History in the Making

Museum Archives and Photographs

The Stanly County Museum acts as a public repository for historic documents and photographs related to the history of Stanly County. Students of history and genealogy will find many important primary source materials at the Museum for their research.

Researchers interested in accessing the Museum’s archival holdings are encouraged to first search through the Museum’s online archive and photograph database.

Serious researchers interested in accessing the Museum’s archival holdings in person should contact the Museum at least one week in advance of their visit. The Museum’s staff may conduct personal research requests, but due to limited staffing may spend no longer than 30 minutes researching for an individual. The Stanly County Museum recommends researchers that are unable to come to the Museum to conduct research contact the Stanly County Genealogical Society.

The Museum does not maintain a library of genealogical material, only primary documents. However, the Margaret Johnston Heritage Room, which is housed in the same building as the museum, contains a superb collection of thousands of printed genealogical materials, including newspapers, census records, and family histories.