CHINA GROVE, N.C. — An old school, which is now the site of a local museum in China Grove that honors veterans, is often overlooked.
“I’ve been to a lot of museums, and there are bigger museums,” said Bobby Harrison, a volunteer at the Price of Freedom Museum. “But I don’t think anyone takes it to the personal level like we do.”
The Price of Freedom Museum has been closed for months because of COVID-19.
[LINK: Price of Freedom Museum]
“People will say, ‘I’ve driven by this place for 20 years and never realized what’s here,’” Harrison told Channel 9 anchor Susanna Black. “And they’re just amazed when they come inside and see what all we have to offer.”
There are thousands of military items donated by local families at the museum at 2420 Weaver Road.
“We’ve got uniforms, backpacks, equipment shoes. Pretty much everything a soldier would have carried, someone has donated to the museum,” Harrison said.
Harrison has been a volunteer at the museum since it opened in 2006.
“Every time someone brings in an item, we try to get a photograph,” he said. “The years they served. Where they served. What unit they were assigned in. Because if you’ve got just a uniform, it’s just a uniform. But whenever you can personalize it, that becomes a person.”
The building is the old Patterson Schoolhouse, which educated families for much of the 1900s.
It fell into disrepair until the museum’s founder, Bobby Mault, decided to move in.
Mault couldn’t repair it himself, so the community stepped in, and the museum was created.
“It’s mind-boggling,” Harrison said. “Just the appreciation for what the community has done for us here.”
He is looking forward to when the museum will reopen to remind people of the sacrifices many have made for the country.
“Freedom isn’t free,” Harrison said.
If you’re interested in making a monetary or item donation, contact the Price of Freedom Museum at info@priceoffreedom.us or call 704-857-7474.
Cox Media Group
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