A Word From the President:
I have sometimes used this platform to identify current events or issues that may be of interest to our membership. This is one such occasion. A sister organization, the Grayson County Heritage Foundation, has recently announced closing. Regrettably, aging, illness, death and migration have taken its toll. This is cause for disappointment and sadness. Anytime a community loses a civic organization, it diminishes us all.
Yet, this may constitute an opportunity. Even as the Foundation’s archival materials and furnishings are being conveyed to the Grayson County Historical Society, this occasion presents the opportunity to combine both memberships as well as revive and expand interest in this region’s cultural heritage. Grayson County’s history and the cultural patterns that took root here remain an indelible part of this nation’s identity, even though it has often been marginalized and sometimes ignored by conventional historical texts.
We face some headwinds. Americans are somewhat unique among countries that have extensive, even ancient historical narratives. Think China, Japan, Greece and Rome. Even many European countries invest themselves in tradition and the past. Americans, on the other hand, have always looked forward, placing a premium on exploration and discovery,
on mobility, innovation, progress, and what economists call “creative destruction”. History is generally relegated to holidays, movies and to those who properly understand that it is a critical path towards a shared cultural identity. Consequently, local historical societies across the country remain the province of a few often anonymous volunteers dedicated to preserving the memory and soul of a place.
Obviously, there is a gradual shift underway given the interest in Ancestry.com and Finding Your Roots. Yet, even here at our local Historical Society office, we observe that much of this interest remains personal and limited to family genealogy rather than a disposition to explore larger patterns of shared experience.
A second difficulty we face is the declining interest in civics. When the Greatest Generation returned from war, they retained a shared understanding of service to a greater cause. They became Scout Masters, leaders in local Chambers of Commerce, Youth Leagues and other community organizations. They understood civics, not as a particular or temporal obligation, but rather as something fundamental to a good and successful life.
Subsequent generations have lost this sense of civic virtue. Few want to join. Fewer still, want to attend meetings and volunteer their time. Investments in connectedness, community, and social capital have collapsed under the mistaken belief that personal networks built on social media platforms are sufficient.

A third difficulty facing us here in Grayson County is simply demographic. We have consistently lost population over the last 40 years. The County peaked at 17500 in the early 1980s. We fell below 14000 in 2020. Yet, though we are beginning to grow again, we face a conundrum. Grayson remains one of the oldest counties in Virginia. Death rates continue to exceed births. We lose local residents with long established connections to this place even as new in migration is beginning to emerge. Unfortunately, many new arrivals come from entirely different worlds, bringing different points of view, different expectations, and little understanding of local history and identity.
This is why the Grayson County Historical Society is so important. We are the agency of assimilation. It is our mission, not only to preserve the past, but to explain it, to share it, and to build upon it so that future generations can look forward to a better life. We hope everyone will continue to support the effort.

David Hauslohner,

GCHS President and history.