Current Exhibits
The Story of Davidson County
December 2022 (Permanent Exhibit)
The Story of Davidson County traces 200 years of county history and so much more - located in the historic courtroom.
A HISTORY OF EDUCATION
IN DAVIDSON COUNTY
This exhibit traces the development of the education system from Colonial America to present, noting major changes over time. This exhibit also recognizes how race, class, and gender have historically determined access to education. School Spotlights showcase select public and private places of learning, each one serving a unique student body at different periods of time in Davidson County’s past. Featured artifacts contribute to our historical understanding of local schools and classroom culture.
H. LEE WATERS PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY: Movies, The Cinema and Uptown Culture -
The H. Lee Waters Photography Gallery: Movies, the Cinema, and Uptown Culture, features photographs of historic uptown Lexington - the city’s cultural epicenter where people worked, congregated and even saw themselves on the silver screen.
Beginning in the 1930s through the 1940s, Lexington’s studio photographer, H. Lee Waters, traveled throughout North Carolina and neighboring states making movies of “Everyday People.” It was this strategy that helped his business survive the Great Depression and, incidentally, documented the people that lived during an era that changed American history.
THE MYSTERY UNDER MAIN STREET
Join the Davidson County Historical Museum and our friends at Davidson Living Magazine, on our quest to find rumored tunnels under uptown Lexington. Our findings may surprise you. Watch the video version of this exhibit.
BREAKING THE HINDENBURG LINE The First World War began in 1914 and lasted until 1918. The Great War had been raging in Europe for three long, bloody years before the Americans became involved on April 2, 1917. Davidson County National Guardsmen played a pivotal role breaking down the German defensive stronghold known as the Hindenburg Line, bringing an end to the war.
THE COUNTY SEAT COMES OF AGE
(Closed for renovations. Making way for Davidson County, Full Steam Ahead! exhibit)
Lexington is named the county seat in 1824 and incorporated by the General Assembly in 1828. By it's 101st birthday the city is straddling rail lines sparking local ambitions and will soon become a booming manufacturing center and hub of socioeconomic development. Learn about the county's emergence during 20th century Industrial Revolution.
ORDER IN THE COURT
One of the few remaining historical courtrooms in the southeast open to the public comes to life! Figures inhabiting our 19th century courtroom, staged to depict a case held in the 1920's, help you learn the various roles played while court is in order.
Future Exhibits
If you’ve visited us recently, you might have heard about the new permanent exhibit we are excitedly working on, made possible by the generous support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services Inspire! Grants for Small Museums. We are thrilled to finally announce the exhibit’s name…
Davidson County, Full Steam Ahead!
Davidson County, Full Steam Ahead! invites you to travel back in time to explore the impacts of the railroad on Industry in Davidson County.
Even our youngest visitors can learn and play in this exhibit through immersive hands-on activities. Visit the train depot and find out what county-made products are being shipped by rail, grab a basket and harvest farm produce, and report to duty on the Davidson Co. Assembly Line.
Learn more about the contributions of the county’s diverse workforce in People of the Workforce hall. Here, digital interactives feature photos, videos, and personal accounts of residents sharing their experiences working in Davidson County throughout the 20th century. This content includes oral histories collected throughout the museum’s ongoing African American Heritage Project. If you have a story you’d like to share, contact us today.
Davidson County, Full Steam Ahead! opens this year, 2023! Stay tuned for updates.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Inspire! Grants for Small Museums [IGSM-251501-OMS-22]. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
THREE CASES, THREE OUTCOMES
This exhibit will focus on three infamous trials that took place in the old courthouse, each story with its own unique twist. Through original court documents and newspaper accounts, visitors will learn firsthand details of the crimes, trial, and outcomes.
Past Exhibits
Elvis Visits Lexington, Pop-Up Exhibit.
April 2022 - Summer 2022
Pop-Up Exhibit, Elvis Visits Lexington is open now! This small display features details about Elvis's stay in Lexington and more. Did you know Elvis wasn't the only world famous musician of his time to perform here? Visit the pop-up exhibit to find out more.
The Games We Played
April-September 2021
Cabinet Of Curiosities
2018-2020
The Story of BBQ in North Carolina
September 24th - October 26th, 2019
Off The Pages: Bringing Literature to Life through Historic Textiles 2017-2018
Treasures from the Collection 2015-2017
H. Lee Waters Photography Gallery 2015-2017
Serving Country and Community: VFW Post 3074
2013-2016
Shadows of the Past: The native American Peoples of the Yadkin Valley
2011-2012
Books and printed materials are still available at the Museum for these exhibits:
The Best We Every Saw: Early Courthouses of Davidson County
A Delicious Country: Settling The Backcountry of the Yadkin Valley
Marking our Civil War Trail in Davidson County
WWII Exhibits:
Band of Family's: Davidson County's Home Front
Our Own Band of Brothers