FROM THE INTERIM DIRECTOR

by Don Pendergraft, Interim Director, Museum of History

Oh, these are the days! I’m glad to be back at MOA—yes, I began working as an exhibit designer here in 1992, and, at that time, the museum’s mission to collect, preserve, and interpret the materials and history of the Albemarle region was our rally cry. In those early years, a small staff did everything at the museum, from planning and operations to putting on an annual fundraising event called the Moth Boat Regatta, so we could continue the process of growing. I am proud of our past efforts and I am excited about our present and future work.

Over the years, I have met many of the founding members, workers, and directors, those who helped establish and build the first museum, which started in 1967 on Highway 17 in an old State Highway Patrol station. I now have the privilege of working with their children and their grandchildren, continuing their legacy in a beautiful cultural center that overlooks the Pasquotank River. We remember their modest start with the original Museum of the Albemarle Charter and Founding Members roster, which hangs in a place of honor in the fourth-floor boardroom. Those members represented our initial 10-county service area, a charge that has now grown to 13 counties.

The Albemarle—with its landscape of towns, farms, swamps, and rivers—is the birthplace of North Carolina, but it also holds a prominent place in the history of the United States, as well as its ecological and economic health. In that vein, we dedicate this edition of The Gateway to agriculture and its importance to the people of the region, state, and nation.

Agriculture is North Carolina’s first and most important industry. Our exhibits show that the Albemarle region has had many patents awarded to the inventors of agricultural implements and tools. In fact, the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” is illustrated throughout our collection. Many museum items donated in our early days ranged from handmade tools, corn shellers, wooden implements, planters, soybean pickers, and plows that span from our colonial times to the depression era. Our Story: Life in the Albemarle displays many of these artifacts.

The idea for a Museum of the Albemarle, planted in 1967 as a small seed, has become a great asset for education and entertainment in the region, a gathering place for residents and visitors alike. I’d like to thank our past and current members and supporters for sustaining the museum. It’s great to see a dream become a reality.