Edith Bolling Wilson Museum Wytheville, VA – Explore History in Southwest Virginia
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    • Edith Bolling Wilson
    • The Bolling Family
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    • Automobile Permit
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    • Girl Scouting During the Great War
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    • Piano
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    • Grab & Go Sheep Kits
    • First Lady's Tea
    • How the Sheep Helped Win the War
    • First Ladies Patch
    • Woodrow & Edith on the Road
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Our 'Endangered Artifact'

Conserving Edith's Original Automobile Operator's Permit

Edith Bolling Wilson's 1904 Automobile Operator's Permit was named one of Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts

History and Acquisition

PictureDocument before conservation.
In 1904, Edith Bolling Galt (Wilson) became the first documented woman licensed to operate an electric car in Washington, D.C. Like many other early women drivers with independent methods of transportation, Edith questioned contemporary gender roles and societal expectations. Edith’s recollections of driving her Columbia Elebron Victoria Mark XXXI in Washington D.C. are relayed in her 1939 autobiography, "My Memoir." She would later marry President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915, serving as First Lady until 1921.

The museum acquired the object on eBay in the summer of 2017 from a private individual who held onto the prized document for decades. Thanks to the generosity of anonymous donor, the museum was able to purchase the artifact directly from the seller.

In January 2018, it was named one of Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts due to its poor and deteriorating condition. The museum’s document is one of ten unique artifacts from across the state, and spanning Virginia’s extensive history from the 1700s to the 20th century, that was chosen following a thorough review process by an independent selection committee of collections professionals from partner organizations, such as the Library of Virginia, Preservation Virginia, Virginia Conservation Association, and Virginia Department of Historic Resources.


Conservation Treatment

PictureDocument after conservation.
Through the Virginia Association of Museum's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts Program, the museum was awarded funding for the full conservation of the document. Carolyn Frisa, head conservator at Works on Paper performed this work in her Vermont studio. Carolyn has a special connection to the document as she grew up in Rose Cottage (Lynchburg, Virginia), the plantation home of the Bolling Family before they moved to Wytheville in the 1860s. Carolyn's father still owns the home today and the family takes pride in the home's history. 

Learn more about the process of the document's conservation in the video below. 


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us

​​Museum Hours
Temporary Hours due to COVID-19: 
In January & February 2021, we will be open for tours by appointment only. Please email or call ahead to schedule a pre-arranged individual or group tour.
email:  info@edithbollingwilson.org
call: (276) 223-3484
Location
145 E. Main St., Wytheville, VA 24382
The museum is located downtown across from the Bolling Wilson Hotel.
Admission
Entry to the museum is by donation. Guided tours of the Birthplace and Bolling Family Home are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

Edith bolling wilson birthplace museum


CONTACT

276-223-3484
​info@edithbollingwilson.org

Address

​145 E. Main St. 
Wytheville, VA 24382
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ABOUT US
  • Welcome
    • 2020 Newsletter
    • News
  • Visit
    • Group Tours
    • For Students
    • For Teachers
    • Girl Scouts >
      • Girl Scout Patch Day
      • Online Patch
    • Boy Scouts
    • While in Wytheville
  • Support
    • How You Can Help
    • Honorarium and Memorial Bricks
    • Wish List
  • Learn
    • Edith Bolling Wilson
    • The Bolling Family
    • The Birthplace Site
    • Genealogy
    • Girl Scout Honors
    • Automobile Permit
  • Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Girl Scouting During the Great War
    • Collection Highlights
    • Piano
  • Events & Programs
    • Virtual Programs
    • Grab & Go Sheep Kits
    • First Lady's Tea
    • How the Sheep Helped Win the War
    • First Ladies Patch
    • Woodrow & Edith on the Road
  • Shop