Ellerbe – The Rankin Museum of American Heritage has been under the direction of Emilie Cobb since the retirement of its former director, Gail Benson, in November. Cobb had interned at Rankin since August before being hired as its director. Benson had been director of the museum for 31 years.
Cobb has a BS degree in Anthropology from Appalachian State University with a concentration in Biological Anthropology. Cobb states that “the transition from the internship to the director’s position, due to increased responsibility, is challenging, but I’m learning a lot and really enjoying it.” It appears she is up to the challenge.
Cobb explained, “We are working on a ‘touch’ section of the museum where you can pick items up and look at things under a magnifying glass; I’m working on updating that. I also plan to open an information section about North Carolina wetlands.” She adds, “I’m having a lot of fun doing it.”
Cobb was eager to discuss upcoming events. On March 17, Rankin will take its mobile museum program to Town Creek Indian Mound to join them in "Town Creek Under the Stars," an evening with ‘one of the last great dark sky sites in the North Carolina Piedmont.’ The event is 7 p.m.- 10 p.m. This is a free event but you have to register for it online on their FaceBook page. Cobb stated, “We will share a link to start advertising. We’re really excited about it.”
On April 21, the museum will have a booth at the ‘Party for the Pine’ at Weymouth Woods. This is a festival celebrating the oldest known living long leaf pine and will take place 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Cobb said the museum will also begin to sell tickets for a reverse raffle taking place on May 5th. In this type of raffle, the grand prize is awarded to the last ticket drawn instead of the first. Tickets are $100 (for 2 people). The ticket includes dinner at Ellerbe Springs. You get entered into a raffle for a $5000 prize. Cobb said, “You can call the museum if you want a ticket. We take cash, check or card.”
The museum will also have a booth at the inaugural Ellerbe Strawberry Festival on May 12 from 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. in the downtown area.
Rankin Museum is also planning some summer events with the flume. Cobb explained, “Kids will be able to mine for gemstones, fossils, and arrowheads and will be able to keep what they find.” Cobb tried it last year and said it was a lot of fun.
Cobb would love for the community to come visit the museum. Visitors are able to view natural history, local history and and Native American culture. The museum contains the lifetime collections of Dr. Pressley R. Rankin, Jr., MD of Ellerbe and is named in his honor. For more information about the Rankin Museum of American Heritage and annual events, visit www.rankinmuseum.org or call 910-652-6378.
