Onslow County Museum opens 'Shall We Gather' exhibit on history of worship; exhibit runs through June

The Onslow County Museum opened Shall We Gather, an exhibition about the history of worship and places of religious gathering in Onslow County, museum staff said on the county’s media program. The exhibit will remain on view through June.

Emily Baker, collections manager at the Onslow County Museum, said the exhibit began after the museum received a donation from Sandy Run Missionary Baptist Church—a stained-glass window and a deacon’s chair that survived Hurricane Florence. Baker described those objects, choir robes, a pulpit and other items as focal pieces that helped shape the exhibition’s narrative about places of worship across denominations.

Baker said the museum is continuing to accept church histories, photographs and artifacts on loan to expand the exhibit’s scope, and that additional windows and items have already been offered in the days after opening. “As word got out about the exhibit… it’s just been astounding to see all of these different people come and want their story told,” she said.

The museum provided contact information for visitors: phone 910-324-5008, and for event and exhibit updates follow the Onslow County Museum on Facebook or Instagram or check the museum’s website. Baker said the display will remain on view until June and that research-room materials will be available for longer-term historical reference.

The segment described an onsite exhibit and did not announce acquisitions policy changes beyond its ongoing acceptance of loans and photographic histories.