Due to COVID-19, the museum is closed until further notice.
About Us
Introduction
The Cowan Museum of History and Science was founded in 1981 by George and Ila Cowan as a memorial to their daughter, Joann Cowan Brown. It is housed within the Kelly-Farrior House (ca. 1848) and has an adjacent historical park with 6 buildings, which include a log cabin, general store, and a tobacco barn. Also on the grounds is a botanical garden with approximately 90 species of commercially-available native plants in what has become the region's first free, public native-plant-focused botanical landscape garden. This outdoor space, which is open 24-hours a day, has pollinator gardens, a wet meadow garden, Longleaf Pine upland garden, and a Bald Cypress wetland garden.
Of the 4,300 objects in the collections, about 2,000 were donated to Duplin County by the Cowan family, with most focusing on 19th and 20th century tools and technology that document a history of innovation, resourcefulness, and creativity. Objects on display include a diversity of woodworking tools, gardening tools, agricultural implements, items used in a variety of crafts and trades, medical devices, many household artifacts, and an impressive collection of geological specimens. Unique items may be encountered onsite, such as a 1930s permanent wave machine, an alternative fuel fan, and a hog oiler.
The Cowan Museum of History and Science is a department of Duplin County.
Historical Park
BLACKSMITH SHOP
BLACKSMITH SHOP
BLACKSMITH SHOP
The Museum's blacksmith shop is a reproduction and was built on the grounds in the 1990s. It represents what was a necessary structure for many old farm home sites.
GENERAL STORE
BLACKSMITH SHOP
BLACKSMITH SHOP
Additionally onsite is the 19th century general store and Natural Wells Post Office donated by the Stephen Boone family. It was once operated by James C. Boone of Duplin County and used until ca. 1905.
The general store was renovated in 2018. Feel welcome to take a seat inside the store and play a game of checkers.
LOG CABIN
BLACKSMITH SHOP
SCHOOLHOUSE
Built in the late 1930s by Dr. W. Dallas Herring of Rose Hill, the cabin represents a typical home used by settlers before the Revolutionary War. Until its move to the Museum, it was used for Dr. Herring’s office; for the Wallace Town Library; Boy Scouts meetings; and was also located on the James Sprunt Community College campus in Kenansville.
Dr. Herring is considered the philosophical godfather of North Carolina’s Community College System and is best known for his belief that education should be available
to all.
In 2018 the log cabin was renovated, thanks to a generous grant from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NC DNCR).
SCHOOLHOUSE
TOBACCO BARN
SCHOOLHOUSE
Originally a corn crib, onsite is a mid-19th century building now used as the Museum’s schoolhouse. It was made of hand-hewed timbers chinked together and is representative of many one-room schoolhouses that were used in Duplin County.
Donated by the Bill Jones family.
SMOKEHOUSE
TOBACCO BARN
TOBACCO BARN
Meats (especially pork) were commonly preserved with salt. A small smoky fire was kept going for several days to further cure the meat. Other foods, like apple butter and pickles, were also stored here in crocks or barrels.
This building was donated in 1985 by Edith B. Hoy and Rachel McNeill in memory of Abb J. Blanton. It had been located off Hwy 24 in Kenansville
TOBACCO BARN
TOBACCO BARN
TOBACCO BARN
The tobacco barn, a type of functionally classified barn found in the United States, was once an essential component in the process of air-curing tobacco. Built in 1925, our tobacco barn was used until 1978.
Donated by the Grover Rhodes family.
Joann Cowan Brown Botanical garden
Even though the garden is accessible, please follow social distancing guidelines. Click here: CDC Social Distancing
The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is unique among North Carolina's other public gardens because its plant collection is composed with plants native to our State. Nearly 90 North Carolina native plant species are represented by more than 300 individual plants in this accessible garden, which highlights native species adapted to coastal plain soils, climate, and topography.
Many of the trees and shrubs on display are species that have been used in American landscapes since 1850, around the time the Kelly-Farrior House (the Museum’s main building) was built. These include such plants as Clethra (Summersweet), Fothergilla (Witch Alder), Winterberry, Elderberry, Blueberry, Callicarpa (Beautyberry), Fringe Tree, Dogwood. American Beech, Witch Hazel, Itea (Virginia Sweetspire), Red Cedar, Swamp Bay, and Adam's Needle (Yucca).
Plants were also selected for this garden using the guiding principle, "right plant-right place"(Habitats Gardens, LLC), with attention to the site's water-holding sandy-clay soils and sunny exposure. In keeping with historic gardening, this garden thrives without modern irrigation. As a demonstration garden, plants were also selected based on their respective availability in the nursery trade. In fact, all the plants on display were obtained from NC nurseries.
BACKGROUND
The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden was made possible with grant funding provided by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, through the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Our idea for a native plant garden was inspired by this ecoregion's natural heritage, including the rivers, forests, and grassy meadows that first drew people to this area. With cultural heritage artifacts on display in and around the Museum, including historic gardening tools, it was a logical fit to install an accessible garden space where visitors may observe the living connection between our natural and cultural heritage.
Long before being transformed into a botanical garden, the property around the Museum was forest habitat, dominated by stately old live oak, tulip poplar, water oak, American holly, and other trees and large shrubs. As Kenansville grew into a community, the forest was replaced by open recreational fields and parks with a turf grass-dominated landscape.
The area where a botanical garden now grows was a patch of turf grass with little diversity and appeal. Today, that grass has been replaced by a collection of native plants adapted to the local environment and provides important ecosystem services to everyone's benefit, including wildlife, songbirds, and pollinating insects. The insects, attracted by flowering plants, are in turn supporting insect-eating toads, tree frogs, lizards, and birds.
As you explore the garden you may see leaves being chewed by caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other plant-eaters. This is a full-service garden that welcomes even plant-eaters including butterfly caterpillars. For this reason, no pesticides are used and yet the plants thrive because gardens composed with many different kinds of plants are attractive to many different kinds of wildlife, including insect-eaters. In addition to being a space that supports and nourishes local creatures, the Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is a welcoming space where people can connect with their natural heritage, outdoors in nature.
Make sure to visit the Ila Cowan Kitchen Garden, too!
A view of the curving pathways through the botanical garden.
What's Happening Now?
ecoEXPLORE
Traveling Exhibit (available for loan at no charge)
New Additions to the Botanical Garden and Grounds
The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is part of the ecoEXPLORE program!
ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based citizen science program for children in grades K-8. Developed by The North Carolina Arboretum, this innovative pilot program combines science exploration with kid-friendly technology to foster a fun learning environment for children while encouraging them to explore the outdoors and participate in citizen science.
New Additions to the Botanical Garden and Grounds
Traveling Exhibit (available for loan at no charge)
New Additions to the Botanical Garden and Grounds
Andy and Sandy Wood of Habitats Gardens, LLC, have been busy this summer adding garden areas to the grounds, including a new wetland garden and flower boxes that fit together to form a butterfly shape.
Traveling Exhibit (available for loan at no charge)
Traveling Exhibit (available for loan at no charge)
Traveling Exhibit (available for loan at no charge)
As the world has become more interconnected, it is more important than ever to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has partnered with the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves to dramatically increase access to the themes and content presented in its national initiative “Choosing to Participate” with poster exhibition designed to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in classrooms and communities.
Developed for middle school and high school students, the posters are intended to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The posters present the experiences of individuals and communities, explore the impact of cultural differences, and encourage viewers to consider the consequences of everyday choices—to discover how “little things are big”—and to make a difference in their own communities.
Currently on loan at the Diversity Nurtures Achievement Community Youth Center, Warsaw, NC.
Education Resources
Programs and Resources
We are happy to announce that through the NC Science Museums Grant Program, under the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, we were awarded funds to help sustain the Museum and grow STEM/STEAMA education programs for schoolkids and the public, such as:
- STEAMA programs in Ila's Kitchen Garden.
- Programs in the Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden.
- Outreach programs and remote learning activities for schools, youth groups, homeschoolers, and the public.
Please email Anne Skinner for more information: anne.skinner@duplincountync.com.
EDUCATION RESOURCES:
Below are resources that students, families, caregivers, and the general public may take advantage of during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you enjoy them.
Smithsonian Virtual Exhibitions:
Learn about such things as habitats; the plants, animals, and humans that call them home; and the importance of protecting habitats.
Visitors to this site may explore exhibit subjects, like “Gardening for the Common Good,”“Gardening for Science,” “Gardening for the Environment,” and “Gardening to Impress."
Smithsonian Distance Learning Resources:
Here you will find a spreadsheet showing grade level, theme/topic, resource name, URL, NGSS standard, and whether material is available in Spanish.
This spreadsheet is divided into categories that include: Games, Maker – Low tech & High tech, Activities (Art & Design, History & Culture, Science & Nature), and Resources (Art & Design, History & Culture, Science & Nature).
Science Friday:
Grades 3-8.
Grades 7-12.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences:
Do activities like the Water Tension Experiment.
Watch short videos, like Why Carpenter Bees Drill Holes In Houses.
North Carolina Science Festival:
Check out this site's projects and activities page.
San Francisco Exploratorium Online Learning:
- They have a Learning Toolbox for COVID-19 School Closures that focuses on learning about the coronavirus and health.
- On the site is an extensive collection of high quality science videos and activities that can be done at home.
Anne Skinner, Museum STEM Educator, holding an outdoor program.
CONTACT AND GENERAL INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Staff may still be reached during the temporary closure of the Museum due to COVID-19.
Robin Grotke, Director, MA, Anthropology/Museum Studies.
Anne Skinner, STEM Educator, MS, Geology.
Meagan Jasinski, Museum Assistant, Naturalist.
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 950
Kenansville, NC 28349
Street address:
411 S. Main Street
Kenansville, NC 28349
(910) 296-2149
info.museum@duplincountync.com
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Dear Friends,
Due to COVID-19, the Cowan Museum of History and Science will suspend its operations to the public starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. and remain closed until further notice.
Please stay safe and be well.
Tours are mostly self-guided. If you would like a guided group tour, please call to schedule a time and we would be delighted to make accommodations. We ask that you give staff at least one day's notice, as current projects may obstruct galleries.
The main building can comfortably accommodate up to 15 people at a time. Children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult.
Admission is FREE; Donations are appreciated; Bus parking is available; Wheelchair access to the first floor galleries of the Kelly-Farrior House is provided.
The botanical garden trail is made of crushed stone and meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design.
Our Mission
MISSION:
The Cowan Museum of History and Science collects, preserves, and interprets objects relating to local history and the sciences. We strive to inspire the joy of learning about our world and how to make it a better place.
VISION:
To be recognized as a vital resource that meets the historical, cultural, and educational needs of the community (community defined as local, state, national and international audiences of all ages and backgrounds).
CORE VALUES:
- Appreciation for diversity.
- Commitment to excellence in programs and operations.
- Scholarship and professionalism.
- Highest level of integrity for public trust.
- Knowledge and lifelong learning.
- Strong belief that exposure to the humanities and sciences makes a positive difference in our lives.
The historical park in winter.
Museum Store - Make a donation, get a gift!
Shirts
Shirts
Shirts
3/4 Sleeve; Lightweight; Cotton and polyester combination; Unisex; Sizes are M and L.
Suggested donation: $15.00
Hats
Shirts
Shirts
One adjustable size.
Suggested donation: $15.00
Mugs
Canvas Tote Bags
Canvas Tote Bags
Ceramic mug, which measures 4"H x 3.25"W x 4.5"D; Museum address, printed in green, on the reverse side.
Suggested donation: $20.00
Canvas Tote Bags
Canvas Tote Bags
Canvas Tote Bags
Measures 18"W x 24"H (including strap length); Black carrying straps; Museum logo on front and back.
Suggested donation: $25.00