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Stories from the past help us better understand our present.
Davie County stories and memorabilia are disappearing as the people who hold them pass away. But here is some good news. A new non-profit organization to capture Davie’s heritage has been established.
Davie County Museum Inc. was incorporated in March with a nine-member Board of Directors. Charles Crenshaw and Bill Junker are leading the board in an effort to capture Davie history while both are living.
Former and current residents Brenda Zimmerman and Janie Zimmerman Hendrix are celebrating the move forward with a new fund established at the Davie Community Foundation. The Zimmerman/Shutt Fund for the Davie County Museum was opened by the sisters in support of the creation of a museum to preserve Davie heritage.
The Zimmerman/Shutt Fund for the Davie County Museum was created to capture donations to make the museum a reality. All donations may be spent to create a Davie County Museum. Once the museum is established, the fund will be converted to an endowment to provide perpetual support for museum operations.
“I love things from the past, they remind me of my heritage and generations before me,” Brenda Zimmerman said. “I grew up in Advance in a loving family and was fortunate to have known my paternal and maternal grandparents, the Zimmermans and the Shutts. They were talented and thrifty folks, proud of their history and treasured what was passed down to them.
“Davie County has always been ‘home’ for me, and I have had a vision of sharing some of my family heirlooms and memorabilia. Undoubtedly there are others in the county who have the same interest in preserving their family heritage, their community’s heritage, and protecting that heritage for future generations to understand and value. So, it was not unusual that I explore a center where my family and others could exhibit their treasures, their heritage – like a museum. Beginning some 25 years ago I started to ask around, talking to individuals and groups and committees and organizations about a county museum, but to no avail.
“When I was talking with Advance native Todd Bailey earlier this winter, he put me in touch with Davie Community Foundation and its CEO, Jane Simpson. Now, with her expertise and assistance, we have partnered in this museum endeavor, and I am excited to say we have created the Zimmerman/Shutt Fund for the Davie County Museum.”
Anyone interested in supporting the effort to create a Davie County Museum may add to the fund at any time, with any amount.
“It will take collective community support to make the museum a reality,” said Jane Simpson, president and CEO of the Davie Community Foundation.
“As a former history teacher with a keen interest in Davie history, I want to see a museum created in my lifetime,” Charles Crenshaw said. “We lose treasures every day with the passing of residents. If we are going to create a museum to preserve our community heritage, the time is now.”
To learn more, contact Simpson at jsimpson@daviefoundation.org or 336-753-6903.