Virginia has a very long and diverse cultural history, beginning with Native Americans populating the area at least 16,000 years ago. Every cultural and ethnic group that has lived in Virginia has left evidence of their occupation behind, and the VAARNG Cultural Resource Program strives to identify and document this history on all Army National Guard controlled property in the state so that we may learn about how those who came before us lived.  This cultural evidence ranges from Native American arrowheads, to early settlers’ farmsteads, to historic cemeteries, to military POW camps; all are an important part of our shared heritage.   

To comply with state and federal historic preservation laws, as well as Army regulations requiring the identification and significance evaluation of all historic properties that might be impacted by development or maintenance projects and by Army National Guard activities, the Cultural Resource Program conducts archaeological surveys and historic building surveys of facilities throughout the state.  Over 200 Native American and historic period archaeological sites have been identified; nearly 40 of these are significant enough to require further excavations to determine their potential for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Twelve individual buildings under the stewardship of the VAARNG have been recommended as eligible to the National Register of Historic Places. These include a WWII era chapel (building 3001) and airplane hangar (building T0025) at Fort Pickett, the Chatham, Farmville, Franklin (Vaughan), Onancock, Radford, and Roanoke armories, warehouses at Richmond Waller Depot, and building 150 at DSCR. The historic State Military Reservation at Virginia Beach was placed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Artifacts, field notes and photographs collected during cultural resources surveys are curated and archived at the VAARNG Artifact Curation Facility within Fort Pickett. The Curation Facility also houses the VAARNG Historical Collection consisting of uniforms, equipment, photographs, newspaper clippings and archives covering the history of the Virginia Guard from 1607 to present. The facility is open for viewing or research purposes by appointment.

The goal of the CRM Program is to facilitate and support the training mission of Virginia National Guard soldiers while preserving the heritage of all Virginians embodied in the cultural resources under our stewardship.