Museum will open soon
By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer spowell@gaffneyledger.com

County residents will have to wait a couple more weeks for a Cherokee County History and Arts Museum opening date.

Exhibits designed by The History Workshop of Atlanta are currently being installed inside the county museum. The project will trace county history from Native Americans to modern times.

A hard hat tour will give local media a sneak preview Jan. 17 into the progress made to date in completing the museum, located inside the old Central School building on College Drive.

The museum will be open to the public soon, director Billy Pennington said.

"We have a few dates we are considering," Pennington said. "We want to wait until construction is complete before we announce an opening date."

The Cherokee County Historical and Arts Preservation Society (CHAPS) has received hundreds of artifacts since plans for the museum were announced in 2000. The History Workshop, a division of Brockington and Associates in Atlanta, was hired last year to design and build the exhibits.

The county museum will provide visitors with information on the development of the city's downtown area and city founder Michael Gaffney. Rich iron ore deposits brought early settlers to the Blacksburg area where the area became known as the Iron District.

The Battle of Cowpens and Battle of Kings Mountain give Cherokee County the rare distinction of having two American Revolutionary War sites. Limestone College was founded in 1845 as an all-women's college.

These are just a few examples from the county's 110- year history expected to be highlighted in the museum. CHAPS will continue to hold fundraisers such as its "Ghost Walk," pottery show, and car show to help provide funding to further develop the museum.