Matthews Heritage Museum is one of the oldest buildings that you can find in the heart of Matthews, a town in North Carolina. The museum located in the Massey-Clark House was built in the early 1880s for Dr. Henry V Massey, a physician and a veteran of the Civil War. This house today represents a good example of how the houses were built in most towns in North Carolina in the early 1900s.
Despite being a small museum, it offers visitors the opportunity to learn something about the history of Matthews and reflect on the lifestyles of the first settlers. The Early Commerce Gallery showcases relics from the early railroad days and the King Cotton. You will be able to see what the banking area looked like, see their old telephones and switchboards, and listen to stories from that era.
If you’d like to explore the lifestyles of the early residents, head to the Lifestyles Gallery, where you will discover how people lived in the pre-electricity era, also a time when piped-in water was just a dream. Porches were a hit during this period, too, and excellent schools were a central part of the community.
At the Community Gallery, you will find out what happened at the local drug store. You will see how the doctor’s office was set up and hear nostalgic stories about the local pool. Artifacts and antiques from the last century are on display. You’ll be able to watch clips about the early Matthews in the Community and Lifestyle galleries.
Guiders tours are available from Thursday to Saturday from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Larger groups should call ahead and plan their visit with the staff of the museum because the exhibit locations are small, and you will need some help to coordinate your visit. In the end, we can say that Matthews Heritage Museum should not be judged by its size alone, because everything is well archived and put together. If you are passing through the town, you should take some time to visit it.
To get to Matthews Heritage Museum from Performance Lawn & Landscape, you need to drive along Monroe Expressway/U.S. 74 Bypass Rd. for 16.5 miles. It will take you about 20 minutes to get there.
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