Plan your visit
Mercer County is rich in history. The Historical Society maintains two specialized museums and two important historic sites in the Princeton area — each an invaluable window into Appalachian life.
Map pins are approximate — please confirm current hours before visiting. Some sites open only for special events.
The Society is based at 908 Harrison Street in downtown Princeton — home to our offices and the research center that holds thousands of documents, photographs and genealogical records. It's open by appointment, and it's the best first stop to plan a visit to any of the sites below.
📚 Plan a research visit →Dedicated to honoring the sacrifice and chronicling the experiences of Mercer County residents who served in conflicts from the Civil War to modern day. Exhibits cover the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I & II, and modern conflicts.
Step back to the era when farming and timber were the backbone of southern West Virginia. The museum showcases historic machinery, homestead-life exhibits and a reconstructed rural schoolhouse.
Princeton was a key hub on the historic Virginian Railway, carrying coal and goods through the Appalachian mountains. The preserved depot — a beautiful example of early-20th-century station architecture — showcases the history of rail travel and the railway's role in the area's economic development.
Please contact the Society for the current visiting location and schedule.
🚂 Visit the Princeton Railroad Museum ↗One of the best-preserved traditional one-room schoolhouses in the county. Dating to 1848, it offers a vivid look at student and teacher life in 19th-century rural West Virginia. The Society undertook a major restoration, transforming it from a neglected, boarded-up structure back to its original functioning appearance.
Our museums are stops on a mapped walking & driving tour that also links Bramwell's Millionaire Row, the Pocahontas exhibition coal mine, the Eastern Regional Coal Archives and Lake Shawnee.