The Museum of the Cape Fear is located in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina. Opened in 1988, the museum features exhibits that reflect the history of the region. Exhibits showcase artifacts and information beginning with the region’s Native Americans in the Paleo-Indian Period and culminating in the early twentieth century.
The Museum of the Cape Fear is comprised of two floors of artifacts, including items from the American Indians, European settlement, African American slavery, industry, the Civil War, and more. Changing exhibits are featured in the special exhibits gallery. Frequent special events and educational programs are featured, such as the 2010 Festival of Yesteryear, where storytellers regale visitors with tales of colonial NC. The Museum of the Cape Fear also conducts research into events of the past through archeological digs on the museum’s property.
As both Fayetteville and Cumberland County have a rich military heritage, including Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base nearby, the Museum of the Cape Fear features a variety of military exhibits.
The City of Fayetteville is an excellent home for the Museum of the Cape Fear, as the city’s historic downtown boasts a fine selection of restored buildings. The Historical Complex where the Museum of the Cape Fear is located is also home to the 1897 Poe House and Arsenal Park. The 1897 Poe House is an architecturally significant late-Victorian residence built by the Poe family of Fayetteville, which now serves as a historic house museum interpreting early twentieth century social history.
Arsenal Park is a nearly 5-acre site that contains the remnants of the United States Arsenal. Built by the federal government in 1836, the arsenal was used to store arms and manufacture ordnance goods. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the State of North Carolina ordered its seizure and turned it over to the Confederacy. The park is used for events conducted by the Museum of the Cape Fear for historical education.
Currently Museum of the Cape Fear, located at 801 Arsenal Ave. in Fayetteville, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM and from 1:00PM to 5:00PM on Sundays. Admission is free, and an on-site gift shop is available. The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission to provide funding to the complex.
The Museum of the Cape Fear is a sister museum of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. Other museums in the network include the following: the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City; the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center in Old Fort; the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and its branch in Southport; and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras. Together, these museums highlight North Carolina’s history with 150,000 artifacts representing six centuries.
