When families outgrow their homes, oftentimes they look for something in the same area with more bedrooms or bathrooms to make everyone more comfortable. That’s kind of what Edith Thompson is hoping to do with the African American Cultural Museum – their Oxford Road location actually used to be a home, but the museum quickly has outgrown its space.
The museum needs more space – inside and out, Thompson told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town.
“We’re excited about the future of the museum,” she said, noting that several groups have visited and held programs there recently. But parking is an issue, she said. And so is the underground oil tank, a relic of an obsolete heating system.
So for now, the museum is on pause for groups to come and visit. And Thompson and others are hopeful to find a spot in downtown Henderson to meet their needs.
“We need more space…we need to expand to incorporate an exhibit on the Henderson community,” Thompson said. A virtual tour will be posted on the museum’s website, www.rebuildcommunitiesnc.org, in the next 30 days or so, she said. A virtual tour will have to suffice, she said, until the museum’s docents once again can entertain face-to-face tours.
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“We put a lot of money into renovating this space,” Thompson said, so she and other museum supporters are disappointed to have to be looking for another space so soon.
“We do what we must,” she said optimistically. “It’s a good sign that Henderson loves us and is really embracing us.” She said educating young people is a prime mission of the museum, but museum organizers also had a vision that the museum would attract more visitors to the Henderson area.
She said the plan is to be back open in time to celebrate Black History Month 2023. “Excuse us while we take a brief hiatus,” Thompson said. “We will be back.”
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