The fully restored and richly detailed 1755 Mitchell Map encompasses 4 1/2 feet by 6 1/2 feet and rests on a wall of the Scottish Factor Store. The map was used to negotiate the treaties that ended the Revolutionary War, define eastern states boundaries as recently as the 20th century and was consulted in the 1980s to settle an international dispute. Other exhibits include “The Oyster is King,” a celebration of the people, boats and tools of the trade that revolved around the all-important oyster, a signature Chesapeake Bay species. Also learn about tobacco and how it spurred the economic rise of Virginia as an economic and political powerhouse in the New World.

Prominence is also given to an exhibit titled “The Oyster is King” that celebrates the people, boats and tools of the trade that revolved around the all-important crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster that’s a signature Chesapeake Bay species. “The Oyster is King” exhibit charts the rise of the oyster from its origins as a source of food for early inhabitants to becoming an economic engine of the region. The exhibit features artifacts, photos and models of historical boats that revolved around the oyster industry.