynchburg Junior Woman's Club has generously given a pledge to the Education Center at Point of Honor in the amount of $10,000. This gift will be paid over five years.
As we enter 2018 and learn the various rules that come with the new tax law, please know that for those who must take the required minimum distributions from your IRA's, that that money can still be given directly from your IRA to a charity or charities of your choice. If the gift is made directly from the IRA to a charity, you will not be taxed on that distribution as ordinary income. If you have questions about gifts from your IRA or other questions about gifts to charity, please consult your tax advisors.
Please send gifts to help make the Education Center at Point of Honor possible to the Lynchburg Museum Foundation, P.O. Box 529, Lynchburg, VA 24505
Lynchburg Museum Foundation Announces Point of Honor Education Center Project
Point of Honor has seen a dramatic increase in visitors in recent years in field trips for students, tourism and special events. Over 13,300 people visited in FY 2017, up from 9,200 in FY 2016. Events such as Day at the Point and the Easter Egg Hunt attract over 2,500 each. Educational programs now serve five full grade levels (nearly 4,000 students) of the Lynchburg City Schools, in addition to private and regional schools and home schoolers. There is also increasing demand for meetings, weddings and community events that the current facilities cannot support. None of the three buildings on the property meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
To accommodate this growth, the Lynchburg Museum Foundation is funding the Point of Honor Education Center with a 1,700 sq. ft. addition to the Carriage House. The Education Center will add a large meeting space, catering kitchen and pantry and additional restrooms. A new elevator will connect the Gift Shop to the expanded second floor and an at-grade pathway will link the Center to parking on Norwood Street. With these enhancements, the Education Center and the Carriage House will be ADA compliant for the first time.
Foundation Board Chairman Charlotte Fischer noted, “The Board and Museum staff have been working on the concept for several years and have gotten approvals from involved groups including the City, the Garden Club of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. We are committed to adding the Education Center to better serve visitors to Point of Honor and especially to enhance the educational programs we provide to so many local and regional students.”
The cost estimate for the addition is approximately $750,000, which includes construction, site work, a new pathway and a contingency budget. With architectural fees, landscaping, and miscellaneous expenses, the Foundation is seeking to raise a minimum of $1 million. Any unused funds will be used to support Point of Honor.
Contributions may be sent to the Lynchburg Museum Foundation, P.O. Box 529, Lynchburg, VA 24505, or contact staff at (434) 455-6226 for more information. The Foundation supports the Lynchburg Museum and Point of Honor and is a 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts to the project are tax deductible as prescribed by the IRS. If you would like to give to the campaign online click here.