In the Exhibitions

What's in the Galleries?

Our Story: Life in the Albemarle

The Albemarle represents a unique place—half land, half water. The story of this place comes alive in Our Story, a tale of how our communities have adapted to the challenges and opportunities of our unusual home.

Our Story: Audio Tour

Virtual tour provides in-depth overview of the region and its progression through various eras of transportation. Now available in English and Spanish.

North Carolina Shad Boat

The official State Historical Boat of North Carolina was first built in the early 1880s by George Washington Creef of Roanoke Island. The shad boat on display here at MOA was constructed in 1904 by renowned boat builder and decoy carver Alvirah Wright.

Working Birds: Decoys and Their Carvers

Lobby exhibit showcasing decoys from the museum’s collection.

Albemarle Profile: Staff Sergeant Dorothy Bellamy

(opens May 11, 2023)

Small case display focusing on the military career of Perquimans County resident Dorothy Bellamy.

Century Farms of Northeastern North Carolina

Multimedia display of photographs of centennial and bicentennial farms of northeastern North Carolina.

Freedom! A Promise Disrupted: North Carolina, 1862-1901

This traveling exhibit, on loan from the North Carolina Museum of History, depicts the struggle that newly freed African Americans faced to maintain their freedom in the post-Civil War and Reconstruction Era of North Carolina.

Guardians of the Land: Discovering Indigenous Americans

A children’s exhibit that focuses on the regional tribes of northeastern North Carolina.

High on the Hog

(closes June 3, 2023)

Hogs have found their way into our lives and culture, playing a significant role for families in northeastern North Carolina. This exhibit looks at how pigs have become a part of our family, home, and livelihood.

Nell Cropsey: 120 Years of Mystery

(Reopens April 13, 2023; closes May 6, 2023)

Revisit this lobby display highlighting the death and disappearance of nineteen-year-old Elizabeth City resident Nell Cropsey.

Pollination Investigation

Poster display from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service that explores the who, what, when, where, why, and how of pollination by interpreting the unique relationship between pollinators and flowers.

Reliving the 1970s: Toy Edition

(Closes May 1, 2023)

This small case display highlights toys produced in the 1970s.

Rock of the Eye: Boatbuilding Traditions Around the Albemarle Sound

Exhibition highlighting boatbuilding traditions and the crafters who helped shape the Albemarle region.