Originally
established as a Community Project by the Gwynn's Island Civic League
to
commemorate the Mathews County Bicentennial in 1991, the Museum started
out on a small scale, primarily with Indian and Colonial artifacts from
a private collection, and was housed in the Cultural Center, formerly
the
Shiloh Methodist Church. From the beginning it was obvious that
there
was a great deal of interest about preserving the long and colorful
history
of Gwynn's Island and Mathews County. The Museum grew rapidly and
by the end of the first year space for the exhibits
in the Cultural Center had become quite limited, so plans were made to
look for a new home on the Island. Thanks to the Allen family, an
old building at the corner of Rte. 633 and Rose Lane was donated to the
Civic League in memory of W. Hayes Allen and Helen V. Allen, lifelong
residents
of Gwynn's Island. The 100 year old building originally served as
the OddFellows Lodge and later was acquired for use as the Island's
first
public school. In 1921 the people of the Island built a new
Junior
High School on the site where the Cultural Center now stands across
from
the Baptist Church, & the old School House was purchased by the
Allen
family for use as a general store and barber shop. In 1992 the
building,
although in disrepair, was declared structurally sound. Dedicated
volunteers helped restore the building as you see it today, and on June
25th, 1994, during the Annual Gwynn's Island Festival, the Gwynn's
Island
Museum was officially opened. |