etc.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY
THE Wrightsville Beach Museum of
History’s newest building is the Ewing-
Bordeaux Cottage, the 1924-era house
that was moved onto the town’s
The weekend of April 20-21,
Wrightsville Beach SUP
Surf Pro-Am’s Custom Hot
Wax Surfboard raffle will
benefit the museum. The
Members Open House with
food trucks, live music and
expanded gift shop will be
historic square in January 2018.
This cottage is undergoing renovations as
the museum’s capital campaign kicks into high
gear to raise funds to continue to renovate the
interior of proposed exhibit and demonstration areas along
with storage and office space.
Lackey Builders, Kyle Lackey is the contractor.
The Ewing-Bordeaux site will house some of the museum’s
exhibits in a shift from the historic 1907 Meyers Cottage where
they have been displayed since the museum opened in 1995,
but not everything will make the move.
“A lot of what’s in the museum will remain as a house
museum,” says museum director Madeline Flagler.
“We have not held a capital campaign in almost 25 years,”
Flagler says. “It is remarkable that we haven’t had to do that.”
The museum’s $180,000 goal will support upgrades to the
HVAC systems and the rewiring and replumbing of the Ewing-
Bordeaux Cottage, which has been elevated, not unlike the
headquarters for the N.C. Coastal Federation, also located
in the historic square enclave, in the refurbished Palmgren-
O’Quinn Cottage that was moved to its site
by barge and then over land in 2013.
Inside the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage, two
rooms are now joined to create space for
the Waterman Hall of Fame, melding cur-rent
and past history.
“In the waterman room, we are hoping
to have a kiosk with media running,” says
held on June 2.
museum board member Ronnie Hunt. The space may also
double as a lecture hall.
The museum’s new exhibit hall location covers a portion of
the town’s former volleyball area adjacent to the Wrightsville
Beach Park tennis courts. A wide L-shaped covered porch on
the east and south side will provide a superb viewing point
for tennis matches, and there is a possibility the town is going
forward with plans for two new tennis courts on the remainder
of the sandy lot. In the meantime, plans are to grade and seed
the site.
A newly created covered ground level area will host a hands-on
exploration center, the ongoing Kids Club program, as well
as Camp Chris Stone in June and July. This popular outdoor
marsh-based enrichment program offers fun learning activities
and the 2019 registration was filled within hours during early
enrollment this spring. — Pat Bradford
23
ALLISON POTTER
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM