*The Ashland Museum at 105 Hanover Avenue in historic downtown Ashland, Virginia*

Downtown Ashland Association is proud to announce the Ashland Museum as the recipient of the 2025 You’ve Been Noticed Award, recognizing an exceptional contribution to the heart and history of downtown Ashland. This honor spotlights organizations making inspiring investments in their commercial properties and in the vitality of our beloved small town.

*Ashland Museum accepts the 2025 You’ve Been Noticed Award during Downtown Ashland Association’s Toast of Downtown.*

Presented to the Ashland Museum during Downtown Ashland Association’s annual Toast of Downtown celebration, the award drew cheers from neighbors, business owners, sponsors, and local press. Guests toasted the Museum's achievements with drinks from Caboose Market & Café, Center of the Universe Brewing Company, and signature Shaken Not Spurred cocktails—true to the spirited charm of Ashland.

The idea for an Ashland Museum gathered momentum during the 150th celebration of Ashland in 2008. Formally established as a nonprofit in 2010, the Ashland Museum opened its first exhibits in 2012 at 105 Hanover Ave. and has become a vibrant anchor for history, culture, and community programming. Its collaboration with Downtown Ashland Association began with the placement of the town’s first bronze historic marker at Cross Brothers Grocery in 2012. Since then, the Museum has helped install six additional markers and co-created the Art McKinney Historic Preservation and Stewardship Award to honor those who carry forward Ashland’s architectural legacy.

The Museum’s dedication to storytelling has led to impactful partnerships, including Untold Stories, an ongoing series created with the Hanover County Black Heritage Society and Hanover Arts & Activities Center to share honest, interwoven narratives of growing up Black and white in Ashland.

Among their recent projects is the Secretariat Racing Into History monument, now installed downtown. Sculpted by Jocelyn Russell, the statue honors the legendary Triple Crown winner, who was born and raised nearby at The Meadow, the horse farm of Ashland native and Randolph-Macon College alum Christopher Chenery. The Museum was instrumental in the monument’s fundraising efforts and continues to house Secretariat artifacts at 105 Hanover Ave.

The Ashland Museum continues to lead with vision, offering walking tours, cemetery tours, history talks, trivia nights, and even a 1926 caboose for hands-on exploration. They’re also helping shape the future of the Mid-Atlantic Railroad Park, a dynamic interpretive space telling the story of Ashland’s deep railroad roots and national impact.

“We are very pleased to receive this award from the Downtown Ashland Association,” said Randy Lewis, President of the Ashland Museum Board of Directors. This recognition affirms the mission to collect, preserve, and share Ashland’s unique stories, past and present.

Located in the heart of the “Center of the Universe,” the Ashland Museum invites residents and visitors alike to step into the stories that shaped our town—and to support their mission through individual and business memberships. For more information, visit ashlandmuseum.org.