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Israel Christian House

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Our Vision

The village that is Fincastle today will continue to be a distinctive and culturally significant community that balances an abiding respect for its history with the needs of 21st century Botetourt County. In the midst of new residential development, Historic Fincastle, Inc., will participate in the development and success of programs to preserve and conserve the spirit of Fincastle, its historic streets and buildings, and its natural setting in a vibrant local economy. Fincastle will remain the center of an eclectic, working community that embraces new people and new ideas–a pleasing, educational place that makes visitors glad they came and anxious to return to an old town with a progressive spirit.

 

 

 

Historic Fincastle, Inc. Celebrates Fincastle’s Churches

Historic Fincastle, Inc. (HFI) is pleased to announce a series of events throughout this summer that will celebrate Fincastle’s historic churches.  Each event will present a lecture on the history of the church, a live music celebration and church fellowship.

The series’ first event will be at the First Baptist Church of Fincastle on the Blue Ridge Turnpike.  The event, to be held on Saturday, April 13 at 3 PM, will feature a historical discussion about the rich history of the church and feature music by the a cappella gospel music by the Glorylanders. A fellowship will follow the presentation and music.

HFI’s May event will be held at the Fincastle Presbyterian Church and will feature a discussion by a church historian as well as music by Hannah Cox from the RSO. A fellowship will follow the program.   The exact date is still under development, but the event will be held in late May. 

The Fincastle United Methodist Church will present HFI’s June offering featuring historian Angela Coon and music by the Church’s musical group.  Again, a fellowship will follow the presentation.  The June date is to be determined.

The September event in the series will be held on September 28, in conjunction with HFI’s Fincastle Fall Festival.  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will present a historical discussion, music by the Botetourt Music Academy and a fellowship.  The time is to be determined.

Please visit HFI’s website at www.hisfin.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/historicfincastleinc for additional information and updates.

HFI 2024 Program Planning Underway!

(Some are in the early planning phases, so stay tuned for updates on www.hisfin.org or our Facebook page (Historic Fincastle, Inc.)
Annual Scholarship for graduating Seniors at James River or Lord Botetourt High Schools – see the guidance teachers at the school; deadline for application – April 5
Step-Back-Into History – May 11, 9 am to 12 noon; From the Early Cabin to the Big Spring Park. Learn about some early history of Fincastle.
Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Hot Dog Social – mid-July at the Big Spring Park
Annual Historic Fincastle Fall Festival – Saturday, September 28, craft, art, and food vendors and activities and live music all over town.
Annual Historic Fincastle, Inc meeting – mid-November at the Fincastle Presbyterian Church, state of “HFI” update plus election of officers
Annual FHI Membership Holiday Party – date December 7, location TBA
Holiday Marketplace and Holiday Home Tour – date December 14
Celebrating Our Historic Churches – throughout the year (the four dates are still being finalized), location at First Baptist Church, Fincastle United Methodist Church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Fincastle Presbyterian Church; come hear the history of the host church and then be entertained by a musical performance (varies at the different churches)
Living History Talk at the Early Cabin with a historical character interpreter and Story Time – June, July, August (“still under construction”)
“Around the Town – the last 50 years of the 20th century” – this will hopefully be a picture book to complement the original Around the Town book published by HFI; community input and help will be welcomed. There will be publicized meetings (Organization Meeting Tuesday, March 26 at Fincastle Library at 11:30) where all are welcome.
Walking Tour and Signage about the town – This is an ongoing project that will be taking place throughout 2024. The emphasis for 2024 will start with Roanoke Street.


 

HFI Elects Officers, Directors

At their recent annual meeting, Historic Fincastle, Inc. (HFI) elected their 2024 officers and directors.  Some faces are new, while others are HFI veterans.

For the Executive Committee, Patsy Dickerson was elected HFI President.  Patsy is a long-time Fincastle resident and has been an HFI member for several years.  David Lloyd, new to Fincastle and HFI has been elected Vice President, while Fincastle resident Yvonne Saunders will act as Treasurer.  New secretary Meredith Bowman-Shelton from Daleville will fulfill the HFI Secretary role.

Twelve new directors were also elected, with some returning faces and several new folks stepping into the director role. 

Executive Committee members and directors will serve either a one or two year term, depending on if they have served in the past year.

The executive committee has also developed a list of committee chair roles in the areas of event planning, communications, facilities maintenance and others.  Some of these roles have been filled, but HFI is always looking for volunteers to make our mission a success.

Please click here for a complete list of Executive Committee officers and directors.

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About The Dorothy Simmons Kessler Collection

Over the course of her lifetime Dottie Kessler researched and collected a large volume of information about Fincastle history and culture.  When her family carried out her request that her historic archives be given to Historic Fincastle, Inc. it was with the understanding that HFI preserve, archive, display and distribute her notes, writings and photographs of the town and county in a manner that honors her love for her town and county.  The members of the Archives Committee were determined to be good stewards of this treasure trove of Fincastle information.

The HFI Archives Committee has worked tirelessly scanning, transcribing and uploading numerous documents and images from Fincastle’s past.  The searchable collection is now fully accessible online through PastPerfect, a web-based cataloging system used by history museums.  Below is an image of the main page.  You may access the collection/database by visiting hisfin.pastperfectonline.com.  Clicking on this link  or the image below will open a new browser window.

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