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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.
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