Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society
Founded in 1940 as the Albemarle County Historical Society, ACHS now encompasses the history of both Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville. Located in the historic McIntire Library building, ACHS offers a rich archive on local history, artifact-based exhibits both in the building and out in the community, historic walking tours around the downtown area, and regular educational programming.  These resources are open to all members of the community and visitors to the area anytime ACHS is open. The organization focuses strongly on the three tenets of its mission: to collect, preserve, and share. As of 2026, ACHS is looking to the future - planning for growth and hoping to continue offering more to everyone in the Albemarle-Charlottesville area, and beyond.

Olivia Brown is the Executive Director for the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS), a role she has held since April 2025. In her first year as Executive Director, Olivia has worked to increase the community's knowledge of such an important local resource, drawing attention to the educational programs, historic walking tours, and incredible archives stewarded by ACHS. She, along with her Board of Directors, has embarked on the organization's first strategic planning process, engaging with community members to learn how it can grow to better serve Charlottesville and Albemarle County in the future.

Olivia has been in the public history field for over ten years, with her first job in museums and historic sites as a Tour Guide at James Monroe's Highland. She received her undergraduate degree in History and American Studies from the University of Virginia, and during those years worked with Virginia Humanities and the Eastern Shore Museum Network. Following graduation, she became a part-time Tour Guide at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, a connection that would bring her back to Charlottesville later on. Brown received a Master's degree in Public History with a concentration in Museums, and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Management from the University of South Carolina. She worked as Community Programs Manager at the Bucks County Historical Society's Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, running everything from a two-county National History Day competition to an annual "wizarding" summer camp. Brown returned to Charlottesville in 2021 at which time she also returned to Monticello as a Tour Guide, Tour Supervisor, and Guest Services team member. In 2024, she joined the Board of Directors at the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, a role she would only hold for one year before joining ACHS as staff. Though she has worked in many parts of the museum world, interpretation, programming, and education are her areas of focus and her true passion. She looks forward to continuing to bring that expertise to ACHS.