Orange County Historical Museum

Orange County Historical Museum Located in Historic Hillsborough, the Orange County Historical Museum is operated by the Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County.

Located in Historic Hillsborough, the Orange County Historical Museum features a permanent display of artifacts that tell the story of Orange County History, from prehistory through the 20th century.

𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our curre...
06/02/2026

𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our current special exhibit "United We Stand." This week we are highlighting Al Duncan, Classics Professor at UNC.

Al Duncan's love of language led him to theater, which led in to ancient Greek and Roman drama, which subsequently led him to become a Classics professor at UNC. He described his work in Classics as "The perfect intersection of language and drama." Among the many aspects of teaching at UNC that he enjoys, Duncan appreciates the diversity and eagerness of the students. He is proud that UNC is a public institution which draws students from across the state. Duncan gives generously of his time and his self, a quality that is appreciated by his students. They consistently describe him as "engaging," "funny," and "kind." His aim is to give them a connection to the past by making the subject matter relevant, asserting, "Classics is there to give something to everyone."

To learn more about Al and the other individuals featured in this exhibit, please visit the museum to view the "United We Stand Exhibit" and make sure to pick up a free exhibit catalogue.
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Those from Hillsborough should be familiar with Margaret Wake Tryon. Two streets in Hillsborough are named for her, Wake...
06/01/2026

Those from Hillsborough should be familiar with Margaret Wake Tryon. Two streets in Hillsborough are named for her, Wake Street and Margaret Lane. She was the wife of Royal Governor William Tryon. While on her trip to the UK, Courtney was able to view this portrait of Margaret at the Stranger's Hall Museum in Norwich. The portrait is located in the Georgian dining room. Neither Margaret nor her cousin who hangs next to her have any connection to the house. A donor, who was a descendant of the cousin, gave the museum the paintings in 1952.
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Unite with us to help us produce high-quality exhibits and programs year-round. We can't do what we do without our frien...
05/29/2026

Unite with us to help us produce high-quality exhibits and programs year-round. We can't do what we do without our friends. If you would like to support the work we're doing, please consider becoming a friend of the museum by making a minimum $25 donation at orangehistorync.org/donate. All friends receive recognition on our website.
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We are loving the new America 250 banners that have gone up around Hillsborough! It's an exciting year across the countr...
05/28/2026

We are loving the new America 250 banners that have gone up around Hillsborough! It's an exciting year across the country as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and we are happy to play a small part in those celebrations. Our current special exhibit "United We Stand" explores America's first motto as it applies to Orange County history, looking at how six key themes have united and divided our community.
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𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our curre...
05/26/2026

𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our current special exhibit "United We Stand." This week we are highlighting Kafi-Ayanna Allah, Local History Librarian at the Orange County Public Library.

Kafi-Ayanna Allah never expected to be working in a library. Although she grew up visiting libraries and has always been an avid reader, she said "it never dawned on me that this was something people could do." Her journey to becoming a librarian was much like her approach to the job: one of exploration, adaptation, and calm. Recently, Kafi became the library's local history librarian. In this capacity, she has been re-organizing the stacks and creating guides to the resources available, in order to make the collections more accessible to researchers. She noted, "The people who are from here absolutely care about history. This is where I want to be — where I feel like I should be."

To learn more about Kafi and the other individuals featured in this exhibit, please visit the museum to view the "United We Stand Exhibit" and make sure to pick up a free exhibit catalogue.
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We are closed today for the holiday. We will reopen tomorrow with our regular hours!
05/25/2026

We are closed today for the holiday. We will reopen tomorrow with our regular hours!

We can't do what we do without our friends. Contributions during our annual friendship campaign help us produce high-qua...
05/22/2026

We can't do what we do without our friends. Contributions during our annual friendship campaign help us produce high-quality exhibits and programs year-round. If you would like to support the work we're doing, please consider becoming a friend of the museum by making a minimum $25 donation at orangehistorync.org/donate. All friends receive recognition on our website.
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Check out this week’s What Happened? article in the News of Orange to learn about the pioneering photographer Bayard Woo...
05/20/2026

Check out this week’s What Happened? article in the News of Orange to learn about the pioneering photographer Bayard Wootten
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𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our curre...
05/19/2026

𝙀𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩! Each week we will be highlighting one of the incredible Orange County residents featured in our current special exhibit "United We Stand." This week we are highlighting Glenn Dicker, co-founder of Redeye and Yep Roc.

Glenn Dicker's love of music and his desire to chart his own course led him to co-found a business that has had a tremendous, positive impact, both on other musicians and on business people who also want to remain independent. Since the late 1990s, his Redeye distribution company and its in-house label Yep Roc Records have been providing artists and other labels with the production, marketing, and sales tools they need to thrive. Dicker describes the business model as "fiercely independent."

To learn more about Glenn and the other individuals featured in this exhibit, please visit the museum to view the "United We Stand Exhibit" and make sure to pick up a free exhibit catalogue.
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Working here has turned our staff into weights and measures nerds! Exhibits and Programs Coordinator Courtney is current...
05/18/2026

Working here has turned our staff into weights and measures nerds! Exhibits and Programs Coordinator Courtney is currently on holiday in the UK and shared these photos of some rather cool sets of weights and measures, some dating all the way back to the reign of Elizabeth I! But we still think our set is the coolest!
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Address

201 N Churton Street
Hillsborough, NC
27278

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 4pm
Tuesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+19197322201

Website

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