Johnston

Tobacco Farm Life Museum
Tobacco Farm Life Museum preserves the history and cultural heritage of the eastern North Carolina farm family and to interprets and presents this legacy to the public. It is a living time capsule, offering a window back in time through which visitors experience a way of life that has all but disappeared. The Tobacco Farm Life Museum has a 6,000 sq. ft. exhibition gallery with exhibits and displays of artifacts and information that cover several generations of farming life. The authentic, depression-era farmstead restoration, furnished with period artifacts, allow you to view a slice of daily life typical of a traditional family farm.

Johnston County Heritage Center
The Heritage Center preserves the history and material culture of Johnston County for the educational benefit of its citizens and visitors; and it promotes the understanding of and appreciation for its past through interpretive exhibits, programs, and publications. All materials are non-circulating and not available for interlibrary loan.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
Bentonville Battleground State Historic Site preserves, interprets, manages and develops the site for the education and enjoyment of North Carolinians and visitors who wish to learn more about the Battle of Bentonville, the last major battle of the Civil War fought March 19-21, 1865. In addition to the newly refurbished visitor's center, Bentonville Battleground State Historic Site maintains military encampments, fortifications and several monuments. Of particular interest is the Harper House, which acted as a field hospital for Sherman's army during the largest battle fought in North Carolina. Bentonville Battlefield now has a ten mile driving tour with four tour stops with interpretive panels.

Ava Gardner Museum, Inc.
The Ava Gardner Museum occupies approximately 6000 square feet and contains a large collection of memorabilia including theater posters, promotional photos by the movie studios, media coverage including photos and papers, costumes, personal family pictures and related artifacts and her acting awards. The museum's library collects books specifically on Smithfield native Ava Gardner, but also on the movie industry.

Benson Museum of Local History
The Benson Museum of Local History collects, preserves, and exhibits the heritage of Benson through artifacts and photographs. Farm tools, items from local businesses, artifacts depicting family life and education can be found on display. The museum, housed in the Benson Municipal Building, is open to the public one afternoon each week.

Boyette Slave House and Schoolhouse

Coats Country Museum
The Coats Country Museum preserves the collection of Johnston County native R. F. Coats and his wife Addie Whitehurst Coats. This collection includes items of local interest, textiles, books, farm implements, and artifacts depicting rural living, and the Coats homestead. Of particular interest is the bell tower created by the late Mr. Coats from his personal collection of over twenty bells of various sizes. The museum is open by appointment only.

Clemmons Educational State Forest
At Clemmons Educational State Forest, visitors can wander on the Talking Tree Trail, which features recorded messages about the trees and forest history, the Geology Trail with "talking rocks" that explain the geology and soils of the region, or the Forest Demonstration Trail, which provides examples of forestry practices and Longleaf Pine Restoration areas. The Forestry Exhibit Center features many interactive exhibits with large murals and many historical and cultural items. Displays include flora and fauna of the region, a timeline of forestry in North Carolina and information on the local Civilian Conservation Corps.

Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield
Hocutt-Ellington Library
The Local History Collection at the Hocutt-Ellington Library consists of books, photographs, and manuscripts relating to the local area. Yearbooks from high schools and middle schools, manuals, genealogy, and artifacts from local institutions and industries can be found in this collection. The library also maintains the John Grisham collection, in honor of the famous author's local family connections.

Johnston Community College
Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center
The Rudolph Howell and Son Environmental Learning Center, or "Howell Woods," was donated to Johnston Community College in 1993 to be used as an "outdoor classroom." The Learning Center has an expanding exhibit hall that currently houses native, live reptiles and amphibians as well as taxidermy specimen. Also on site is a Natural Resources reference library with over 200 books. In additon to their environmental education role, the staff of Howell Woods has begun to collect information and oral histories about the property.