Mar 3, 2021
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Jennifer Furr, Director of the Wilkes Heritage Museum, which features exhibits about local history in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The museum tells a story of how the community has evolved through the wonderful artifacts that it displays within its historic buildings.
Among the reasons people typically visit the museum include experiencing the community’s history of moonshine, how the company known today as NASCAR came to be, and hearing the story of Tom Dooley.
“Those are the things that Wilkes County is more known for,” says Jennifer, “but once we actually get them in through the door, they realize that there is this whole other world here as well.” Out-of-county, out-of-state, and even international visitors, who may only be expecting their time at the “small-town museum” to be short, often end up staying all day.
The Wilkes Heritage Museum was established in 1968, its original intention being to restore the Old Wilkes County Jail to its 1860 appearance. Also restored following the jail were the 1779 home of Captain Robert Cleveland and the late 19th century Finley Law Office. The building housing the museum itself used to be the 1902 Wilkes County Courthouse. It is a historically significant building reflecting North Carolina’s architectural hallmarks of the time.
The museum has exhibits on two floors. The lower-level features artifacts from the county’s early settlers and different aspects of society and culture, from religion to moonshine to racing to agriculture to transportation. The upper level contains additional exhibits on Native Americans, African American history, the Revolutionary War, military history, and the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. This space doubles as a venue for special events such as concerts, weddings, and fundraiser dinners.
Asked how Jennifer feels about having a career that allows her to, literally, participate with history, she says that there is never a boring day. As the museum’s curator, she wears a lot of hats, but for her, “talking to people who bring their treasures in and learning those stories is probably the best part of my job.”
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