Cowan Museum of History and Science

Cowan Museum of History and Science The Cowan Museum of History and Science is housed within the Kelly-Farrior House (ca.1848) and has an adjacent historical park and botanical garden.

Closed for Veterans Day on Nov. 11, 2025. Hours of operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Currently public restrooms are not available. The Duplin County Social Media Policy may be viewed at:
http://www.duplincountync.com/wp-content/uploads/Duplin-County-Social-Media-Policy.pdf

Southern Touch Painting, Inc. out of Jacksonville, NC, did a beautiful job painting our front porch! Thanks for the good...
08/26/2026

Southern Touch Painting, Inc. out of Jacksonville, NC, did a beautiful job painting our front porch! Thanks for the good work.

We'd like to thank Braswell Home Improvements and repairs in Kenansville, NC, for bringing the museum's 1984 bathroom in...
08/24/2026

We'd like to thank Braswell Home Improvements and repairs in Kenansville, NC, for bringing the museum's 1984 bathroom into modern times. (Left is before. Right is the updated bathroom.)

This week we are having our bathroom remodeled, replacing fixtures from the 1980s! Some of the galleries aren’t accessib...
08/19/2026

This week we are having our bathroom remodeled, replacing fixtures from the 1980s! Some of the galleries aren’t accessible currently, but the project may be finished by this coming Friday, 8/21/26. The museum and historical park are still open, though, and Duplin County Library brought over a story walk which is located along the brick pathway through the park. “Emma and the Bees,” is the title of the book and is written in both English and Spanish. Thank you, Duplin County Library!

Oh, and how could we forget to let you know that there are a couple of new residents in the botanical garden? They are eager to meet museum visitors!

Our staff had the pleasure to meet the staff of the To***co Farm Life Museum last Friday. It's certainly worth a visit -...
08/17/2026

Our staff had the pleasure to meet the staff of the To***co Farm Life Museum last Friday. It's certainly worth a visit - beautiful grounds, a restored to***co curing barn, a well-kept blacksmith shop, interesting exhibits, and plenty of space! Enjoy the pictures taken during our visit there.

We would like to work with their staff to develop outreach programs and we may be at their Harvest Festival in November!

Here at the Cowan Museum, staff and Duplin County residents have been worried about the deteriorating to***co barn on the grounds. We want to let you know that we haven't given up on our beloved 1925 barn, donated by the Grover Rhodes family. The To***co Farm Life Museum has also shared information about their restoration project, which will help with our search for a way to get the barn in a state which will be safe to share with the public.

Battista Bennett, our STEM Educator, wrapped up her Summer Stem programming with Diversity Nurtures Achievements Communi...
08/08/2026

Battista Bennett, our STEM Educator, wrapped up her Summer Stem programming with Diversity Nurtures Achievements Community Youth Center! Here are a few pictures taken during the final program this past Thursday. Assisting Battista was Filip, one of our Museum Assistants. For part of the last program, Filip had the opportunity to develop an activity and lesson about fossils and it was great! Thanks, Battista, for creating cool educational experiences for kids in Duplin County this summer!

Wow, Duplin Beekeepers! Thank you so much for dropping off this generous jar of beautiful amber-colored honey from your ...
08/07/2026

Wow, Duplin Beekeepers! Thank you so much for dropping off this generous jar of beautiful amber-colored honey from your hardworking bees! Please give our thanks to the bees, too.

Moth Night this past Saturday was full of education, discovery and happiness! Thanks to Tom at NC State Extension in Dup...
07/22/2026

Moth Night this past Saturday was full of education, discovery and happiness! Thanks to Tom at NC State Extension in Duplin County for his moth expertise. Also, Diversity Nurtures Achievements Community Youth Center made paper moths for the event during one of our Educator Battista's outreach programs. The paper moths glow under black light! Thanks also to museum staff Mavis and Filip; volunteers Krista, Marti, and Rita; Kenansville Police Department; and ecoEXPLORE! (The pictures below are a little blurry).

07/14/2026

MOTH TRIVIA TIME!! Can you guess how many Moth species live in North Carolina? 🦋🌙✨
A) 20
B) 200
C) 1000
D) 2000+
Believe it or not, scientists think close to 2,500 species of moths can be found just in North Carolina, and as many as 160,000 across the globe. That's at least 10 times the number of butterflies!! You can help scientists learn more about about these amazing and mysterious insects of the night by completing your Moth Field Focus badge with ecoEXPLORE!!
Start by August 31st, and you’ll have up to a year to finish. What is your favorite moth??

Museum STEM Educator Battista Bennett will do an off-site program for a youth group early next week. The outreach progra...
07/10/2026

Museum STEM Educator Battista Bennett will do an off-site program for a youth group early next week. The outreach program will include making glow-in-the-dark moths, which will be displayed during our July 18 Moth Night!




Address

411 S. Main Street
Kenansville, NC
28349

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+19102962149

Website

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