The Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, founded in 1984, serves as Virginia’s state natural history museum as well as a research institution affiliated with the Smithsonian. Originating as The Boaz Foundation, it opened to the public in 1985, became a Commonwealth agency in 1988, and later earned national museum accreditation. Its collections exceed 22 million items and support research in fields from paleontology and archaeology to marine and earth science. Permanent galleries feature major specimens, including an Allosaurus, an ancient baleen whale, and a massive stromatolite, while laboratories, exhibits, and statewide educational programs make it a leading center for interpreting Virginia’s natural history.