NC History Museum closed for up to 3 years during America’s 250th celebration

The celebration of America’s 250th anniversary fast approaches in 2026, but the North Carolina Museum of History may be closed for it.

The museum closed in early October last year and will remain closed while undergoing its first renovation since 1994. North Carolina plays a significant role in the founding of America, being the home of historical events like the Edenton Tea Party, the Halifax Resolves, and the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. 

In May 2024, the museum announced that it would be closing to perform renovations for two to three years. The museum followed up on this announcement in early September, announcing that it would officially close to the public in early October.

“This has been in the works for quite some time, and this renovation is just something that is needed for our building, so while we have been in the planning stages, we did get funding in the last budget,” Mary Huntley, director of communications and marketing for the North Carolina Museum of History told Carolina Journal.  

In the 2023 state budget passed by the General Assembly, $180 million was appropriated to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for renovations to the history museum, as seen on pg H4 of the Joint Conference Committee Report on the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2023.

The funding more than doubled from what was appropriated for the project in the 2021 budget, when $60 million was appropriated, as seen on pg H9 of the Joint Conference Committee Report on the Current Operations Act of 2021.

“As a mom who has frequented the NC History Museum numerous times over the years, I agree that the museum was due for a renovation,” Kellie Nothstine, the communications and events coordinator for America’s 250th celebrations for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “I do think the timing is odd and poorly planned on their part. They will be a missed partner at the table to help celebrate our state and country.”  

The North Carolina History Museum falls under the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources within the Division of State History Museums. The department has a statewide initiative to honor the historical anniversary with grants going to numerous counties.  Staff with the North Carolina History Museum spoke about events and museums throughout the state, hosting programs and events to honor and celebrate 250 years of the American experiment. 

“Everybody’s working on getting grants to coordinate their celebrations,” Sally Bloom, curator of education for the North Carolina History Museum, told the Carolina Journal. “We have historic sites around the state, and the North Carolina Museum of History has seven regional sister museums that are also going to be developed, and the celebration of the 250th goes on for seven years. So we’re not saying that the North Carolina Museum of History itself will never have a program in a building that is the museum regarding this, and certainly, we’ve been talking about the revolution for years and years, and that will continue for as long as there’s a history museum.”

Additionally, on Wednesday, President Trump issued an executive order concerning the celebration of America’s 250 anniversary of independence in 2026.

“It is the policy of the United States, and a purpose of this order, to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026,” reads the order. “It is also the purpose of this order to take other actions to honor the history of our great Nation.”

The order also establishes a White House task force known as Task Force 250, of which the president will be the chair.

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