Our Museum Exhibits

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#6666FF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000760egblyg.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#330066" FACE="Verdana" ><B>Wrightsville Beach Museum of History</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC3399" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#3300FF" FACE="Times New Roman" >  </FONT><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wrightsville Beach Museum of History"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=193 BGCOLOR="#6633FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="06394620.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="98" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <A HREF="wb_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wrightsville Beach History"><U>WB History</U></A></div> <div> <B>Museum Exhibits</B></div> <div> <A HREF="be_a_donor.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Be A Donor"><U>Be A Donor</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lumina_daze_2005.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lumina Daze 2005"><U>Lumina Daze 2005</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="beach_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beach Links"><U>Beach Links</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="become_a_member.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Become A Member"><U>Become A Member</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Our Museum Exhibits</B></div> <div> The Museum is designed to reflect how life was lived in a typical home on the Beach, and throughout the community. One room of the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History is dedicated to the display of various exhibits pertaining to the area's history. Currently on display are exhibits on the history of the barrier islands, Wrightsville Beach and the Civil War, Hurricane Hazel, and Lumina Pavilion. </div> <div> Artifacts and photographs accent the exhibits, helping to bring Wrightsville Beach history to life. In addition to the displays in this room, visitors can view an oral history video, where longtime residents reminisce about the "good old days".</div> <div> Upcoming plans for exhibits include the history of surfing, the loggerhead turtle watch program, and the history of the trolley. </div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="09735e40.jpg" border=0 width="309" height="228" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8">Bedroom</B></div> <div> In a turn of the century beach cottage bedroom, the theme was simplicity. </div> <div> Pictured here is the jail-house bed retrieved from the servant's quarters at the house's original location. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Bathroom<IMG SRC="098de460.jpg" border=0 width="222" height="326" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8"></B></div> <div> During the early decades of the nineteenth century, bathing was not a regular practice. Indoor plumbing did begin to emerge in the 1830's but usually only in the homes of the wealthy. </div> <div> Bathrooms only became a commonplace feature in the American home after the Civil War due to the rise of industrialization and new ideas on sanitation and cleanliness. </div> <div>  By the 1890's, the American bathroom had developed the general equipment and arrangement that characterize today's bathroom. Standard fixtures included a bath or shower, a toilet, and a wash basin. Designs were kept simple, for the stress was on the utilitarian function of the bathroom. </div> <div> By the early 1900's white fixtures in the bathroom was the trend. Pictured here were typical fixtures of early twentieth century bathrooms--the free standing, single pedestal sink and claw footed tub. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="09946a10.jpg" border=0 width="326" height="161" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8">Kitchen</B></div> <div> In early twentieth century American kitchens the dominant color was white. Walls were frequently covered with white ceramic tile or painted with white enamel paint, as were the furniture and all the woodwork. The ideal kitchen sink was porcelain enameled on cast iron, also in white. For cooking, the convenience and cleanliness of gas stoves took preference in households, as in this kitchen. Displayed here are pieces of china from the Oceanic Hotel, which burned down in the first half of the century, samples of previous linoleum flooring, and a ceiling fan salvaged after Hurricane Hazel, from the nearby Hanover Inn.</div> <div> <B>Porch<IMG SRC="09a47950.jpg" border=0 width="327" height="149" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8"></B></div> <div> Dining was frequently enjoyed outdoors on the porch to take advantage of the cool summer breezes at Wrightsville Beach.</div> <div> The porch was also the place where the icebox was kept, for easy disposal of the melted ice. Here, perishables such as butter, milk, and meats were stored. The icebox was introduced in the 1860's, and in thirty years became a household necessity. It remained the primary food storage appliance until the introduction of the monitor-top refrigerator in 1927. </div> <div> Iceboxes were available in various sizes, ranging from a twenty-five pound to a hundred pound ice block capacity. The trolley brought routine deliveries of ice from Wilmington to the inhabitants of Wrightsville Beach to keep the icebox in working order. </div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="09f41d60.jpg" border=0 width="321" height="214" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8">Beachfront Model</B></div> <div> Couples dance at Lumina to the music of Benny Goodman. A young lady emerges from the bathhouse sporting her new bathing suit. The trolley stops, dropping off its first passenger of the day to Wrightsville Beach. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> These images, along with the sun sand, and ocean, come to life in the museum's centerpiece--a twelve foot model of Wrightsville Beach circa 1910. <IMG SRC="0a146c00.jpg" border=0 width="326" height="192" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="8"></div> <div> Displayed are replications of Lumina, the bathhouse, a working trolley car, Station One, Little Chapel on the Boardwalk, and the museum house in its original location. </div> <div> The construction of this model is due to the skill and craftsmanship of Maricam Kaleel of Model Makers and Bill Creasy.  </div> <div> The museum is handicap accessible. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="museum_exhibits_m.htm" TITLE="Our Museum Exhibits"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History</B></div> <div> 303 West Salisbury Street \ Wrightsville Beach NC 28480</div> </td> </tr></table></body>