Mission Statement:
The mission of the Valentine Richmond History Center is to engage, educate, and challenge a diverse audience by collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s history.

The Valentine Richmond History Center plays an important role in the social fabric of the Richmond community. As an urban museum, located in the heart of Richmond’s downtown, the History Center has witnessed and influenced change in areas such as education and the promotion of community pride, while also serving as a conduit for change in the sensitive areas of racial and ethnic division. The unique strength of the History Center lies in its ability to present and interpret an entire city’s culture through its exhibitions and public programs. It is through innovative programs and expanded community awareness that we are able to carry out our mission and to engage the broadest audience in an ongoing dialogue about Richmond and its history.

The Valentine Richmond History Center’s vision is to be recognized as the premier source for experiencing Richmond’s history—using its past to inform the present, and to shape the future. For over 100 years, the Valentine Richmond History Center has celebrated one of America’s most historic cities. It has collected more than a million objects, preserved photographs, textiles and artifacts and interpreted 400 years of Richmond’s history through items of everyday life. It is this tradition that will guide the History Center's future.