Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Terri Fisher, interim curator of Giles County Historical Society, stands in the Andrew Johnston House parlor room in Pearisburg. Hand-painted stenciling is a design feature of the room that was discovered when wallpaper was removed.

PEARISBURG -- The New River runs through miles of Giles County, surrounded by rolling hills and majestic mountains, all of which are steeped in history.

Members of the Giles County Historical Society gather this history, display it and teach it to others, all from their Pearisburg headquarters, a complex consisting of a museum, a research library and two 19th-century buildings.

The older of those two buildings is the Andrew Johnston House. Built in 1829, the house originally belonged to its namesake, who owned the general store in Pearisburg at the time. The store, which was across from the courthouse, was only one of many endeavors the Johnston family would undertake during their time in Pearisburg.

The two-story house has a parlor, a bathroom, two bedrooms, a large attic that may have been used as a sleeping area at one time, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen. Much of the furniture is original, such as a desk used by Harvey Johnston, Andrew's son.

During the house's restoration in the mid-1980s, the wallpaper was removed in the parlor and the master bedroom, revealing original wall stenciling, so far found in only one other antebellum home in Virginia.

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Research volunteer and Giles County Historical Society member Temple Lawrence looks over a Morse code exhibit at the society’s complex in Pearisburg.

Historians say an itinerant painter is responsible for the elegant, crimson tassels bordering the ceiling and the stylized vines and flowers framing the windows in the parlor. The bedroom stencils focus on the pineapple, the traditional symbol of hospitality, said Temple Lawrence, a research volunteer.

Harvey Johnston II died in 1945, and his wife was the last person to live in the house. She often heard noises in the small attic space at the top of the stairway, but she thought it was merely animals. Cracker boxes were later found in there, leading historical society members to think a vagrant may have actually lived in that area.

Some relics in the house include a weathered trunk the elder Harvey Johnston used during his time at medical school and a rope bed in the children's room.

Terri Fisher, interim curator, explained that the age-old saying, "Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite," originated as a result of this type of bed.

"The ropes could be tightened when they began to sag," Fisher said, "and the mattress would be made of either cornhusks or straw, which could have bugs in it."

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

One of the fashion dolls created by Pete Ballard is displayed in the parlor room of the Andrew Johnston House. Behind the doll is hand-painted stenciling that was uncovered when wallpaper was removed.

The other 19th-century building on the premises is a doctor's office, built in 1857, used by Andrew Johnston's son and grandson. The office, like the house and property, was deeded by Johnston family heirs to the society in 1985.

In 1862, during the Civil War, Union soldiers used the building for four days before moving northward to what is now West Virginia. Rutherford Hayes and William McKinley, who would become the 19th and 25th U.S. presidents, respectively, were among officers who used the building.

The doctor's office contains some original prescription pads and tools used by the Johnstons, as well as some medical tools and furniture pieces that have been donated from throughout Giles County, all from the same era as when the Johnston doctors practiced there.

The museum and research library on the complex were built in 1997. The museum contains artifacts, many of them war-related pieces, dating as far back as the American Revolution. The fish weather vane that once perched atop the Giles County Courthouse was rendered irreparable by bullets during the Civil War and is on display in the museum. The basement contains a 1926 Model T Ford hearse, on loan from A. Vest and Sons Funeral Home in White Gate. Old tools and re-creations of scenes from yesteryear are also prevalent in the museum.

"The hearse is a favorite of kids who come through," Fisher said. "We had a group the other day that kept saying they saw something moving around in the back."

The museum gift shop sells souvenirs, T-shirts and Giles County history books.

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

A mannequin in a nightgown is part of an exhibit in the upstairs children’s bedroom.

Fisher said that some days no one visits the museum, and on other days, as many as 20 people visit. During the Memorial Day weekend, 460 people came to the museum to see living history re-enactments.

On days when no one comes to the museum, historical society members catch up on e-mails and other inquiries from people interested in Giles County history, maps, census records and genealogy.

"We have hundreds of books and files about specific families in the county that we can use to help people with research," Fisher said.

Society members also find old records and artifacts in the county and save them. Lawrence said the group strives to preserve history, and she said people from all over the world stop in to do research.

The group also works with local schools.

"We had a program this past year where every public school fourth-grader from all three elementary schools in Giles County toured the complex, and we asked them to draw a picture of what really made an impression on them," Lawrence said. "We then displayed the drawings beside the actual thing they drew, which was very interesting."

It is important for people to have some association with the past, Lawrence said.

"If you don't know your history, you have nothing to fall back on or to build on," she said. "Isn't it important to you to know where your family came from and what they did?"

The historical society has about 400 members, split almost evenly between people who live in Giles County and those who do not. The group is running a $300,000 fundraising drive this year and has netted about $90,000 so far.

The society receives funding from member dues, donations and funds appropriated by Giles County and the town of Pearisburg.

Next in store for the museum complex may be an antebellum barn, which will display antique farm equipment, expand the amount of available exhibit areas and possibly serve other purposes for the county if space allows. The historical society is in the process of contacting architects and investigating how much the barn will cost to construct.

Admission to the museum is free, and Lawrence said she encourages people to come see what Giles County has in store.

"We love to have visitors come and look," she said. "They usually are really surprised by what we have here."

More information about the Giles County Historical Society and the museum complex is available by calling 921-1050 or by visiting home.i-plus.net/gileschs.