News
12/14/2021
Everyone here at the Ayden Historical and Arts Society would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season. Our latest newsletter has been sent out to all members. You can view a digital copy here. We are very proud of what we have been able to do in 2021 despite all of the challenges wrought by the pandemic. We successfully launched our long anticipated BBQ exhibit highlighting the rich BBQ traditions of the Jones and Dennis families here in Ayden. We continued our partnership with ECU and the Pitt County Historical Society to help preserve and protect the historic African American cemetery off of Old Hwy 11. We are still working hard to get everything back to normal at the Ayden Museum and are very much looking forward to renewed progress in 2022.
As always, we need your help and support to make this all possible. Please help support our mission to preserve and protect the history and art of Ayden by joining our cause as a member. Annual individual memberships are still only $10 and family memberships are $20. We also have a student membership at just $5. Click the Become of Member button below to be taken directly to our Member page for more information.
Don't forget about our awesome Buy a Brick Program as well! Immortalize yourself or a loved one with one of our personalized custom bricks. All bricks are laid in front of the Ayden Museum on full display for posterity. Click the Buy a Brick! button below for more information.
We thank every single one of you for your continued support of our organization!
As always, we need your help and support to make this all possible. Please help support our mission to preserve and protect the history and art of Ayden by joining our cause as a member. Annual individual memberships are still only $10 and family memberships are $20. We also have a student membership at just $5. Click the Become of Member button below to be taken directly to our Member page for more information.
Don't forget about our awesome Buy a Brick Program as well! Immortalize yourself or a loved one with one of our personalized custom bricks. All bricks are laid in front of the Ayden Museum on full display for posterity. Click the Buy a Brick! button below for more information.
We thank every single one of you for your continued support of our organization!
9/2/2021
Dr. Charles Ewen
Tuesday Sept 14th, 7:00 pm Ayden Community Building 548 2nd St. Ayden, NC |
In partnership with the Pitt County Historical Society and the ECU Department of Anthropology, the Ayden Historical and Arts Society is pleased to bring to you a presentation by renowned ECU archaeologist Dr. Charles Ewen at the Ayden Community Building on Tuesday Sept. 14th at 7:00 pm. Dr. Ewen will be presenting about his findings from his recent work at the old Ayden African American Cemetery that dates from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. The AHAS is partnering with ECU to help bring this site and the stories of the people that are buried there back to life and memory. The event is free and open to the public. Please join us and learn more about a too long forgotten part of our community's past and what ECU, PCHS, and the AHAS are doing to help preserve it.
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6/1/2021
We are working diligently to try to get everything back on track as we emerge from the CoVID pandemic. We are now once again open every 4th Sunday of the month from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Stop by for a visit and see what we have been working on over the past year. Our latest newsletter has been sent out to all members. You can view a digital copy here.
Stay tuned for more updates soon!
Stay tuned for more updates soon!
12/3/2020
Due to the ongoing CoVID 19 pandemic, the AHAS has been under suspension of most of our regular activities. The museum has been open by appointment only for small groups, which can be arranged by calling 252-746-4209. We have been working on what we can during these trying times. Our latest newsletter has been mailed to our members. You can view a digital copy here.
Speaking of members, it's time to update our yearly membership rosters. We offer individual memberships at $10 per year and family memberships at $20 per year. If you would like to join AHAS or renew your existing membership, please contact us here.
Speaking of members, it's time to update our yearly membership rosters. We offer individual memberships at $10 per year and family memberships at $20 per year. If you would like to join AHAS or renew your existing membership, please contact us here.
5/17/2020
Like all of you, AHAS is very concerned about the implications of the CoVID 19 pandemic. Unfortunately we are forced to suspend most organizational and museum activities and operations for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned to this website and our Facebook page for updates as they become available.
In the meantime, our newsletter for Spring/Summer 2020 has been mailed to all of our members. You can view a digital copy here.
Stay safe everyone. We will get through this together.
In the meantime, our newsletter for Spring/Summer 2020 has been mailed to all of our members. You can view a digital copy here.
Stay safe everyone. We will get through this together.
2/3/2020
AHAS recently held our first meeting of 2020 on Sun., Feb 2 and laid out a plan for the upcoming year. We have lots of exciting things on the horizon! Our military and education exhibits are almost complete and the BBQ exhibit is the next major one we will tackle. We also have planned an agricultural exhibit that we hope to begin work on in late spring. We decided that we will begin opening once a month; every 4th Sunday from 2-5 pm beginning with Feb. 23rd, 2020. This is very exciting for us as it is the next step to making this project a full-time and permanent fixture in the Ayden community. We also revisited our constitution and bylaws to bring them up to date, but no major changes were made to the governing structure of the board. The brick fundraiser is still proving to be a smashing success, allowing us to raise over $11,000 last year!
The minutes for our last meeting of 2019 are now available on this website. Click here or navigate to our Archives section in the navigation bar above.
The minutes for our last meeting of 2019 are now available on this website. Click here or navigate to our Archives section in the navigation bar above.
11/8/2019
The Ayden Museum will be open from noon until 4pm Saturday November 10th in conjunction with the Collard Festival festivities. Stop by and see us and see what we’ve been up to!
10/14/2019
The AHAS has been busy behind the scenes over the summer, painstakingly putting together our Military, Education, and BBQ exhibits. Much progress has been made. The Board recently met on Oct 2, 2019 and we are pleased with the progress thus far. We will be open on Sat Nov. 9th during the Collard Festival. Please stop by and see all the hard word we've been doing. At out next meeting we hope to solidify a regular schedule of operations. In the meantime, we will continue to work towards completing our in progress exhibits and planing for the next. The minutes from our February meeting are now posted in our Archives section, or you can click here to go straight there. We have also started a Facebook page, which can be reached here or through the Facebook icon in the header of this website. Please continue to support the Ayden Historical and Arts Society! We can be reached through the Facebook page or through our Contact page under the More tab above for any questions or comments. Your feedback is always welcome!
5/28/2019
We are still well underway developing our Museum. Our latest newsletter has been mailed out, so be sure to check your mailbox. If you have not signed up for our mailing list, go to this link and submit your name and address to be included. We are very excited to have Jim McConnell on board, working with us on our Digital Library. He has already gathered numerous items, with much more planned by the end of the summer. You can read more about it the newsletter, just click the button below to go straight to it. We will be working with Jim soon to integrate the Digital Library with this site. In the meantime, use the button below to navigate straight there.
In other news, our Education exhibit is almost complete, and we have been working with the descendants of Mr. Sammy Pierce, Ayden's own fighter pilot ace, on an exhibit highlighting Sammy's life and experiences in the military. We hope to have both the Education and the Military exhibits up within the next few months. We are also still working on the BBQ exhibit, highlighting the rich legacy of the Jones and Dennis families; Ayden's own BBQ royalty.
Stay tuned!
In other news, our Education exhibit is almost complete, and we have been working with the descendants of Mr. Sammy Pierce, Ayden's own fighter pilot ace, on an exhibit highlighting Sammy's life and experiences in the military. We hope to have both the Education and the Military exhibits up within the next few months. We are also still working on the BBQ exhibit, highlighting the rich legacy of the Jones and Dennis families; Ayden's own BBQ royalty.
Stay tuned!
3/4/2019
The Ayden Historical and Arts Society Board of Directors met on Tuesday, February 12th for our first full Board Meeting of 2019. Plans are still underway for the military, education, and BBQ exhibits. It was decided the Museum will be open during the Kings of Q BBQ Festival in Ayden on May 17-18, 2019. Please come and visit us!
Our financial statements from 2018 were released at the meeting and they are available at this link.
The meeting minutes from our September 2018 meeting were also released and they are available at this link.
We have also updated our About page with contact info for all current officers and board members of AHAS.
Individual exhibit committees will continue to meet independently to work on the military, education, and BBQ exhibits. Stay tuned for further announcements on progress and projected opening dates for these projects.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Ayden Elementary School Scrapbook project. The scrapbook from the 1983-84 school year is in the process of being digitized and uploaded right now.
Our financial statements from 2018 were released at the meeting and they are available at this link.
The meeting minutes from our September 2018 meeting were also released and they are available at this link.
We have also updated our About page with contact info for all current officers and board members of AHAS.
Individual exhibit committees will continue to meet independently to work on the military, education, and BBQ exhibits. Stay tuned for further announcements on progress and projected opening dates for these projects.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Ayden Elementary School Scrapbook project. The scrapbook from the 1983-84 school year is in the process of being digitized and uploaded right now.
12/20/18
The second Ayden Elementary School Scrapbook is now uploaded to the site. Go to the Archives link in the menu above or use the button below. Enjoy!
12/19/18
Ayden Elementary School has donated almost two decades of scrapbooks carefully compiled and curated over the years by the school staff. We are in the process of digitizing these to make them available online for posterity. The first, covering the 1981-82 school year, is available now. Click the button below to view. Anyone wishing to see the scrapbooks in person feel free to contact us. The scrapbooks are a part of our upcoming Education Exhibit, carefully researched and curated by Dale Cockrell.
We are still actively working on putting together the planned Education, Military, and BBQ exhibits. Stay tuned here for updates.
We are still actively working on putting together the planned Education, Military, and BBQ exhibits. Stay tuned here for updates.
11/29/18
We are pleased to announce our Winter Open House on Thursday 11/29 from 3 pm to 8 pm during Ayden's annual Christmas Festival and Parade. We have several new exhibits to showcase, including our first art installation. Please drop by and say hello while you are out and about enjoying the Christmas festivities.
Our latest newsletter has now been sent out to all of our members and those on the mailing list. If you are not yet a member, please join us today to be included and to support our organization that's committed to preserving the history and culture of the greatest little town in eastern North Carolina. Click the link below for a digital version of the newsletter for those of you who may have missed it.
Stay tuned! We have more plans afoot for the first few months of 2019!
Our latest newsletter has now been sent out to all of our members and those on the mailing list. If you are not yet a member, please join us today to be included and to support our organization that's committed to preserving the history and culture of the greatest little town in eastern North Carolina. Click the link below for a digital version of the newsletter for those of you who may have missed it.
Stay tuned! We have more plans afoot for the first few months of 2019!
10/29/18
We apologize for the delay in any updates to the site, but we assure you that we are still working hard to make the dream of an Ayden Museum come true. We successfully unveiled our first exhibit on Sat, Sept 8th during Ayden's annual Collard Festival celebration and we want to thank all of you who came out to see what we have accomplished so far. We have been encouraged by your enthusiasm for the project and your feedback.
Since then we have been hard at work brainstorming new ideas for exhibits and we are hard at work on three new exhibits, which we hope to have ready by Spring of 2019. We are very pleased to welcome the contributions of our newest board member, Dale Cockerel, who has gone above and beyond in helping to do much of the historical research and extensive legwork in collecting relevant artifacts and materials for these projects. One is an exhibit honoring the rich military legacy of Ayden and its citizens, which extends at least back to the Spanish American War, and possibly even as far as the Civil War. The second is an exhibit showcasing Ayden's educational heritage, from the Ayden Baptist Seminary and Eureka College, to Ayden-Grifton High School. The third is an exhibit featuring Ayden's rich (and tasty!) history of BBQ, with ample assistance from Sam Jones from Skylight Inn and the Dennis Family from Bum's Barbecue. We are extremely excited about all of these projects! Stay tuned to this website for additional announcements as they are available.
Since then we have been hard at work brainstorming new ideas for exhibits and we are hard at work on three new exhibits, which we hope to have ready by Spring of 2019. We are very pleased to welcome the contributions of our newest board member, Dale Cockerel, who has gone above and beyond in helping to do much of the historical research and extensive legwork in collecting relevant artifacts and materials for these projects. One is an exhibit honoring the rich military legacy of Ayden and its citizens, which extends at least back to the Spanish American War, and possibly even as far as the Civil War. The second is an exhibit showcasing Ayden's educational heritage, from the Ayden Baptist Seminary and Eureka College, to Ayden-Grifton High School. The third is an exhibit featuring Ayden's rich (and tasty!) history of BBQ, with ample assistance from Sam Jones from Skylight Inn and the Dennis Family from Bum's Barbecue. We are extremely excited about all of these projects! Stay tuned to this website for additional announcements as they are available.
8/31/2018
We're all set! On Saturday, Sept 8th the Ayden Historical and Arts Society will unveil our first exhibit at the Ayden History and Arts Museum located in the old Dixon Medical Building (located on Second Street directly beside the Ayden community Building). The exhibit will highlight the town's medical history, focusing on the two generations of doctors from the Dixon family that served our community. The museum will be open from 9 am until 6 pm. We hope you all can join us and see what we have accomplished this far!
We're all set! On Saturday, Sept 8th the Ayden Historical and Arts Society will unveil our first exhibit at the Ayden History and Arts Museum located in the old Dixon Medical Building (located on Second Street directly beside the Ayden community Building). The exhibit will highlight the town's medical history, focusing on the two generations of doctors from the Dixon family that served our community. The museum will be open from 9 am until 6 pm. We hope you all can join us and see what we have accomplished this far!
7/4/2018
Things are moving along right on track for our planned debut exhibit during the 2018 Ayden Collard Festival. Clink this link to view the minutes from our April and May meetings for details on our progress. We are excited by what we have done so far and look forward to completing the project and unveiling it for all to see!
AHAS would like to apologize to those who have recently contacted us through our online contact submission form. The email address that form was connected to was not monitored as it should have been. The information has been updated to avoid this problem in the future. We value and thrive on our interactions with the community and we promise to be diligent in all future communications.
AHAS has recently joined a select few historical and museum organizations, including the American Association for State and Local History, the North Carolina Museums Council, and the North Carolina Federation of Historical Societies. Membership in these organizations will provide substantial resources and contacts that will greatly facilitate the growth and development of both the AHAS and the Ayden Historical and Art Museum. We are very excited the be a part of these outstanding organizations!
There will be no formal meeting in July. However, a select exhibit committee will be meeting to continue work on our Collard Festival exhibit.
Check back soon for further updates!
Things are moving along right on track for our planned debut exhibit during the 2018 Ayden Collard Festival. Clink this link to view the minutes from our April and May meetings for details on our progress. We are excited by what we have done so far and look forward to completing the project and unveiling it for all to see!
AHAS would like to apologize to those who have recently contacted us through our online contact submission form. The email address that form was connected to was not monitored as it should have been. The information has been updated to avoid this problem in the future. We value and thrive on our interactions with the community and we promise to be diligent in all future communications.
AHAS has recently joined a select few historical and museum organizations, including the American Association for State and Local History, the North Carolina Museums Council, and the North Carolina Federation of Historical Societies. Membership in these organizations will provide substantial resources and contacts that will greatly facilitate the growth and development of both the AHAS and the Ayden Historical and Art Museum. We are very excited the be a part of these outstanding organizations!
There will be no formal meeting in July. However, a select exhibit committee will be meeting to continue work on our Collard Festival exhibit.
Check back soon for further updates!
5/21/2018
We have had a very productive few weeks! At the May committee meeting we began hammering out ideas for our first proposed exhibit, tentatively scheduled to debut at this year's Collard Festival in September. We also began discussing ideas for future exhibits once we get fully established and this is where we need your help. The list below is our first attempt to conceptualize the museum on a broad scale. We are currently seeking artifacts, documents, or any item of historical interest that may pertain to any of the below proposed exhibits. If you are in possession of something that you believe may be of interest to us, please contact us and help us make this museum a reality for all present and future citizens of Ayden!
Ayden Economic History
- Ayden Railroad/Train Station
- Agricultural history (tools display)
- Ayden Business District - 1930's to 1950's
- Hotel Beverly
- Ayden Veneer Plant 1916-1929
- Wood Manufacturing Plant
- Lutz & Schram
- Dupont
- Minges Bottling Company
- Anne Grimes Pastry
Ayden Medical History
Early Ayden Doctors
- Beriah Cox
- Guy Sumrell
- Mark Frizelle
- Joe Dixon
- W.H. Dixon
- George Grady Dixon
- Randall Smith
Ayden Clinic
- Ron Edwards
- Sullivan Nelson
- Lawrence Alexander
- Ray Evans
- Joe Ward
Pitt Family Physicians
- Elliot Dixon
- Stephen Joyner
- Jim Galloway
- Donald Riberio
- Will Gay
- Robin Adams
- Tracy Bowen
Ayden Dentists
- Charlie Riddick
- Wes Gooding
- Ledyard Ross
- John Jacoway
- Oscar Brown
- Daniel Harris
- Ned Craft
- Monica Molini
Optometrist
- Steve Sudor
Ayden Pharmacies
- McKinney Drug Store
- McKinney-Edwards Drug Store
- M.M. Sauls Drug Store
- Edwards Pharmacy
South Ayden
- Gratz Norcott
- Don Brown
- Charles Becton
- Huey Lawrence
- J.J. Brown
- Professor Ormond
- Gloria Dixon
South Ayden High School
Ayden Military History
- Veterans Park
- Sammy Pearce - Ace
- Veterans in Ayden Cemetaries
- Ayden in WWI and WWII
- Korea, Vietnam, Middle East Wars
Ayden Festivals
- Hoover Cart Parade
- Farmers Festival - 1957
- Collard Festival
- BBQ Festival
Ayden BBQ
- Dennis Family BBQ History (Bum's Restaurant)
- Jones Family BBQ History (Skylight Inn)
Church Histories
Historic Homes and Landmarks
Ayden Education
- Carolina Christian College (forerunner of Barton College in Wilson, NC)
- Free Will Baptist Seminary/Eureka College
- Ayden Public School history
Ayden Sports History
- Semi-Pro Baseball (1937-39)
- Outsanding Atheletes
We have had a very productive few weeks! At the May committee meeting we began hammering out ideas for our first proposed exhibit, tentatively scheduled to debut at this year's Collard Festival in September. We also began discussing ideas for future exhibits once we get fully established and this is where we need your help. The list below is our first attempt to conceptualize the museum on a broad scale. We are currently seeking artifacts, documents, or any item of historical interest that may pertain to any of the below proposed exhibits. If you are in possession of something that you believe may be of interest to us, please contact us and help us make this museum a reality for all present and future citizens of Ayden!
Ayden Economic History
- Ayden Railroad/Train Station
- Agricultural history (tools display)
- Ayden Business District - 1930's to 1950's
- Hotel Beverly
- Ayden Veneer Plant 1916-1929
- Wood Manufacturing Plant
- Lutz & Schram
- Dupont
- Minges Bottling Company
- Anne Grimes Pastry
Ayden Medical History
Early Ayden Doctors
- Beriah Cox
- Guy Sumrell
- Mark Frizelle
- Joe Dixon
- W.H. Dixon
- George Grady Dixon
- Randall Smith
Ayden Clinic
- Ron Edwards
- Sullivan Nelson
- Lawrence Alexander
- Ray Evans
- Joe Ward
Pitt Family Physicians
- Elliot Dixon
- Stephen Joyner
- Jim Galloway
- Donald Riberio
- Will Gay
- Robin Adams
- Tracy Bowen
Ayden Dentists
- Charlie Riddick
- Wes Gooding
- Ledyard Ross
- John Jacoway
- Oscar Brown
- Daniel Harris
- Ned Craft
- Monica Molini
Optometrist
- Steve Sudor
Ayden Pharmacies
- McKinney Drug Store
- McKinney-Edwards Drug Store
- M.M. Sauls Drug Store
- Edwards Pharmacy
South Ayden
- Gratz Norcott
- Don Brown
- Charles Becton
- Huey Lawrence
- J.J. Brown
- Professor Ormond
- Gloria Dixon
South Ayden High School
Ayden Military History
- Veterans Park
- Sammy Pearce - Ace
- Veterans in Ayden Cemetaries
- Ayden in WWI and WWII
- Korea, Vietnam, Middle East Wars
Ayden Festivals
- Hoover Cart Parade
- Farmers Festival - 1957
- Collard Festival
- BBQ Festival
Ayden BBQ
- Dennis Family BBQ History (Bum's Restaurant)
- Jones Family BBQ History (Skylight Inn)
Church Histories
Historic Homes and Landmarks
Ayden Education
- Carolina Christian College (forerunner of Barton College in Wilson, NC)
- Free Will Baptist Seminary/Eureka College
- Ayden Public School history
Ayden Sports History
- Semi-Pro Baseball (1937-39)
- Outsanding Atheletes
5/8/2018
New photographs have been added to our online collection! View our Historical Photo Collection here.
We are always looking for new photos to add to our collection! If you have any that you would like to see us preserve, please contact us.
New photographs have been added to our online collection! View our Historical Photo Collection here.
We are always looking for new photos to add to our collection! If you have any that you would like to see us preserve, please contact us.
5/2/2018
We apologize for the delay in any updates. We have been hard at work researching the museum process and getting the Dixon building ready. We have finally added AHAS Board Meeting Minutes for 2017 and 2018 to our Archives section. Also added is our 2017 Financial Report. In addition, our first AHAS Newsletter has been completed and mailed to all members and donors. A copy of that has also been added to the website.
We have added links to the Country Doctor Museum and the Tobacco Farm Life Museum to our Links page. Both are outstanding examples of what can be done with small town museums and serve as guides to what AHAS is hoping to accomplish. Anne Anderson at the Country Doctor Museum in particular has been instrumental in guiding AHAS towards accomplishing our mission to establish a museum in Ayden.
We are still seeking donations in the form of artifacts or other historical materials. Please contact us if you have anything that you think may be of interest to us.
We have some exciting stuff planned for the Fall! Stay tuned!
We apologize for the delay in any updates. We have been hard at work researching the museum process and getting the Dixon building ready. We have finally added AHAS Board Meeting Minutes for 2017 and 2018 to our Archives section. Also added is our 2017 Financial Report. In addition, our first AHAS Newsletter has been completed and mailed to all members and donors. A copy of that has also been added to the website.
We have added links to the Country Doctor Museum and the Tobacco Farm Life Museum to our Links page. Both are outstanding examples of what can be done with small town museums and serve as guides to what AHAS is hoping to accomplish. Anne Anderson at the Country Doctor Museum in particular has been instrumental in guiding AHAS towards accomplishing our mission to establish a museum in Ayden.
We are still seeking donations in the form of artifacts or other historical materials. Please contact us if you have anything that you think may be of interest to us.
We have some exciting stuff planned for the Fall! Stay tuned!
1/15/2018
Happy New Year! The Ayden Historical and Arts Society has big plans for 2018 and we want you to be a part of it. Our first meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday, January 16th at the Ayden United Methodist Church, 460 E. 3rd St. Ayden, NC at 7:00 PM. Join us and help us make 2018 a year that will go down in history!
Happy New Year! The Ayden Historical and Arts Society has big plans for 2018 and we want you to be a part of it. Our first meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday, January 16th at the Ayden United Methodist Church, 460 E. 3rd St. Ayden, NC at 7:00 PM. Join us and help us make 2018 a year that will go down in history!
9/8/2017
The September meeting of the AHAS has been moved from Tuesday, Sept. 19 to Thurs, Sept. 21 at 6:00 PM.
Meetings are held at the Ayden United Methodist Church, 460 E. 3rd St. Ayden, NC
The September meeting of the AHAS has been moved from Tuesday, Sept. 19 to Thurs, Sept. 21 at 6:00 PM.
Meetings are held at the Ayden United Methodist Church, 460 E. 3rd St. Ayden, NC
8/27/2017
Ayden Historical and Arts Society makes news at the Daily Reflector!
(click link below to view article)
AHAS Reflector Article
Ayden Historical and Arts Society makes news at the Daily Reflector!
(click link below to view article)
AHAS Reflector Article
