Wilkes

Old Wilkes, Inc.
Old Wilkes Jail/Robert Cleveland Log House/Wilkes Heritage Museum
The Heritage Museum, housed in the old Wilkes County courthouse, preserves and promotes the history of Wilkes County. The museum showcases local history exhibits on topics such as racing, pottery, Native Americans, medicine, moonshine, the Tom Dooley story and much more. In addition to the exhibits in the museum, visitors can visit the old Wilkes Jail and the Robert Cleveland Log House.

Whippoorwill Academy and Village
Whippoorwill Academy and Village seeks to share the local history of Ferguson and the Wilkes County area through the preservation and interpretation of the 1880 Whippoorwill Academy and other historic structures of the region. Tours and educational programs focus on the history of Wilkes County, early rural education, and the stories of Tom Dula and Daniel Boone. Other programs include exhibits of local and regional art and the artwork of Edith Carter, owner of Whippoorwill Academy and Village. The site is open April-December, Saturday and Sunday, 3:00-5:00PM, and by appointment.

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest
Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest showcases magnificent mountain hardwoods in a beautiful scenic setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western Wilkes County. Exhibits in the Forestry Center focus on the history of forestry and the value of multiple use forest management. Visitors can explore a series of well-marked hiking trails including the Logging History Trail on which they will see exhibits on the history of the logging industry on the area and see how a tree becomes lumber at the sawmill along the trail. Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest also has an active program of onsite and off site classes for learners of all ages.

Stone Mountain State Park
Visitor Center Mountain Culture Exhibit, Hutchinson Homestead, and Garden Creek Church
Located on more than 13,500 acres, Stone Mountain State Park offers a variety of natural features including beautiful waterfalls, mountain trout streams, quiet forests abundant with wildlife, and scenic hiking trails. One of the park's most spectacular features is Stone Mountain, a 600-foot granite dome. The park also interprets a historic mountain homestead and houses a large historical exhibit in the Visitor Center.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District
W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir Visitor Assistance Center
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, operates the W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir, its recreation facilities, and its Visitor Assistance Center. Authorized purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. The entire reservoir and selected surrounding wilderness areas are open for public recreational use. The Visitor Assistance Center houses operations offices, meeting rooms and facilities, and an exhibit on the construction of the dam and reservoir and the natural and cultural history of the Yadkin River Valley area. A four-mile segment of the Over-Mountain Victory National History Trail runs through W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir property.

Trail of the Eagle Museum and Walsh Family Galleries
The Trail of the Eagle Museum is a private museum founded and operated by Wilkes County artist Kenneth Walsh, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the US Constitution, celebrating America's history as a constitutional republic, and honoring the governors of all fifty states. The museum is open varying regular hours to the public and by appointment.

Wilkes Art Gallery, Inc.
The Wilkes Art Gallery strives to promote art as a necessary and enriching component of a well-rounded life. The Wilkes Art Gallery provides unique educational opportunities by sponsoring monthly exhibits open to the public, art classes, workshops, and field trips for all ages. The Gallery maintains a permanent collection of two- and three-dimensional works of visual art, parts of which are displayed in the gallery's offices and in public buildings throughout Wilkes County.

Wilkes County Public Library (Appalachian Regional Library System)
Wilkes County Public Library Genealogy Room
Wilkes County Public Library's Genealogy Room provides reference books, microfilm, vertical files, a variety of records from Wilkes and surrounding counties, and other materials useful to family and local history researchers.

Wilkes Community College, Learning Resources Center
Wilkes Community College Local History/Genealogy Collection
The Wilkes Community College Learning Resource Center provides curriculum support to and supports the community by making available materials for lifelong learning. The Genealogy and Local History Collection includes documents, subject files, photographs, microfilm, college-related items, some artifacts and art. Individual collections include the Hayes and Moore Collections, the Oral History Video Collection, the North Carolina and Local Author Collection, and the James Larkin Pearson Collection.

Wilkes Community College, Learning Resources Center
James Larkin Pearson Collection
The James Larkin Pearson Collection at the Wilkes Community College Learning Resource Center celebrates the life of Wilkes County native and North Carolina Poet Laureate James Larkin Pearson. This collection, mainly housed in the James Larkin Pearson Library Building, contains Pearson's personal library, including some autographed first editions from friends and contemporaries, Pearson' original desk and typewriter, the original designation of poet laureate, and portraits and photographs of Larkin and his family.