CURATORIAL TALK: FAMILY TREASURES

ISLE OF WIGHT, Va. – At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, Isle of Wight County Museum Curator Tracey Neikirk will host a talk on the preparation, protection and preservation of many types of family documents and memorabilia.

The proper care, handling and storage of family treasures will ensure that they will be available for many generations to come.

The event is free, and reservations are not required.

Tracey Neikirk, a native of Virginia and resident of Smithfield, holds a bachelor of arts degree in history with a minor in anthropology from Radford University, Radford, Va. She received her teaching licensure for high school social studies from Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Va.

Tracey started her career as a seasonal park ranger for the National Park Service at George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Va., and Colonial National Historical Park at Jamestown and Yorktown. In 1994, she began work as a museum educator at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Va. During her 14-year tenure, she was the curator for the exhibit Women and the Sea. She also developed several online exhibits including USS Monitor: History and Legacy, Chesapeake Bay: Our History and Our Future and Exploration through the Ages.

Interpreting local history, the museum’s exhibits include prehistoric fossils, Native American and Colonial artifacts, a country store and the museum’s most notable artifact - the world’s oldest, edible cured ham. The 1902 pork product exemplifies the patented Smithfield curing process.

Admission to the museum is free.

The Isle of Wight County Museum is located at 103 Main Street in Smithfield. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

For more information, contact the Isle of Wight County Museum at (757) 356-1223.