The Belhaven Memorial Museum is a non-profit organization
whose mission is to collect, display and preserve historical and
cultural artifacts and objects and to stimulate and encourage
interest and support of the history, art, science and culture of
the Belhaven area, of Beaufort County, and of eastern North
Carolina. The museum builds upon the original collection of Mrs.
Eva Blount Way (1869-1962).
Mary Eva Blount Way (1869-1962), or "Miss Eva" as she was
known affectionately, was an avid collector. Her love of things
unique began with a small but treasured collection of buttons
given to her by her mother-in-law. Over the years, she
accumulated approximately 30,000 buttons from throughout the
United States and around the world.
At the same time, she began acquiring all manner of items of
special significance to her, including Christmas memorabilia,
period clothing, toys and dolls, china, farm tools and specimens
from her natural environment.
As word of her preoccupation spread, friends and neighbors
began to bring treasures from their own lives and travels. The
result is a fascinating array of priceless artifacts from
Beaufort County, NC and afar which represent nearly a century in
the world of Mrs. Eva Blount Way.
In an effort to aid the Red Cross, Miss Eva began to showcase
her collection from the Way home beginning in about 1940. As the
collection grew to more than 10,000 items, it eventually
expanded into the family barn. Following her death in 1962, at
the age of 93, concerned citizens of the town of Belhaven
initiated efforts to purchase the collection.
On April 1, 1965, the Belhaven Memorial Museum was officially
opened on the second floor of the historic Belhaven Town Hall.
The museum today is a unique learning center which allows
visitors to step back into the nineteenth century and glimpse
one woman's silent testament to her life and times.
Phone: 252.943.6817
