Volunteers are needed to assist in organizing, cleaning and categorizing items that are to be displayed at the historic museum that will be housed at the Gibson Train Depot.
Stephanie Walcott | Laurinburg Exchange
Town of Gibson officials are currently in the process of turning part of its old train depot into a historical museum. The depot, which is owned by the town and still used for town meetings and community events, is historical in its own right.
Stephanie Walcott | Laurinburg Exchange
GIBSON — Preparations are underway for the Town of Gibson to turn part of its old train depot into a historical museum.
The project, which was first conceived in 2013, never got past the planning stage and has been in limbo ever since.
Town Clerk Peggy Smith, with the support of Gibson Mayor Gwen Arrigon, decided to change that. Smith has lived in or near Gibson all her life. After retiring as the Town Clerk of Southern Pines in 2021, she came to work in Gibson in December 2022.
“Once I went in the depot and saw all the great historical artifacts in there, I just wanted to make it happen. This is something that should be shared with the community,” Smith said.
She said they also plan to do a history video to complement the museum tour.
Smith and volunteer Vickie Leech of Gibson are in the process of cleaning, sorting, cataloging, and organizing the large collection of relics. There are World War II memorabilia, old radios and cameras, farm implements, and cobbler tools along with lots of other items.
They’d welcome more volunteers to help them.
Many of the items came from the Grady Hubbard family when a museum in McColl, South Carolina closed more than a decade ago. Other items have been loaned or donated by families in the area. Smith said they would appreciate more donations or loans of historical items.
The depot, which is owned by the town and still used for town meetings and community events, is historical in its own right. It was built in 1883-84 when Gibson was a burgeoning railroad town. The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad built a spur from Gibson to Hamlet in 1884 and another railroad company built one from Gibson to Bennettsville, SC in 1891. The railroads helped get goods shipped into Scotland County and cotton and other commodities shipped out.
“This used to be a hopping little town, thanks to the railroad. They had a hotel, bank, a movie theater and a large general store/grocery store,” Mayor Arrigon said.
Smith said the museum will be similar to the Museum of Agriculture and History in Laurinburg. They plan to have it opened by September — just in time for school children to tour. It will be open for limited hours or by appointment only as they will have to depend on volunteers to help with the tours.
To volunteer, loan, or donate items to the museum, call the Gibson Town Hall at 910-268-4291.