N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Supports Upgrades to Museum Structures & Exhibits

The Tobacco Farm Life Museum has been awarded a grant in the amount of $158,401 from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. This funding will support the museum’s efforts to improve artifact preservation and update current exhibits with a more comprehensive history of the farming community between 1880 and 1950. The Museum will make necessary repairs to the 35-year-old gallery building and update existing exhibit displays’ visual look and content. This will make the museum’s collections and stories more accessible to current and future generations who may not be familiar with agriculture’s significant impact on our past and present.

The project will better preserve and protect the museum’s collection through structural upgrades to the museum building while also funding upgrades to the museum’s exhibits. These efforts will serve to enhance the museum’s existing offerings and prepare the museum to continue serving the community as it nears its 40th anniversary.

The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) was created to assist current/former tobacco farmers, former quota holders, persons engaged in tobacco-related businesses, individuals displaced from tobacco-related employment, and tobacco product component businesses in NC that have been affected by the adverse effects of the MSA. The NCTTFC can disburse funds through compensatory programs and qualified agricultural programs. For more information about NCTTFC visit their website: http://tobaccotrustfund.org/about-the-ttfc/

“We are so thankful to the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission for their support of the Museum over the years,” said Melody Worthington, executive director of the Tobacco Farm Life Museum. “We previously received a grant in 2014 for the development of video advertisements. We are so excited to start work on upgrading the Museum’s roof, HVAC systems and updating some of our exhibits. This grant will go a long way to ensuring the Museum can continue its mission to preserve and present the history of the rural farming community.”

The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission will take part in a check presentation at the 2022 Breakfast with the Commissioner, the museum’s annual benefit event in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This year’s Breakfast with the Commissioner will be held February 4, 2022 at 7:30am at the Southern Farm Show.

To see the complete list of NCTTFC grant recipients visit: http://tobaccotrustfund.org/2021-recipients/