Editorial - January 2004

Jail to museum a nice scenario

Published January 9, 2004

Lincoln county takes an abandoned, unsightly but conveniently located building and makes it into a public attraction. And, it  doesn’t cost the taxpayers a cent. That’s the kind of scenario everybody likes to see.

Thanks go to Jason Harpe of the Lincoln County Historical Association and to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for coming up with the plan that creates a new, permanent home for the county’s history museum in the old jail on West Water Street. In recent years the museum has been short of space to display its exhibits. Most are crowded into the Lincoln Cultural Center and others are scattered about in various parts of the county. Locating the collection in the old jail on West Water Street will bring these valuable belongings under one roof in a central location in downtown Lincolnton.

By renovating the newer part of the jail, which was built in the early ‘90s, the museum would have an additional 3,000 square feet of space, which will help it house a growing assortment of memorabilia.  Since 1996 the museum has increased the size of its collections by more than 80,000 objects, artifacts, archives and special collections. Some of the collections include the Harlan E. Boyles collection, Willie Hull papers, Judge Sheldon Roper papers, Clarence E. Leatherman Law Library  and the Alda Crowe collection.

The association promises a major fund-raising effort to renovate the jail so it can accommodate the items. No taxpayer money will be used on the project. Harpe said the effort will be coordinated with the Historical Association’s 50th anniversary next year. A development committee will begin meeting this year to start planning the project.

It will certainly be a challenge to convert a jail into a museum. We hope the association not only meets that challenge, but turns that jail into a museum showpiece for some of Lincoln County’s most treasured memorabilia.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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