Our exhibitions illustrate mountain societies and the natural world, past and present. Temporary exhibits have been produced around such themes as blacksmithing traditions, Cherokee myths and legends, and the southern Appalachian handicraft movement. Traveling exhibits look at North Carolina's State Dog, explorer William Bartram, and the tradition of Decoration Day.
Gallery Exhibits
The Center maintains three major galleries. Gallery A houses the Center's only permanent exhibit while Galleries B and C house traveling or temporary exhibits. Smaller photographic and thematic displays are exhibited along the wormy chestnut-lined lobby areas.
Gallery A
Migration of the Scotch-Irish People
Gallery B
Horace Kephart in the Great Smoky Mountains
through September, 2013
Featuring Horace Kephart's camping gear. For a tease, see Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma.
Gallery C
The Secret Life of Museums
through August, 2013
Gallery C is currently a collections workshop where MHC staff and student workers are inventoring and caring for many of the Center's 10,000 collections objects. Visitors will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our collections, which range from prehistoric Native American artifacts to quilts and coverlets to WCU memorabilia.
Groups may make a reservation for a brief presentation by MHC staff on how to preserve
family treasures. 828-227-7129 or email our curator Pam Meister
South Lobby
A Craftsman's Legacy: The Furniture of Jesse Bryson Stalcup
Ongoing
This exhibit showcases woodworking tools and hand made furniture, used or made by Jesse Bryson Stalcup (1860-1931) a master carpenter who lived in western North Carolina. Born in Swain County, Jesse grew up as a skilled carpenter. Jesse Stalcup settled in Macon Count with his wife, Alice Florence Kelly (1862-1948). The Stalcups settled in Macon County, where Jesse worked as a carpenter, millwright, and Baptist preacher.
100 Years of Service: Home Demonstration Clubs in North Carolina
Opening August 1, 2013
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North Lobby
Western Carolina University: The Progress of an Idea
Ongoing
Music at WCU
Ongoing
This exhibit traces how Robert Lee Madison's "Cullowhee Idea" in 1893 became the seed that sprouted "normal schools" across North Carolina and resulted in WCU and its mission of service to the region. The exhibit includes a changing section that will highlight various aspects of university life. The first iteration will focus on the rich legacy of formal and informal musical activity at WCU.
WCU emeritus history professors H. Tyler Blethen and Curtis W. Wood, authors of "A
Mountain Heritage: The Illustrated History of Western Carolina University," headed
the exhibit team. Blethen, Wood and MHC director Scott Philyaw also have collaborated
on a Web-based university history, which will become part of WCU's website later this
year.
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Lobby Cases
Two of our lobby cases feature a Civil War Mystery! They tell the story of a Union
army corps badge belonging to Captain George S. Orr of the 77th Infantry Regiment of
the NYSV that ended up in a Jackson County flea market in 2010. Become a "history
detective" as we trace the badge's journey from New York to North Carolina.
Two other cases feature the Mountain Heritage Award winners for 2012: Rob Tiger and the Jackson County Genealogical Society.
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Online Exhibits (open in a new window)
- After the War: Conflict and Domestic Change in the NC Mountains
- Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present
- Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma
- MHC Quilts at the Quilt Index
- Nantahala Power & Light
More Online Content at DigitalHeritage.org
Essays, videos, and images on the culture, land, and institutions of the mountains
including Horace Kephart, Scotch-Irish Migration to western NC, and Stereotypes in popular culture such as movies
Also see:
Digital Heritage for teachers
Traveling Exhibits: our exhibits for your institution.
"Bartram's Journey: The 1775 Journey of William Bartram to Western North Carolina"
- Currently Available -
Read a description of the original exhibit from 2007, see page 6 of the Reporter pdf.
"Our State Dog: North Carolina's Plott Hound"
May 13 - June 14, 2013 at Fontana Village, NC
June 22 and 23rd, 2013 at Plott Fest in Maggie Valley, NC
Read a description of the original exhibit. The traveling exhibit does not include artifacts.
"Decoration Day in the Mountains"
- Currently Available-
Read a description of the original exhibit and book of same name. The traveling exhibit does not include artifacts.