“An unusually interesting museum….” #museummondays

During the 1930s,  the Museum was successfully reestablished in its new location. 

According to an article in the 1932 newspaper, “Through the work of the Rev Andrew J. Howell, head of the New Hanover Historical commission, the Sorosis club, and other interested parties, Wilmington can now boast of an unusually interesting museum, considering the short length of time of its inception.  The museum, located in two rooms of the new court house, third floor, and started a year ago with a scanty number of articles, now contains hundreds of rare relics of great value from pre-historic items through various periods in American history.  Many foreign relics also are to be seen.”

Items came into the Museum from a variety of sources:  Sometimes they came via the city of Wilmington.  A confederate flag came into the Museum that way, as did this image of George Washington.

This image of George Washington was donated to the city in the 1920s.  It later became a part of the Museum collection.

Items still landed at the Museum because of the work of the United Daughter of the Confederacy.  In 1937, this "homeopathic pharmacy" was "loaned by the heirs of John Walker to Cape Fear Chapter UDC #3 and by this Chapter Loaned tothe New Hanover County Museum."   

 

Despite the newspaper's claim that the museum was "unusually interesting,' records in the Museum's files indicate that, in the 1930s, a only few hundred people a year visited the museum.