Pender County Museum reopens: Here are 5 things to know about new exhibits, hours

Madison Lipe, Wilmington StarNews
·4 min read
The Pender County Museum reopened after being closed for around four months to fix structural damages and create two new exhibits.
The Pender County Museum reopened after being closed for around four months to fix structural damages and create two new exhibits.

After being closed for months, the Pender County Museum in Burgaw has reopened with two new exhibits on the steamboat era and the Canetuck School, which is one of the best preserved Rosenwald Schools in the region.

Here are some things to know about the reimagined version of the museum and things to look for when you visit.

Everett K. Ward Jr.'s model steamboats

In the detailed steamboat era exhibit titled Black River, Point Caswell and the Steamboat Era, there is a case full of Everett K. Ward Jr.'s steamboat models. His models are built to replicate Steamer Thelma, which was the last steamboat to run on the Cape Fear River, and the Whitlock, which was the last to run on Black River to Point Caswell. He also made models of the Lisbon and Frank Sessons steamboats.

The models are made out of bass wood and made with a 1:50 ratio. It look Ward just under eight years to finish building all of the boats. The last one he made was the Whitlock, which he calls his "COVID boat." He said he tried to replicate the boats in as much detail as he could from photographs, but the real history lies within the model cargo pieces that are in each boat because it shows the history of the economy through the region.

Original school desks from the Canetuck School

In the second exhibit, titled the Canetuck Rosenwald School, visitors can learn about Julius Rosenwald and his vision to provide school buildings for African Americans throughout the rural South.

Visitors can see school desks that came directly from the school. The exhibit tells the story of how the community earned a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation as well as how the Black community came together to raise over 45% of the total cost of the school.

PHOTOS: Rosenwald schools past and present in the Wilmington area

Relatives of steamboat owner A.J. Johnson, Amos McLamb, right, and Joshua Scott McLamb, left, posed next to an exhibit panel that shares information about Johnson. Amos McLamb is the grandson of Johnson and Joshua Scott McLamb is the great grandson of Johnson.
Relatives of steamboat owner A.J. Johnson, Amos McLamb, right, and Joshua Scott McLamb, left, posed next to an exhibit panel that shares information about Johnson. Amos McLamb is the grandson of Johnson and Joshua Scott McLamb is the great grandson of Johnson.

The history of local families

Perhaps the most interesting part of the museum is how relatives of those featured in the steamboat exhibit still tell the stories of their family members today.

Family members of Amos James Johnson, Amos McLamb and his son Joshua Scott McLamb were in attendance at the museum's opening Thursday, Feb. 8. Amos McLamb's grandfather was Amos James Johnson, also known as A.J. Johnson. Not only did Johnson buy the Lisbon, which was the first steamer from Lisbon on the Black River, above Clear Run, to Wilmington, but he was an agri-businessman and a chief promoter of steamboats. He lived at Clear Run in Sampson County on the Upper Black River, which is where Amos McLamb and his wife still reside.

Another family member with a plethora of information on the history of her ancestors was Carolyn Simpson Whitley and her cousin Billie Miles. Whitley grew up in New Jersey, but her family would travel to Pender County in the summers to join relatives. Her fourth great-grandfather Peter Simpson owned the Alice, which he named after his daughter.

Simpson was a former slave and against the odds, he was able to become emancipated and became literate as well as a landowner and successful businessman. He reported to the 1900 U.S. Census that he resided in the Grady Township of Pender County and married Vallie E. in 1884.

Billie Miles, left, and her cousin Carolyn Simpson Whitley, right, hold a picture of Whitley's fourth great grandfather's steamboat called The Alice. Both Miles and Whitley were in attendance at the Pender County Museum's reopening Thursday afternoon in Burgaw.
Billie Miles, left, and her cousin Carolyn Simpson Whitley, right, hold a picture of Whitley's fourth great grandfather's steamboat called The Alice. Both Miles and Whitley were in attendance at the Pender County Museum's reopening Thursday afternoon in Burgaw.

Why the museum itself is unique

The Pender County Museum closed for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic and then reopened shortly before closing down again.

Janet Rivenbark, president of the Pender County Historical Society, said the museum had some structural damage, so they closed for around four months to fix the damage and to create the two new exhibits. The museum is also completely volunteer-run.

The building that the museum is home to is the first brick house built in Burgaw in 1917. The house is also known as the Burton-Noel House and it was donated to the Pender County Historical Society in memory of Kate Buck Noel. The Historical Society restored the house and dedicated the museum in 1982.

What you should know if you want to visit

The Pender County Museum is located at 200 W. Bridges St., Burgaw, NC 28425. Visitors can come explore the exhibits free of charge from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Pender County Museum reopens with exhibits on steamboats, Rosenwald school