Start ExploringLogin

Belhaven Memorial Museum

Belhaven Memorial Museum

Belhaven is a town located in the inner bank region of North Carolina. It is nicknamed the ‘beautiful harbor'. As a result of its close proximity to the ocean, this town of 2,000 people has no shortage of fishermen and farmers.

This town is also home to the intriguing Belhaven memorial museum, which is known to many as the world’s most spine-chilling museum, due to the nature of its exhibits.

Beaufort County And Belhaven

Belhaven Museum is a modest and unique building located at the heart of Belhaven; it is housed on the second floor of the Town hall. The hall in itself is a monument in the history and culture of the town, and just like the museum, it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Belhaven Memorial Museum is non-profit, and as a result, is not heavily funded. This makes it easier to understand why it has no air conditioning. However, the appeal has never been the comfort offered while sightseeing; it is more about the portal to the past that it opens.

This iconic monument owes the most part of its existence to one woman – Mary Eva Blount (1869-1962) and the original collection she gathered, which commenced the operations of the museum.

The Beginning: Mrs. Mary Eva Blount And Her Collection Of Buttons

It all began with a collection of buttons that Mary got from her mother in-law; a collection that grew to 30,000 buttons. These buttons are currently on display in the museum. Mary, being an ardent collector began accumulating items of substance and essence. She soon had a variety of treasures including Christmas memorabilia, toys and dolls, the finest china, period clothing, farm tools, natural specimen, and abnormalities.

It didn’t take long before she was renowned for exploits. Donations teemed in from friends, neighbors, and others who wanted to help her build her collection.

In 1940, at the height of World War II, Mary decided to raise funds for the Red Cross. To this cause, she exhibited her collection in her home at a small fee. The initiative was an instant success and the items had to be moved to her barn where over 10,000 items were showcased.

After her death in 1962 at the age of 93 , the residents of Belhaven purchased her collection of treasures and found a new home for them at the original Belhaven Town Hall which is no longer in use. On April 1, 1965, the Belhaven museum officially opened on the second floor of the edifice. To date, this has been their home. 

Popular Exhibits In Belhaven Memorial Museum

Collection Of Buttons

The buttons which, at first, could be contained in a small box grew in number and are now more than 30 000 in number. Furthermore, there are different types of buttons like the celluloids, bakelites, lucites, vegetable ivory, metal buttons, glass buttons, bone buttons, mother of pearl shell and fabric-covered buttons.

Farm Tools

On display are antique potato planters, sickles, shovels and trowels washed away by time itself. Most of them were donated by people from all over the world

Christmas Memorabilia

There are different Christmas cards, ornaments and ceramic decorations displayed in the museum. Beautiful hand written notes are also preserved

Toys And Dolls

Nineteenth-century dolls had a common feature of being made with porcelain and wood and in the collection are different types of dolls that existed during that period, some of types include Chinese porcelain dolls, bisque dolls and parian dolls

Period Clothing

Displayed are Victorian and colonial era dresses that were the trending fashion of her time including jewelries, blouses, gloves and hats.

Exhibits Of Foreign And Native American Artifacts

Belhaven Memorial Museum is known to contain quite a number of oddities that would make most people squirm. It is also known to display uncommon items that easily showcase the rich culture and artistry of the 19th Century. Some of these items include:

BelhavenMemorialMuseum_03
BelhavenMemorialMuseum_02
  • Three pre-natal babies given to Mary Eva Blount in jars.
  • Pickled tumors gotten from the local hospital.
  • Snakes that were killed by Mary – one was stuffed in an attempt to swallow a wooden egg.
  • A dress worn by a woman that weighed 700 pounds – A crane was used to move her when she passed on.
  • An unused gun shell from the civil war.
  • A ball of string 10 inches wide.
  • An “half boot" from German World War I
  • A flea couple – visible through magnifying lenses.
  • In-grown cataracts and toenails.
  • Mrs. Blount’s products in cans.
  • Old currencies of different denominations.
  • An antique x-ray machine donated by a local dentist.
  • A fetal pig with one eye.
  • A kitten with two heads.
  • A mustache cup and a matching saucer that with this inscription “A mustache makes a man. A razor makes a mouse.”
  • Helmets used during World war I.

Facts And Useful Information Of This Museum In Beaufort County

The museum is declared as a non-profit oriented museum, whose objective is to collect and preserve historical and cultural artifacts. It also aims to encourage interest and support of art, science, and history. Donations are greatly appreciated, with options for tax-deductible donations to maintenance and upkeep of the museum..

The collection is ever-growing because donations of items still flow in from all over the world. Today, these treasures are still displayed in the town hall of Beaufort County. Visitors and tourists are accepted into the museum everyday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm UTC, except on Wednesdays. Admission is free for all and donations are appreciated, for emphasis. The museum also sells local cookbooks containing some cooking recipes of Mrs. Blount.

Listed On Atlas Obscura

It is quite easy to understand why this museum is listed on Atlas Obscura as a destination worth visiting. Atlas Obscura describes this museum as “a monument to the sheer amount of oddities one can collect over time” here.

The museum is one of North Carolina’s most revered monuments, with its unrelenting ability to give a glimpse into the everyday life of the 19th century. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Planning on Traveling Throughout the Eastern North Carolina Area?

Be sure to refer back to our complete list of other sites and attractions across Eastern North Carolina in our main article here: The Historic Albemarle Trail.

ENC Explorer
Author: ENC Explorer

After getting accepted to ECU, I started looking for things to do in and around Greenville, NC. However, my searches kept taking me to places in South Carolina! There must be things to do around ECU, so I started asking other students. They kept telling me to graduate and move away! This inspired me to begin exploring eastern North Carolina and build this website as a showcase of the places to go, sights to see, and things to do all over eastern NC. I have fallen in love with this region and started taking up roots here. After graduating, I didn't move away - I bought a house here and continue to explore eastern North Carolina.

This place is for Publicity

This place is for Publicity

Related Post

Latest Guides Added

Kinston NC Electricians

Read the Guide

Kinston NC Lawn Care

Read the Guide

Kinston NC Roofing

Read the Guide

Kinston NC Car Insurance

Read the Guide
1 2 3 145
crossmenuchevron-down
WordPress management provided by OptSus.com