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Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting

“Voices of a City: Greensboro, North Carolina” Exhibit

Tuesday, July 27 at noon

Greensboro, NC - “What would a city say if it could speak?” Guilford County-born writer William Sydney Porter, writing under his pen name, O.Henry, posed that question in a 1908 short story.

More than a century later, the Greensboro Historical Museum has answered O. Henry’s question, at least as it relates to his hometown. At noon on Tuesday, July 27, the museum will open a state-of-the-art 8,000 square foot exhibit entitled Voices of a City: Greensboro, North Carolina. The exhibitions created for Voices consist of a tapestry of first-person observations and remembrances that tell the story of Greensboro’s History dating back to the early 1700s.

“The concept behind this exhibition is to connect Greensboro’s history to the overall story of America’s development and evolution as a nation,” said Fred Goss, director of the Greensboro Historical Museum. “What makes the exhibit particularly intriguing is that the city’s history is conveyed using the words, artifacts and pictures left by the people who made, documented and experienced this history over the past three centuries.”

The galleries that make up Voices of a City present Greensboro’s history in eight thematic sections—an orientation gallery, followed by:

* Bewitching Country (before 1808);

* Early Greensborough (1808-1890);

* Debating Liberty (1800-1890);

* Denim Capital (1891-1945);

* Service and Sacrifice (Greensboro’s involvement in America’s wars)

* Changing Times (1946-1979); and

* Today’s Gate City (1980-present).

Each gallery blends historical artifacts, photos, portraits, letters and other documents with the latest technology to enhance each museum visitor’s experience. Multi-sensory media used in Voices include video stations, hand-held audio wands, interactive touch screens providing written and visual information, audio of oral history recordings and ambient sound.

“This exhibit uses personal stories to illustrate how our city has been shaped by people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives,” said Susan Webster, the Historical Museum curator who serves as project manager for Voices. “Over 500 items from the museum’s collection and archives, along with hundreds of images will enable visitors to connect these stories.”

Voices of a City: Greensboro, North Carolina was funded with a $5.3 million City of Greensboro municipal bond for the museum that was approved by Greensboro voters in the 2006 bond referendum. In addition to the design and construction of the Voices exhibit, these funds covered structural renovations on the museum building, including a restored slate roof, rain gutters, fascia and trim, and the restoration of more than 160 windows. To augment the funds from the bond issue, a capital campaign conducted by the non-profit Greensboro Historical Museum, Inc. raised more than $2.1 million to provide the revenue needed for audio and video stations, visitor interactives, public programs, and artifact acquisition and conservation.

The Greensboro Historical Museum is a division of the City of Greensboro Public Library Department. The museum is located at 130 Summit Avenue, in Downtown Greensboro’s Cultural District. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 am until 5 pm and Sundays from 2 pm until 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit www.greensborohistory.org for more information.