User:Hillsborough history/sandbox

The Orange County Historical Museum was chartered in 1956 in Hillsborough North Carolina. Local families donated domestic goods, military relics, costumes, and furniture from their homes, largely from the 18th and 19th centuries, to create the museum’s collection. The museum officially opened on November 10, 1957 and was first located in the second floor courtroom of the 1845 courthouse in Hillsborough. In 1983, the museum moved out of the courthouse into its current location, the Confederate Memorial Building at the corner of Tryon and Churton Streets.

The Hillsborough Historical Society was founded in 1962 and became a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in its first year of existence. The Society published a Historic Journal from its founding until 1995, when it turned over that responsibility to the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough.

The Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County was formed on May 21, 2007 through the merging of two existing groups, the Hillsborough Historical Society and the Orange County Historical Museum. The Historical Foundation operates the Orange County Historical Museum. The expressed mission of the Historical Foundation is to enlighten and engage the local community and visitors from around the world by preserving and interpreting the history of both Hillsborough and Orange County. The general goals are to:

1.	Operate the Orange County Historical Museum.

2.	 Collect, preserve, catalog, and house historic artifacts and documents relevant to Hillsborough and Orange County history.

3.	Use the Museum’s collections as a tool for educating the public about our history through exhibits, in-house and outreach programs, public lectures, publications, and special events.

4.	Make historic documents, artifacts, photographs, and other records available to those researching Hillsborough and Orange County history.

5.	Provide support and assistance for historic preservation efforts in Hillsborough and Orange County.

Current Programs and Services of the Orange County Historical Museum

1.	Heritage Education Programs (History Fun Days, Colonial Quilt Program, Jr. Curator Programs, Life as a Mill Worker Program)

2.	Traveling Trunks (Daily Life, Conflict: War and Peace, Life as a Mill Worker)

3.	Participation in Hillsborough’s Last Fridays

4.	Temporary exhibits, at least 3, museum curated each year

5.	Colonial Kids Day and Family Fun Days

6.	Collecting, organizing, and maintaining an archive available for use by researchers

7.	Stores and Stories programs on historical topics, such as the history of Julian Carr and the Occaneechi Farm

Visit the Museum's Website