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The Museum is open from 10am - 5pm Tuesday through Saturday






Changing Exhibits

Toy Time - Those Fabulous Folk Toys  December 8 - May 11, 2024 




Upcoming Events

Sat Mar 30 @ 1:00pm - 05:00pm
Beginner Blacksmith Workshop with Master Blacksmith Joe Allen
Sat Mar 30 @ 8:00pm -
Cherry Orchard Theatre Evening at the Museum: The Distance Between Us
Sat Apr 06 @11:00am - 03:00pm
Surry Nature-Fest

Who We Are

 

Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

IMG_8201_-_Copy_606x640 Ours is an all American story - typical of how communities grew up all across our great nation. While our story takes place in the back country of northwestern North Carolina at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is likely to bear many similarities to the development of crossroads, towns, and cities throughout America.

It had taken little more than 100 years for the corridors along the coastline of this still-new continent to overflow. As tensions grew and conflicts flared, the pioneer spirit set in. Families literally packed up everything they owned and headed into the unknown-searching for the "promised land."

Mission Statement:

The Purpose of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History is to  Collect, Preserve and Interpret the Natural, Historic, and Artistic Heritage of the Region

                                                                      Adopted by the Board of Directors   October 9, 1995


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Mount Airy Museum Of Regional History

Beginning Genealogy Class offered by Museum in Mt. Airy and Dobson

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Genealogy was so important in biblical times that people never left home without carrying a copy of their family tree.  “It was like their social security card,” said Esther Johnson, president of the Surry County Genealogical Association, adding that researching one’s ancestry has endured as a popular hobby.  “People have always wanted to know who they are and where they come from.”

Johnson will be teaching a series of beginning genealogy classes in February and March for anyone with those same questions.  Students will learn how to read and fill out a family tree using correct notation and how to use various resources in the community to do research.  The program is run through the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, where the first class was held Tuesday.  Spaces are still available in the remaining four classes, which will be held Feb. 16, 23, March 1 and 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.  Anyone interested may register for any or all of the classes.  The location of the classes — which are free for museum members and $5 per class for non-members — depends on the topics covered that day.  The Feb. 16 and March 8 class will be held in the museum’s second floor classroom.  The Feb. 23 class will be held at the Surry County Register of Deeds office at 201 East Kapp St. in Dobson.  The March 1 class will be held at the Carlos Surratt Genealogy Room at Surry Community College.

Johnson said many beginners have a family tree in their possession but often don’t know how to “read” it or fill one out.  “They need to know themselves how to put down names and dates,” Johnson said, which helps even when using computer programs such as Ancestry.com.  It makes them more adept at understanding what they might find while researching.  “They need to know what is a real source,” from an unreliable one, and how to correctly document sources, Johnson said. “People will tell you anything.”  Students emerge from the class better equipped to unlock secrets from their family’s past — the fun part.  The teacher recalled an instance from her own genealogical research.  Her great-grandfather had been identified as a military deserter in a book about the Civil War.  Johnson obtained a war record from Richmond, Virginia, that on the back side listed details of her ancestor’s capture and release. He was no deserter.  “He was released on his birthday,” she said.  “It’s just those mysteries people love.” 

Although it’s not required, those who want to use the class time to actively research their ancestry may bring laptops.  Family tree forms will be provided to students.  “We always have the best time,” Johnson said. “You will never be depressed. It’s just educational and is really interesting. (Genealogy) keeps you busy, keeps your mind going, it keeps you young.”  For more information or to register, call Amy Snyder at 786-4478 ext. 227 or email aesnyder@northcarolinamuseum.org.  Annual memberships to the museum can be purchased for $25 for seniors and students or $40 for an individual.

Grant Received From Duke Energy

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PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Matt Edwards, Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Executive Director

336-786-4478, mjedwards@northcarolinamuseum.org

February 3, 2016

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation in support of the annual changing exhibits program.

Each year the museum develops and displays three to four changing exhibits on topics relevant to our area’s history, art or culture. During 2016, the museum will be hosting local photographer Kenny Hooker, the traveling exhibit “We are the Music Makers,” and museum curated exhibits on Surry County Quilting Traditions and Technology Advances of the Farm and Home from 1860-1960.

“The changing exhibit program is an important part of our mission to collect, preserve and interpret our shared history” says the museum’s Executive Director Matt Edwards. “These exhibits give us a chance to delve into parts of our collection that aren’t normally on display and to work with local collectors to tell unique and interesting stories from the past” he adds.

Duke Energy is a long-time supporter of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History with capital, program and operating support dating back to the museum’s establishment in 1993. “Duke Energy is proud to be a supporter of the Mt Airy Museum for Regional History and to help enable new exhibits. It’s important to understand the history of our region. The museum is an important part of the community, providing an educational experience for both young and old,” said Jimmy Flythe, Director - West Region, Government and Community Relations of Duke Energy Carolinas.

The Duke Energy Foundation actively works to improve the quality of life in its communities, lending expertise in the form of leadership and philanthropic support to charitable organizations. Duke Energy has long been committed to building and supporting the communities in which its customers and employees live and work.

For more information about the museum’s upcoming exhibit and programs visit the website at www.northcarolinamuseum.org.

Museum to host genealogy swap meet

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To those seeking a productive way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the dead of winter, the Surry County Genealogy Association has a suggestion:

Attend a free family history and genealogy swap meet scheduled Saturday at Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the third floor of the museum on North Main Street.

After being held sporadically over the years, the genealogy swap meet was conducted in 2015. It now is planned for the second year in a row on the final Saturday in January, after a big turnout the last time — apparently fueled by a renewed interest among the public in family history.

“Last year, we had so many people there,” Esther Johnson, president of the Surry County Genealogy Association, said of the bustling activity at the museum. Tables were set up all over the third floor, filled with published family histories, laptop computers and more.

As was the case last year, Don Edmonds, a member of the group, will have a computer there offering free access to the Ancestry.com Internet site, a key source for genealogical information.

A copying machine will be available on-site.

“But the big thing is, everybody is invited,” Johnson said. “This is a fun time for everyone.”

Novice? No problem

The event is geared both toward those who’ve never even gotten started researching their roots and veteran genealogists who might be seeking a key bit of information to connect a family line.

In addition to the hard-copy and digital resources available, many at last year’s family history and genealogy swap meet said they appreciated the opportunity it offered to interact with others and exchange information. In at least one case, two strangers there realized they were related.

Anyone connected with a history or genealogy group is invited to come and set up for the swap meet and advertise their group. They may sell books, maps and other materials from those groups.

Authors also are invited to come and put out their books to sell.

Those attending are asked to bring and display their genealogy information so everyone can make connections and find new family facts, Johnson added.

“If you have never done genealogy, don’t worry — come and see if someone else has done the research of your family.”

Such an event is important to the mission of the Surry County Genealogy Association, according to Johnson, a charter member of the group that will celebrate its 35th birthday in May.

The association was formed in 1981 with the help of Carlos Surratt, a late longtime official of Surry Community College and noted local historian, to help people trace their family roots and learn about ancestors, preserve records and gain knowledge about the history of this area.

“It is up to us to know and write and tell the truth about our families,” Johnson said.

Community members, youth honored at MLK tribute

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Near the beginning of a ceremony honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday night, event organizer Cheryl Yellow Fawn Scott asked each half of the audience to stand and thank the people in the other half.  The crowd of more than 100, filling the third floor of the Mount Airy Museum of Modern History and divided only by the center aisle, happily complied.  The gesture set the tone for the evening, a lesson in brotherhood and a reminder of how the civil rights icon changed lives in big ways and small. Now in its 12th year, the program titled, “In The Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Surry Countians Continuing the Dream,” serves as a bridge between past, present and future.

Through musical performances, poetry, storytelling and speakers sharing excerpts from some of King’s most poigniant speeches and writings, the civil rights icon and other influential figures were honored and remembered. Chrissie Watkins’ dynamic reading of the poem “Go Down, Death (A Funeral Sermon)” by James Weldon Johnson drew one of many standing ovations.  Other performances at the gathering included Marie Nicholson’s creative interpretation of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, “His Eye is on the Sparrow” sung by soloist Revetta King, and storyteller Terri Ingalls’ story of Robert Small’s “pivotal moment.”  A rendition of Jesus, My Rock by the Triumphant Pentecostal Church Choir had most people’s hands clapping and feet stomping. 

With an eye toward the present, several individuals were recognized at intervals throughout the program for their work embodying different aspects of King’s teaching: E.J. Spencer, self-reliance, Karl Allen, leadership; Edward Spencer, perseverance; and Donnie Nicholson, service.  “I love people,” Spencer said to the audience, noting a simple philosophy that drove him: “Treat people like you want to be treated.”  Many responded to that with an emphatic “Amen.”  The program culminated with the presentation of the annual Martin Luther King Dreamer’s Award — named for King’s most famous speech — which was given to Jimmy Stockton.  Scott said that the most important group highlighted in the program is that who represent the future.  Four young people were recognized for their activism and contributions to church and community: Cheyenne Allen, Iyana Hughes, Shapell Hughes and Braxton Easter.  “We look at the youth who are in different ways embodying the life and ways of Dr. King,” Scott said. “We honor and recognize them for the work that they do.” 

Matthew Edwards, museum director, said the event is one he looks forward to bringing his children to every year.  “This is always one of our best attended programs,” he said. “We’re just the host venue, and we’re grateful to be beneficiaries to this event.”  “It’s like old home week here,” Edwards told the crowd of more than 100. “A lot of the folks have been coming here for years. It’s great to have them here at the museum.”

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