This gem is the Pender County Museum, operated by volunteers of the Pender County Historical Society.
“The historical society celebrated the 100th anniversary of the house in 2017,” said Jeanette Jones, a board member and former president of the Pender County Historical Society. The brick house is the home of the Pender County Museum.
“The Pender County Historical Society was started by the late Mary Caputo and Anthony Caputo and several residents who were interested in preserving Pender County history,” said Jeanette.
Anthony and Mary Caputo and several other couples looked through barns where artifacts were stored. Local families donated items of historical
significance and each artifact was authenticated and recorded.
The Pender County Historical Society purchased the brick house for the museum in 1979.
“The house was the first brick home built in Burgaw,” said Jeanette. “It was built in 1917 by Mayor A.E. Burton with bricks made just a few blocks away.”
Mayor Burton only lived in the house for one year. He sold it to the Bannerman Family.
The house served as the local infirmary that specialized in tonsillectomies.
“Many seniors will remember having their tonsils removed,” said Jeanette. “Children stayed the night to recover.”
Eventually, three of the Bannerman sisters donated their shares of the house to the historical society. The widow of the Bannerman brother sold her share for $6,000.
“The house needed repairs before we could open the museum,” said Jeanette. “Anthony Caputo and Harold Aitken did most of the work and served as overseers for the entire project.”
The museum opened in 1980 with a collection that is large enough to be rotated. The only rooms that are not rotated are the War Room, the Medical Room, and the Brides’ Room.
The War Room features uniforms and commendations of servicemen from the area. The Medical Room displays utensils and instruments used on the sick and infirmed, including the medical bag used for house calls. The Brides’ Room features wedding gowns that are decades old.
“I am partial to the Brides’ Room,” said Jeanette, who donated the wedding dress that she and all three of her sisters wore at their weddings.
Other exhibits capture everyday life as it was in the early days of Pender County. There’s a wonderful exhibit on blueberry farming and blacksmithing too.
In addition to the exhibits, the historical society numbers, and records every donation. Clippings from newspapers and magazines are archived. A project to scan more than 20,000 documents and materials is underway.
“Our goal is to eventually share the documents with the library to make them available for the public,” said Jeanette.
The Pender County Museum is used frequently for family and genealogy research.
“Visitors that had ties to Pender County come here,” said Jeanette. “It’s interesting to hear their stories.”
Most of the visitors to the museum come from outside of Pender County and outside of North Carolina.
“We’ve had visitors from outside the country tour the museum,” said Jeanette. “We receive many compliments on what a nice museum we have here.”
Admission to the Pender County Museum is free. Memberships to the Pender County Historical Society pay utility bills and insurance for the museum. Memberships are affordable, starting at $20 and up to $300 for a lifetime membership.
The museum also supplements the cost of supporting the museum through various fundraising events. They coordinate the extremely popular Burgaw Holiday Tour of Homes. The tour is set for Dec. 3. Tickets go on sale this month.
The historical society is also a partner with Pender County Tourism, the Historical Society of Topsail Island, and Pender Arts Council in the production of Ghost Walk: The Ghosts of Pender’s Past.
“We appreciate our members and partners,” Jeanette said.
The president of the historical society for this term is Shelby Battles.
“Shelby does a wonderful job,” said Jeanette. “All of us are volunteers.”
The museum is open Thursdays and Fridays from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The museum is located at 200 W. Bridgers St. in Burgaw.
For more information about the Pender County Museum and the Pender County Historical Society, go online at https://pendercountymuseum.webs.com or call 910-259-8543.
