Mercer County Historical Society · Since 1957
Mercer County's history lives here.
The Mercer County Historical Society is the county's nonprofit home for preserving and sharing local records, objects, places, and community memory. Begin at our Princeton headquarters and research center, visit the War and Agricultural museums, or explore Mercer County history online.
Mercer County Historical Society house · Princeton, West Virginia
Hours, contact, and upcoming events.
Find the essential visit information here. Holiday, weather, staffing, and seasonal changes may apply, so call before a long trip.
Through October 1
Sunday 1:00–4:00 PM
Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
1240 Alvis Road, Princeton
Discover your Mercer County story.
Choose an interest to find a source-aware place to begin. This is a guide, not a conclusion: follow the evidence, check access before visiting, and leave room for stories not yet represented.
Choose one or more interests to reveal a thoughtful next step.
A closer look, with the record beside it.
These staff-approved highlights identify their source, credit, and reuse context. A collection item does not appear here until its description, accessibility text, rights, and review are complete.
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One historical society. Museums, research, and countywide preservation.
Founded in 1957, MCHS cares for Mercer County history through its headquarters and appointment-based research center in Princeton, the Mercer County War Museum, the seasonal Agricultural Museum, preservation work, public programs, and partnerships across the county. Choose where you would like to begin.
War Museum
Explore uniforms, letters, artifacts, and the experiences of Mercer County residents who served from the Civil War through modern conflicts.
Museum details → SeasonalAgricultural Museum
Discover historic machinery, farming and timber, homestead life, and a reconstructed rural schoolhouse.
Visitor listing ↗ Across the countyVisit & explore
Use the Society's single visitor hub for hours, museums, maps, tours, historic places, and regional trip planning.
Open the visitor hub → GenealogyUse the research center
Prepare a family-history, property, community, or collections request before your appointment at Society headquarters.
Open Research →Three ways into the story.
Start with a place, an object, or an activity. Sources and uncertainties stay visible.
Mercer County Story Atlas
Follow Princeton, coal and rail, Bluefield Black history, education, and civic life across the county.
Choose a story →
Collections Studio
Search published records, compare evidence, and see what is known—and what still needs research.
Open the collection →
Education Hub
Choose primary-source activities, family mysteries, map investigations, and printable learning trails.
Start learning →