The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

about the history and cultural heritage of southern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. Opened in 1988 and located in Fayetteville, the museum is a regional branch of the

North Carolina Museum of History The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

. The complex includes the main history museum, the 1897 Poe House, and Arsenal Park. Exhibits at the museum include Native Americans, European explorers and settlers,

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, transportation by

plank road A plank road is a road composed of wooden planks or puncheon logs. Plank roads were commonly found in the Canadian province of Ontario as well as the Northeast and Midwest of the United States in the first half of the 19th century. They were oft ...

s and

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

, local industries including the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, textile, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be Natural material, natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry p ...

and

naval stores industry The naval stores industry collects, processes, and markets forest products refined from the oleoresin of the slash pine and longleaf pine trees (genus ''Pinus''). The industry was associated with the maintenance of the wooden ships and sailing ...

, the history of Fayetteville during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, natural history and folk

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

. An early twentieth century general store with period merchandise is on display.http://www.fayettevillenc.net/sites/st_capefear2.htm Fayetteville, N.C.: Museum of the Cape Fear The 1897 Poe House is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

that has been furnished for the late

Victorian period In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

. Docent-led tours discuss the changes in the era's social, cultural and family history. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983. Arsenal Park, located behind the museum, is a four and a half acre park that features the remains of the Fayetteville Confederate

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

that was destroyed by Gen.

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and his 60,000-man army in March 1865. The museum maintains the park.

References

Photos of the museum and exhibitsFayetteville Arsenal
- Waymarking

External links

* {{coord, 35.054512, -78.892651, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NC, display=title Museums in Cumberland County, North Carolina History museums in North Carolina

Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex is a museum about the history and cultural heritage of southern North Carolina. Opened in 1988 and located in Fayetteville, the museum is a regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History in R ...

Historic house museums in North Carolina Museums established in 1988

Local museums