Orange County Historical Museum

The Orange County Historical Museum was founded in 1957. The Museum was originally located on the second floor of the Historic 1845 courthouse, and with the tireless efforts of the Hillsborough Garden Club, the Museum became a reality. In 1983, the Museum moved to its current location. The Museum’s building (and the site that the building sits on) is as much a part of the history that the Museum preserves as the artifacts inside of it. The building site was initially home to St. Matthew’s Church, erected in 1768 and used for the North Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1788. An interesting fact about the Constitutional Convention is that the delegates that attended the meeting voted against ratification because of the lack of a Bill of Rights in the Constitution (the Consitution would not be ratified in North Carolina until 1789, making it the twelfth state to enter the Union). The building that is now on the site was built as a library as a part of the U.S. Civil Works Administration’s efforts during the 1930s. There are a number of wonderful artifacts inside the museum that give a glimpse of the great history of Hillsborough and Orange County. The Museum also has things to do for kids upstairs if you are looking for some activities to do with your little ones.

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Resources

https://www.orangehistorync.org/

https://www.facebook.com/orangehistorync

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Location

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Social Media