The Albemarle’s
Own Museum
One» rule* liulils: everything here is by,
for. or of this ancient 10-eouiity are».
loeoted oo U.S. 17 south ol Eliiobclh City, The
Museum of the Albemofle hos recently con¬
structed new buildings to eipond its exhibits.
»i; in \\k >i. uoiii;kts
The slate's Northeastern corner, the
Albemarle area, is one of ihe oldest,
continuously inhabited sections of
America. And one of North Carolina's
newest and smallest museums tells its
story.
The Museum of the Albemarle, on
U. S. 17 south of Elizabeth City, has
been operative since 1967 and recently
completed construction of new build¬
ings to tell more about the area and
the people it represents.
The story of the museum itself is an
example of dedication to a vital pro¬
ject. It came into being only because
many people volunteered time and ef¬
fort to make it a reality.
The Pasquotank Historical Society
and the Elizabeth City Chamber of
Commerce, realizing the need for a
museum, raised enough funds in the
early 1960’s to promote the project so
that others would also be made aware
of the need.
They did this by setting up an his¬
torical display in an Elizabeth City
church. Eiach of the Albemarle's 10
counties was given space to exhibit
what they had of historical interest.
As a result the need for a museum
was understood by the general public.
Coast Guard Honored
The usual amount of paper work
and red tape occupied the next couple
of years. In 1965 the General Assem¬
bly passed a bill alloting S43.600 for
construction of the museum. It was
open two years later.
Some of its exhibits have changed
little since then, others change con¬
stantly.
One that has remained essentially
the same tells the history of the area.
Lifelike displays of cave dwvllcrs, the
story of the Duke of Albemarle
(George Monck) for whom the area
was named. Indian artifacts found in
the region can all be seen.
In a barnlike building behind the
main room is another display that has
changed little over the years.
Called "I he Four Seasons of the
Year" it contains four stalls, each rep¬
resenting what the title implies, per¬
taining to farm life since the Albemarle
is essentially an agricultural area.
But other exhibits constantly
change. There have been tributes to
the Coast Guard because Pasquotank
County is home for the Elizabeth City
Coast Guard Air Station, the largest
such facility in the world.
There have been displays of old
periodicals, collections of cigarette
cards, costume exhibits, photographs,
duck decoy collections, tributes to lo¬
cal industries.
Made in the Region
And each Christmas the museum
comes up with one of its most popular
attractions. "Toys of Christmas Past"
features wagons, dolls, windup toys
and games from before and during the
turn of the century.
Most of those items, like many
others in the museum, are donated or
loaned by area residents.
But one rule holds. All that is on
display must have been made or used
in the Albemarle area.
The museum shop is more up-to-
date in its offerings, but the rule stands.
Food, clothes, books and novelty items
on sale there pertain to the area.
And schools in the area work with
the museum, many teachers taking
their students on tour there. In addi-
The museum work» closely with schools in ihe 10-county oreo, ossisting wish reguloi lours; and
coch ycor seventh graders porlicipole in a contest to stimulate their interest in locol history.
□
the STATE. October 1. 1972
