Eden Preservation Society

EDEN HISTORICAL MUSEUM

This is our Story...
Three Towns...
Two Rivers...
One Tale...

The Eden Historical Museum is an initiative of the Eden Preservation Society. It is a private, not-for-profit museum, staffed completely by volunteers.

After two years of fund-raising and temporary exhibits, the museum held its official ribbon cutting on September 19, 2009, at which time about half of their permanent displays were unveiled. When all exhibits are completed in 2010, the museum will tell the history of what is now Eden, North Carolina, from Prehistoric times to the consolidation of Leaksville, Spray and Draper in 1967 to form one city, including: The Triassic Era, Saura Indians, William Byrd, the rivers, Leaksville Landing, the Civil War, textile mills, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, people, places, events, and much, much more!

MUSEUM PHOTOS

Some local artifacts that the museum is currently seeking include:
-A Hampton Buggy wheel
-World War I items
-Korean War items
-Vietnam War items
-Any other interesting items relating to local history

LOCATION
Eden Historical Museum
656 Washington Street
Eden, NC 27288

HOURS
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(and other times during special events)
Open by appointment for groups of 10 or more.

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 264
Eden, NC 27289-0264

Admission:
$1.00 for adults
Children under 12 free with adult (except groups)

See map for location

Contact us!

MUSEUMKIDS
Contact us for more information about our
MUSEUMKIDS Programs for 4-7 year olds!

MUSEUM NEWS

Feb. 23, 2010
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of one of our valued Eden Preservation Society members and dedicated museum volunteer, Pat Whitten. He passed away quietly on February 22nd after a lengthy illness. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, that memorials be made to the Eden Historical Museum, PO Box 264, Eden, NC 27289-0264. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and community.

Feb. 19, 2010
We would like to thank DYER'S SHEET METAL for donating a new heating system to the EDEN HISTORICAL MUSEUM after the old one became irreparable this week! Since we are a 501c3 non-profit organization that depends upon donations for our operations, this was a most-welcome donation! Please tell them "Thank you for supporting the Eden Historical Museum!"

Jan. 26, 2010 - Congratulations to the Eden Historical Museum for winning the Community Appearance Award at the Annual Eden Chamber of Commerce Dinner!

Jan. 25, 2010 - Happy 50th Birthday to Morehead Memorial Hospital!
The Eden Historical Museum is pleased to announce that it will be the first stop of Morehead Memorial Hospital's traveling display board highlighting 50 years of caring for our community. The museum is open on Saturday's from 10:00-4:00 and the display will be at the museum from Sat. February 6th through Sat. March 6th.

Museum Building now has a Historic Building Marker The Eden Preservation Commission, in conjunction with Eden Tourism Development, is in the process of developing a Historic Building Marker Program. The purpose of the program is to recognize and identify historic or architecturally significant buildings in the community in order to make the public aware of the importance of these structures to the history of the City. The building that houses the Eden Historical Museum is commonly known as the Roberts Café & G.J. Grill Building. We are proud to have been one of the first recipients of these beautiful markers!

MillerCoors Donation
Sept. 30, 2009 - We are pleased to announce that the museum has received a generous donation of $5,000 from MillerCoors to be used towards our permanent exhibits! They have always been great supporters of community projects and events, and Eden is fortunate to have such a civic-minded corporation in our midst!

Sept. 19, 2009 - Our official Ribbon Cutting was held to unveil Phase One of our permanent exhibits!

Sept. 13, 2009 - Eden Sunday News article - Eden Museum Gears Up for Grand Opening.

Sept. 9, 2009 - Greensboro News and Record article - From Dinosaurs to Today: Telling the Story of Eden.

June 24, 2009 - Although construction of the permanent exhibits is still underway, the museum will be open during the afternoons of the Eden Farmer’s Markets this Summer, from 3-6 pm, with photo albums from the Francis Photography Collection available for patrons to browse through. Upcoming dates are: July 3 & 17. August 7 & 21. September 4. October 2 & 16.

May 10, 2009 - Read the NEWS & RECORD article: Freeze Frame: Old Photos Shed Light on County’s History, about the FRANCIS PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION at the Eden Historical Museum.

April 28, 2009 - Congratulations to the Eden Historical Museum which received an Appearance Award on April 27th from the Eden Community Appearance Commission!

Feb. 7, 2009 - Bank's Gift Opens Doors to Eden Historical Museum

Feb. 5, 2009 - Endowment From Bank Helps Fund Eden Museum

Jan. 8, 2009 - GRANTS & DONATIONS
-Home Savings Bank recently approved the museum's grant application. We are most appreciative of their generous support!
-Luther Hodges, Jr. (son of the former NC Governor) paid a visit to the museum in late November and afterwards made a contribution to cover the sponsorship of one of our display bays.
-Despite numerous contributions in 2008, we are still $20,000 short of our goal to complete Phases I and II of our exhibit displays. WE NEED YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS!

Dec. 2008 -
-FRANCIS PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM -The museum recently acquired the Harold Francis Photography collection and volunteers spent a day sorting the items on Nov. 22. Much more work is necessary to get the items properly organized, cataloged, and eventually digitized for easier access. Call 623-6393 if interested in helping.
-CHRISTMAS TREE -Residents of the Boone Road Historic District contributed $240 to buy the museum a new Christmas tree and trimmings.... it is LOVELY!

Sept. 19, 2008 - The opening night of RIVERFEST was a great success! We had numerous visitors through the MUSEUM who got to see the first section of our permanent exhibit, which tells the story of the Triassic Period in this area. We have on display a fossil of a tiny reptile called a Tanytrachelos and a fossilized trackway (footprint) of a dinosaur (possibly a Coelophysis), that lived in this area over 200 million years ago! Temporary displays include items from the Civil War, artifacts from WWII, and scrapbooks and collages of historic photographs donated to the museum by Roscoe Hankins. Our future plans include permanent exhibits that tell the history of Leaksville, Spray and Draper.

Sept. 13, 2008 - We are currently preparing the MUSEUM for RIVERFEST which will be held Sept. 19-20 in the Olde Leaksville shopping District! We will be offering vistors a glimpse of our upcoming permanent exhibits as well as many temporary exhibits that include items which have been loaned or donated by individuals. We are still seeking items and photos from Leaksville, Spray and Draper for our permanent exhibits that fit into the following categories: River History/Bateaus, Saura Indians, Civil War, Reconstruction, Early Mills, WWI, WWII, and more. Contact Melissa Whitten for more information.

August 10, 2008 - The EDEN HISTORICAL MUSEUM is undergoing some renovations to prepare for our PERMANENT EXHIBITS! We are currently awaiting the arrival of new carpet for the exhibit area, generously donated by Karastan! Once the carpet is installed we will begin construction of the Harold Francis Photography Room and the permanent exhibit partitions.

APRIL 5, 2008 - "WORLD WAR II, A REMEMBRANCE" Another great exhibit at the Eden Historical Museum! The kick-off for this month long exhibit was Saturday April 5. We had military vehicles, a "USO Canteen" serving cokes, coffee and donuts, a USO Dance Hall, a "Pucker Up In Times Square" photo opportunity and a memorial ceremony which included a 21 gun salute and Taps. Special acknowledgements are in order to Pat and Melissa Whitten for gathering and organizing the many artifacts found locally for this special exhibit. See slideshow of opening day of this exhibit HERE.

-EDEN LOOKS BACK AT WWII - The Eden Daily News April 6, 2008.

-RECALLING WWII - Article about the WWII exhibit. The Eden Daily News April 2, 2008.

March 11, 2008:
Our 2 (yes, two!) MARCH MADNESS TAG SALES (March 1 & March 8, 2008) at the EDEN HISTORICAL MUSEUM were huge hits! Thank you to all who contributed items for this sale. Proceeds will be used to fund the month-long WWII exhibit in April.

February 24, 2008:
The Eden Historical Museum was the setting today for a CELEBRATION OF THOMAS DAY (1801-1861), the African American Cabinet Maker of Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina. Speakers included Ken Grady (a staff member of the Thomas Day Education Project), Marian Thomas (of the Thomas Day House in Milton) and Melissa Whitten who gave a wonderful visual presentation telling the history of this remarkable man and artisan.

Dec. 2, 2007:
Our 11th Annual CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES and BAKE SALE was a sweet success! This years Bake Sale was held at the new Eden Historical Museum amid the "Christmases Past" exhibit. Wanda Hamrick, Louise Price, Melissa and Pat Whitten, Julie Hampton Ganis, and Phyllis Stickels labored long and hard to make a fascinating nostalgic display of old toys, books, and memorabilia loaned by Wanda and other Society members. SEE PHOTOS FROM THE BAKE SALE AND EXHIBIT!

Nov. 22, 2007:
In conjunction with the unveiling of the new RIVERBOAT MEN MURAL in the Leaksville Shopping District on Nov. 1, 2007 (sponsored by the City of Eden and the Bricolage Arts Festival), the Eden Historical Museum housed a temporary display about the creation of the mural. The museum displayed this exhibit Nov. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16.

Oct. 15, 2007:
THE JESSE JAMES EXHIBIT on Oct. 13, 2007 was a lot of fun and raised some much needed funds for the museum! We had visitors from various parts of NC, Virginia and elsewhere come through the museum that day. Thank you to everyone that made this event possible!

Sept. 15, 2007:
Our volunteers have worked extremely hard over the past couple of weeks to get the museum presentable for RIVERFEST! We had a wonderful turnout for our opening weekend, although Friday night Sept. 14th was rained out, we had a great crowd come through the museum on Saturday. Even though we do not have a permanent exhibit set up yet, we had temporary displays of historic images of Eden (Leaksville, Spray and Draper), which included photographs, scrapbooks, as well as a slideshow of historic properties.

-A MUSEUM FOR EDEN - N.C. NorthStar Article - Sept. 5, 2007

Sept. 2007 - A museum for Eden has been a long-time dream for the Eden Preservation Society, and that dream has finally become a reality, thanks to the generosity of Tommy & Jean Harrington. They have offered EPS the use of a historic storefront location on Washington Street to use as a museum. Although the building is rent-free and staffed by volunteers, EPS is responsible for expenses such as utilities, display cases, visual presentations, office supplies, advertising, interior maintenance, etc. Contributions are needed for these and other expenses associated with operations.