"Matthews Heritage Museum provides educational and engaging interactive experiences for all ages. The museum strives to nurture a healthy respect for the forward thinking of the early settlers and help guests reflect on the business environment, lifestyles and cultures of those early Matthews townspeople."
The Matthews Heritage Museum will be CLOSED on Thursday, November 22, 2018 for Thanksgiving Day. The Museum will be closed on Thursday through Saturday, December 27, 28 and 29 for the Christmas holiday.
“Christmas Past ”
The Matthews Heritage Museum is pleased to announce its next exhibit titled "Christmas Past " on display until January 19, 2019. On display is a collection of early to mid 20 century decorations including Santas and sleighs, post cards and story books and favorite family ornaments.
The variety of ornaments on display, many coming from Germany, will likely enable you to say, “We had that ornament.” Many of these, made by Shiny Brite, were made in large quantities. You will able to see the difference in early 20s and 30s ornaments and those from the 40s and 50s.
From candles clipped to branches, to fat multicolored bulbs, to peacocks and pinecones, all have decorated our Christmas trees.
A variety of Christmas cards are also on display. Those in the colors of red, white and blue were published and plentiful during the World Wars. Christmas Past looks at the way we celebrated Christmas in years gone by!
During the Holiday Season we will be Closed Thanksgiving Day, and December 27, 28 and 29.
Read more about current Display
Come see what the museum has to offer!
See our new Massey-Clark Panel
Learn about Matthews History
Find information about Girl Scout badge on our
"Students" page.
The Matthews Heritage Museum was voted the Best Local Museum in the 2018 Charlotte Media Group Contest, run in the South Charlotte Weekly, Union County Weekly and Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly. The Museum won in 2016 and 2017, making this our third year to receive the award!
The Historic Landmarks Commission has developed a video explaining the significance of the Outen Pottery and its potential for Matthews's future.
View the video featuring Dan Morrill.
Pick up a free copy of Foundations, the Matthews Historical Foundation newsletter, at the museum.
Read the Fall 2018 issue of Foundations, MHF newsletter.
PDF reader needed to view newsletter. Link to Adobe Reader.
The Matthews Heritage Museum is pleased to announce that Erin Barrett (2nd from left) is the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2017 - 2018. Erin has been with us since the winter of 2013, being a member of the second training class. Erin has faithfully given a tour every other Saturday since joining. She started when she had a part time job, and despite in recent years working both a full time and part time job, she has not given up her volunteer service for which we are most grateful.
The Museum celebrated its 5th birthday in June. Our dedicated team of docents and volunteers add greatly to the success of the Matthews Herit-age Museum. They catalog artifacts, greet guests, and conduct tours for numerous groups including schools, scouts, seniors, churches, civic and other organizations. We would be happy to have your club or group tour the museum. Reservations must be made in advance. Please call the Museum office 704-708-4996 to schedule a tour.
Docent Luncheon Attendees
The Board of the Matthews Historical Foundation extends its sincere and well deserved “Thank You” to all the docents and volunteers for their generous gifts of time and talent. It is much appreciated by the Foundation Board of Directors, Matthews, and all who visit the Museum.
Erin Barrett, docent of the year, represented the Matthews Heritage Museum in this year's annual Matthews Alive Parade - September 2018.
The Matthews Heritage Museum is pleased to announce that it has added a new feature. The Museum has put up a “Little Free Library” in front of the museum. Like other library’s it’s a “take a book, return a book” gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share.
In the beginning—2009–Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, built a model of a one-room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who loved reading. He filled it with books and put it on a post in his front yard. His neighbors and friends loved it. He built several more and gave them away. Each one had a sign that said FREE BOOKS. The Museum is hoping to feature books based on history, though we will allow any book to be placed there.
Our “Library” was built by Jason Surface, son of one of our volunteers. It is a miniature version of the Massey Clark House, 1880, which is the home of the Matthews Heritage Museum.
The Matthews Heritage Museum is open Thursday – Saturday from 10 – 4:30. Guided tours are available to the visiting public. Schools can schedule a guided tour by calling 704-708-4996. Admission is $4 per person, $2 for young people 11-17, children 10 and under are free. Parking is available on the street and behind the museum.
Matthews Heritage Museum, Matthews North Carolina
If you would like to volunteer a few hours per month at our museum, contact us at 704-708-4996 or email info@matthewsheritagemuseum.org.
To donate items, contact the Matthews Heritage Museum at 704-708-4996 or email info@matthewsheritagemuseum.org.
Matthews Heritage Museum located in downtown Matthews - 232 North Trade Street
