Macon

Macon County Historical Society
Macon County Historical Museum
The Macon County Historical Museum, housed in the historically significant c.1904 Pendergrass Store building in downtown Franklin, seeks to discover, collect, and preserve local materials and information in order to interpret the rich mountain heritage of the Macon County area. The museum has an extensive collection of genealogical material as well as exhibits of local history artifacts and items from the Pendergrass family and store operations.

Scottish Tartans Society and Museum
The Scottish Tartans Museum is the American extension of the Scottish Tartans Society of Scotland. The museum seeks to educate visitors about the history of Tartans and of kilts and traditional Highland dress and to promote Scotland's history and culture and influence in America through exhibits, a research library, and a store.

Gem and Mineral Society of Franklin, NC, Inc.
Old Jail Museum/Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum
The Gem and Mineral Society of Franklin, NC, and their Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum endeavor to promote widespread interest in rock and mineral collecting and the lapidary arts, to support conservation legislation, and to educate and entertain children and adults. The museum is located in the old jail in downtown Franklin, and tours of the exhibits encorporate and interpret the history of the jail as well as the gems and minerals on display within the building.

Museum of American Cut and Engraved Glass
The Museum of American Cut and Engraved Glass exhibits cut and engraved glass primarily from the American Brilliant Period, 1876-1916. The museum seeks to educate people about glass from this period and increase awareness of and appreciation for this American art form.

Macon County Public Library (Fontana Regional Library)
The Macon County Public Library houses non-circulating and genealogical reference books, Macon County and parent counties' court minutes, newspapers, and census records on microfilm, and miscellaneous local history records, church records, and genealogy files. Of particular interest are extensive SILER and SLAGLE family histories.

Hudson Library (Fontana Regional Library System)
Special Collections at the Hudson Library consist primarily of unpublished documentation of the history of the library including administrative records, clippings from local newspapers concerning the library, and various scrapbooks, photographs and videos. The library also owns an art collection and a rare book collection including the original books that started the Hudson Library in 1884.

Bascom-Louise Gallery
The Bascom-Louise Gallery, or Highlands' Center for the Visual Arts, promotes public awareness, appreciation, and collection of the visual arts; acquires, curates, and maintains a permanent art collection; inspires and advances creative expression in the visual arts; and provides challenging experiences in the visual arts in order to educate and provide to the community a dynamic visual arts center.

Highlands Nature Center
The Highlands Nature Center seeks to inform the public about the biodiversity of the Southern Appalachians and to display artifacts native to the region for the education and enjoyment of their visitors.

Wilderness Taxidermy and Outfitters
Museum
Wilderness Taxidermy and Outfitters, Inc., offers the discriminating sportsman a complete line of services from guided African hunting safaris and Costa Rican fishing packages to professional trophy mounting and preservation. This company operates an excursion business and a huge taxidermy studio with a combined work area, museum, and wildlife gallery where visitors can view unique specimens from the local area and around the world. Also of interest is their displayed collection of wildlife art, African weapons, and other artifacts.

Ruby City Gems
Ruby City Gems is both a store and a museum. The museum displays over 30 years of collecting specimens, artifacts, ivory carvings, and rare gems, and more: hundreds of spheres handmade from different types of stone by the founder of the store, Earnest Klatt; "The World's Largest Sapphire" weighing 385 pounds as well as one of the largest gem quality rubies found in the area (162 carats); extensive collection of pre-columbian artifacts, local arrowheads and tools. All museum sections completely free to the public and cameras are welcome.

Highlands Historical Society, Inc.
Highlands Archives and Museum
The Highlands Historical Society's archives and museum, housed in the old Hudson Library building, collects and preserves the history of Highlands and interprets the House-Trapier-Wright House, the oldest existing house in Highlands, built in 1877. Docent tours are available and the archives are open for research by appointment.