The Rowan Museum is located in a 19th-century courthouse in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

that survived Stoneman’s Raid. The building is considered to be one of the finest examples of antebellum architecture in North Carolina. The museum is dedicated to the history of Rowan County.

History

Listed on the National Register of National Places in March 1970. The courthouse was built and completed by Conrad and Williams contractors between 1855 and 1857. The courthouse is a two-story building with a hexastyle colossal Doric portico along the front facade. A new courthouse was built in 1914 and is now located next door. The courthouse was transformed into the

Community Building Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common need or interest. It is often encompassed under the fields o ...

and has housed the Rowan Museum since 2001, when it moved from the Utzman-Chambers House. Among the museum's holdings is the Old Stone House, a Georgian two-story structure built in 1766 near present-day Granite Quarry by Michael Braun, a

wheelwright A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...

, printer and carpenter. The house is the oldest in Rowan County and one of the State's few remaining stone houses. Descendants or Braun and the Fisher family worked to preserve the house in the 1950s, when there was the possibility of it being torn down so its rock could be used for roads. The families donated the restored house to the museum in 1966. Other historic properties managed by the museum include the

China Grove Roller Mill China Grove Roller Mill is a historic roller mill building located at China Grove, Rowan County, North Carolina. It was built in 1903, and is a three-story rectangular brick building, with several later additions. It retains the intact origina ...

China Grove, NC China Grove is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2020 census. The town is located just north of Landis and south of Salisbury. It was one of the first towns in the United States to have Rura ...

. The Utzman-Chambers House is no longer run by the Rowan Museum as of July 2024, but had previously remained in its possession for many years.

Events

On the first floor are exhibits that display the history of Rowan County. The second floor of the museum features th
Messinger Room
which displays the remnants of a 19th-century courthouse. It is often rented for business and private events during the year. Throughout the year the museum hosts an Antique Show, Germafest, Spring Frolic, summer camps, and Old Stone Christmas.

References

External links

Rowan Museum
- official site History museums in North Carolina Museums established in 1953 Museums in Rowan County, North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-museum-stub