What's Happening?

Choosing to Participate

October 2024 through January 2025

Choosing to Participate  is a poster exhibit developed by Facing History and Ourselves and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The exhibit is sponsored by Duke Energy.

Included in the exhibit:

• A slide show with photographs of people and events in Duplin County, including Kenansville's outdoor dramas.

• Material on display from Duplin County Home Demonstration Clubs and the Stanford School.

• A voting booth provided by the Duplin County Board of Elections for you to cast your vote on what you’d like from the Museum.

• Artifacts donated by community members on display for the first time.

• Vinyl recordings of some of the most influential speeches in history.

Saturday, March 22, 2025

11 AM - 2 PM

Informational displays, demos, hands-on activities, and games related to climate change and climate resilience will be aimed at all ages. 

There will also be food trucks!

*More details will soon be announced.

Rain Date: 

Saturday, March 29, 2025

11 AM - 2 PM

Recent Past Event:

Halloween at the Museum

Thursday, October 31, 2024

6 PM - 8 PM

The museum will be open after-hours for trick-or-treaters and others who would like to see the historical park buildings and the Kelly-Farrior House at their scariest.

Candy will be handed out to our Halloween guests.

Recent Past Event:

Moth Night at the Cowan Museum

Saturday, July 27, 2024

8:30 PM - 11:00 PM

The 2024 NC Moth Week is part of National Moth Week and will take place Saturday, July 20 through Sunday, July 28. 

At the Cowan Museum, we will hold a special FREE Moth Night event in the botanical garden and grounds.

For more information about Moth Week, please check out: MOTHS .

A Journey Through Deep Time: 

Dinosaur Bones, Rocks, and Fossils 

In our renovated "Rock Room" gallery, see some of the fossils in the museum's collection and loaned specimens, such as an Allosaurus bone, Triceratops frill, and an American mastodon tusk.

The Duplin County Beekeepers Association has put up an apiary with two beehives located near our tobacco barn. The hives are not close to the main outbuildings and botanical garden. 

However, the bees are certainly busy with all the flowers we have on the grounds, so please be aware of their presence and that they are doing important work as pollinators.

The North Carolina Science Trail (NCST) is a STEM collection of about 60 partners across the state of North Carolina. The mission of the NC Science Trail is to inspire exploration of NC’s varied science landscape all year long. NCST aims to build awareness of science processes, cultivate appreciation for the role of science in our everyday lives, and encourage care for the natural world. 

NCST's primary goals are:

• to connect and highlight their science education partners.
• to provide awareness of exploration opportunities for NC residents and visitors across the state.
• to bridge the gap between educators and lifelong learners.

https://ncsciencetrail.org/

The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is a HotSpot in 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 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. 

* It's currently 

Mammalogy Season! (November 1 - January 2)

Mammalogy is the study of mammals.  Mammals encompasses a wide range of animals, often distinguished by their fur, live births, warm-blooded, and ability to feed young via milk.

Complete challenges to earn a badge and share observations of wildlife belonging to this season for a bonus point! 

Source: https://www.ecoexplore.net/