Chapel Hill Museum
Chapel Hill Museum was a local cultural and historical museum in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The museum was founded in 1996 by leaders of the Town of Chapel Hill's Bicentennial Committee and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. In the decade since its founding, Chapel Hill Museum averaged over 20,000 visitors a year and provided education programs to over 3,500 local students a year. The museum closed on July 11, 2010. History. The building in which the museum was housed was designed by architect Don Stewart and dedicated in 1968 as the Chapel Hill Public Library . Though contemporary in design, the structure and site incorporate many familiar elements of Chapel Hill construction, such as stonework and lush vegetation. After a new library was built on Estes Drive, the building at 523 E. Franklin had multiple uses, including the housing of the Chapel Hill Historical Society, before becoming the site for the Chapel Hill Museum. The upstairs was divided among two gallery spaces, a gift shop, a director's office, a volunteer room and a kitchen/workroom space. On the lower level is a meeting room, the offices of the Historical Society, and the archival storage areas  of the museum. Since its opening in 1996, the Museum engaged in partnerships with numerous community organizations, university departments, and individuals, including: the Arts Center, Carolina Center for Public Service, Chapel Hill News, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Chapel Hill Fire Department, Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill Garden Club, Chapel Hill Historical Society, Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, International Association of Firefighters, Kidzu Children's Museum, Lincoln High School Alumni, North Carolina Botanical Garden, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, North Carolina Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer  Service, North Carolina Historical Reenactment Society, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, North Carolina Pottery Center, North Carolina Symphony – Triangle Youth Symphony, Orange County Arts Commission, Orange County Smart Start Program, Preservation North Carolina, Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, Robert Ruark Society, Ruth Faison Shaw Foundation, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Southern Foodways Alliance, The Paul Green Foundation, Town of Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill Public Library; Parks and Recreation; Bicentennial Committee; Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership; Archives/Storage for Town and Library; Sister City; Town archives research support), Triangle Guild of Weavers, Triangle Youth  Ballet, UNC-CH (Center for the Study of the South; Coker Arboretum; Creative Writing Department; Department of English; Department of History; Kenan-Flagler Business School; School of Journalism – Photojournalism program; School of Medicine – The Burn Center; School of Public Health; Service Learning Program – APPLES; Wilson Library – North Carolina Collection; Southern Historical Collection; Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center), University of North Carolina Press, and Visitor's Bureau of Orange County/Chapel Hill. Individuals include Michael Brown, Mildred Council, Janet Green, Kaffe Fassett, Bill Friday, Frances Hargraves, Mark Hewitt, Luther Hodges, Jr., Everett James and Nancy Farmer, Alexander Julian, Thomas Kenan  III, Georgia Kyser, Howard and Lillian Lee, Siglinda Scarpa, Bland Simpson, R.D. and Euzelle Smith, Maxine Swalin, James Taylor, Bob Timberlake, David zum Brunnen and Serena Ebhardt. The collection. Past Exhibits. A sample list of past exhibits. There are more past exhibits listed in the Chapel Hill Museum Archives online. Chapel Hill Museum collaborated with the Robert Ruark Society of Chapel Hill and the UNC-Chapel Hill's Creative Writing department's second annual Robert Ruark Short Story Award ceremony to present the special exhibition documenting this journalist/novelists colorful life (1915 - 1965) and work. It included his works and  many photographs. Education Programs. Chapel Hill Museum's Education Committee has operated education programs since 1999. These programs are used by and provided free of charge to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district, home schooling collectives, and the public and private schools of Orange, Chatham, and Durham Counties. More than 3,500 students per year are served by Chapel Hill Museum's Education Committee's programs. The Museum's education programs are developed, implemented and maintained by volunteers. The Education Committee is made up of professional educators whose experience spans a range from elementary grade level through university professorships. In 2005 , the Education Committee was awarded the North Carolina Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in recognition of the years of hard work, exceptional effort, and successful programs that have benefited thousands of children. All of the Museum's education programs meet state-mandated curricular requirements for area educators.