Commissioners OK museum study

WENTWORTH - The Rockingham County Board of Commissioners has agreed to contribute a quarter of the cost to study the feasibility of a county museum.

Dr. Lindley Butler, state historian and a member of a small committee developing museum plans, shared reasons why a museum is needed.

"The need primarily is there are collections out there that over the years have gotten away because there was no place to put them," Butler said Monday night. "No adequate place to safely store, a safe and secure climate-controlled area."

Artifacts that were commonplace 20 years ago are slowly fading from the daily landscape, and with them go the past that shaped a region. Antique automobiles, legacies of Rockingham County's tobacco-producing past and the culture of mill towns need to be preserved and shared with younger generations.

Butler said the historic buildings of Wentworth made it the logical choice for a county museum. Wright's Tavern, Rockingham Community College's historic collections and other older buildings stand in Wentworth, and the town is in a central location to the rest of the county.

Currently, there are no plans to repurpose the existing Rockingham County Courthouse. Once the new judicial center is

completed, the old courthouse will be vacated. With a location in mind and a couple of years to plan, Butler said the museum committee recognized the potential and set to work.

"We came up with the idea of approaching the Historical Society of Rockingham County, the Tourism Development Authority, and the town of Wentworth who would be, in effect, the sort of major players here in the Wentworth area," Butler said. "But this museum is for the whole county. That's our vision for it."

The group then recruited Bill Moore, retired director of the Greensboro Historical Museum, to study feasibility and advise the committee on its initial steps. Butler said Moore built Greensboro's museum into one of the "finest regional museums" in the state over the course of 30 years. Moore agreed to assist the committee, and estimated the study would cost no more than $6,000.

Wentworth, TDA and the historical society have each contributed a quarter of the fee, and Butler was there to ask commissioners for their support and a contribution.

Commissioner Bobby Stanley asked if this study would be compatible with the county's $81,500 space-needs study. County Manager Tom Robinson said the museum feasibility study would complement the larger space needs study. Though a museum was not a need the county government initially considered for the old courthouse, Robinson said it had great potential.

"I've thought since I've come to Rockingham County that would be a perfect use for that old courthouse," Robinson said.

Commissioners expressed their support, saying the county needs to preserve some of the past. Commissioner Bert Jones said the courthouse was the perfect place for a museum. Commissioner Amelia Dallas complemented the museum committee for the work done on the project so far. The board joined the partnership of Town of Wentworth, the Historical Society of Rockingham County and the Tourism Development Authority and approved a $1,500 appropriation from the contingency fund by a unanimous vote.

Staff writer Heather J. Smith can be reached at hsmith@reidsvillereview.com or 39-4331, ext. 16.