This handmade ballot box was the property of the Botetourt Courthouse Precinct in Fincastle. The box was used when voting took place in the Courthouse before it burned in 1970. Fortunately, the Courthouse Precinct had been moved to Peter’s Store in the Flatwoods section north of Fincastle and this ballot box escaped the fire. Later, the Courthouse Precinct and the ballot box were moved back to the Botetourt County Courtroom. John Rader Jr., president of the Botetourt County Historical Society & Museum donated it to Botetourt’s History Museum where it has been used as a box for donations for at least 15 years. The History Museum has been free to the public for over 55 years.