Since 1898 the Valentine, Richmond's first museum, has collected, preserved and interpreted the history of Richmond, Virginia. Founded by Mann S. Valentine II in 1898, it was the first museum in Richmond, and its mission still reaches out to the city. Today, in the early 21st century, the Valentine presents rotating exhibitions, walking tours, programs, special events, and research opportunities to engage, educate, and challenge a diverse audience. The museum also includes the Wickham House, a National Historical Landmark, part of the story housed here.
The money that made this institution possible came from Mann S. Valentine II, who earned a fortune with Valentine’s Meat Juice, a health tonic made from beef juice invented as early as 1870. Mann and his sons ran the Valentine Meat Juice Company, and in the late 19th century they began collecting in archaeology, anthropology, fine arts, and decorative arts. His sons even conducted excavations of Native American earthwork mounds in former Cherokee towns in western North Carolina in search of artifacts, and those digs did considerable damage to the mounds. Mann laid the foundation for the museum in 1892 and died in 1893.
Notice the museum building and the nearby Wickham House that it includes.