The Birthplace Site
Wytheville museum history Southwest Virginia things to do Wytheville tourism attraction Edith Bolling Wilson Woodrow Wilson presidents Bolling Building
Museum, attraction in Wytheville, VA, shares history of Edith Bolling Wilson birthplace with families, visitors and tourists looking for things to do in Southwest Virginia.
Edith Bolling Wilson Museum Wytheville, VA – Explore History in Southwest Virginia
The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace historic site, or The Bolling Building, is the childhood home of Edith Bolling (Galt) Wilson, First Lady to President Woodrow Wilson from 1915–1921. The Bolling Building is the earliest remaining brick commercial building in downtown Wytheville.

The structure is of an unusual and complicated form consisting of three two-story units: two front-gabled end sections flanking a shed-roofed center section, all sharing a single parapeted front with a false third story. The second story served as the Bolling Family home from 1866–1899. The street-level storefronts consist of three retail spaces, historically serving as a bank in the 1840s, and later a general store, restaurant, and dance studio. It is thought that the building served as a Confederate Hospital during the Civil War. A notable feature of the building is its false third story, a brick parapet with regular spaced false windows that were originally fitted with louvered shutters to hide the blank wall surfaces behind. The average height of the building, and the regular fenestration of its second and false third stories, are thought to be designed to give the building an air of urbanity.

​The building is within the Wytheville Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1994). The site is one of two presidential historic sites located on a Main Street, and one of eight historic sites across the United States dedicated to the interpretation of an American First Lady. The building was named to Preservation Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Site List in 2013 due to the need of immediate roof repairs to address moisture intrusion and deteriorating masonry (this work was completed). In 2014, the organization received seed funding from Preservation Virginia to establish an ADA-accessible museum entrance. On the ground level, the building currently houses Skeeter's World Famous Hot Dogs (which has occupied the building since 1943), The Grind Coffee Shop, and the current museum site. The museum presents the story of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson, displays Bolling Family artifacts, and provides tours and educational programming for various audiences.

The second story, which was originally occupied by the Bolling Family, is in need of restoration.

We continue research of this building’s history. Do you have information or photographs of the Bolling Building? If so, contact us!