Matthews Heritage Museum

"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."

Barbara Taylor, Director of the Matthews Heritage Museum, is hosting a Director's Tour of Tank Town: A Good Place to Live, on Friday, August 30 at 11:00 a.m. This is the current exhibit on display thru October 5, 2019.

The tour is on Tank Town, an African American neighborhood in Matthews, settled by former slaves and freedmen after the Civil War, it is now known as Crestdale. The tourexplores the people, lifestyles, jobs, schools and churches of this neighborhood. Space is limited to 12 people and is best suited for adults. Admission is $4, and proceeds go toward a new display case for the museum. Want to go? Call the museum (704-708-4996) and leave a message. They'll call you back and confirm your spot.

"Tank Town: A Good Place to Live" - Exhibit Extended

The Matthews Heritage Museum is pleased to announce a groundbreaking exhibit on "Tank Town: A Good Place to Live". Due to popularity, the exhibit has been extended through October 5, 2019. After a year of research, the museum will present its findings on the area once known as Tank Town, now Crestdale, a neighborhood in Matthews. This area was settled by former slaves and freedmen after the Civil War. The exhibit will explore the people, lifestyles, jobs, schools and community organizations of this neighborhood.

A special teaching unit has been developed for 3rd grade classes, which meets Curriculum standards. Link to download teaching unit.

Group tours of the museum and this exhibit can be made by calling or emailing the museum. To contact the museum or schedule a tour call: 704-708-4996, or email: info@matthewsheritagemuseum.org. Please call two weeks in advance. We can accommodate 20 people on a tour.

Read more about current Display

Learn more about "Passport to History"

The Matthews Heritage Museum announces it will join museums nationwide in participating in the tenth summer of Blue Star Museums, a program which provides free admission to our nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families this summer. The 2019 program will begin earlier than in past years, launching on Saturday, May 18, 2019, Armed Forces Day, and ending on Monday, September 2, 2019, Labor Day. Military can find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums nationwide. First Lady of the United States Melania Trump and Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence are honorary co-chairs of Blue Star Museums 2019.

The Matthews Heritage Museum was voted the Best Local Museum in the 2019 Charlotte Media Group Contest, run in the South Charlotte Weekly, Union County Weekly and Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly. The Museum won in 2016, 2017, and 2018 making this our fourth year to receive the award!

L to R: Angela Parlente, Docent of the Year, Bob Parlente, Becky Willard, President MHF

The Matthews Heritage Museum is pleased to announce that Docent of the Year for 2018 was awarded to Angela Parlante for her six years of service to the museum. We also celebrate her husband Bob for all his support he has given to her and to us!

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.

Pick up a free copy of Foundations, the Matthews Historical Foundation newsletter, at the museum.

Read the Fall 2019 issue of Foundations, MHF newsletter.
PDF reader needed to view newsletter. Link to Adobe Reader.

Matthews Heritage Museum opened June 2013 Come see what the museum has to offer!
See our new Massey-Clark Panel
See the Tank Town Exhibit

Learn about Matthews History

Find information about Girl Scout badge on our "Students" page.

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.

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