FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 24, 2021
CONTACT: Kelly Alexander, Executive Director, 704-636-2889 ext. 236
(SPENCER, NC) The North Carolina Transportation Museum will receive $10 million in state funding to complete the renovation and restoration project of the Spencer Shops Powerhouse that dates to 1896, and for the Car Shed to house the museum’s passenger cars. This restoration project will help preserve the rich history of North Carolina transportation.
“We’d like to thank Governor Cooper, the General Assembly, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources leadership, and the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation for all of their support of the museum and securing this funding,” says Kelly Alexander, executive director of the museum. “These projects will allow us to engage our visitors, increase our economic impact, and preserve our equipment for years to come.”
“These buildings are essential to our continued growth in expanding exhibits, providing protected storage for the restored passenger equipment, and providing support facilities for our outdoor car, truck and fire truck shows” says Roy Johnson, president of the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation.
The 1896 Powerhouse building will be renovated to provide special event space and a place for traveling exhibits. It will allow for the installation of restrooms, a catering kitchen, and both indoor and outdoor space for programming, rentals, and events.
The Car Shed will offer cover to the museum’s passenger car fleet. The museum continues to acquire and restore rail equipment that is significant to the operation of the site and train operations. Covered storage will ensure that important pieces of rolling stock are protected from sun and other weather conditions that result in rapid deterioration.
Also in the budget is $280,000 to cover lost receipts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the N.C. Transportation Museum The N.C.
Transportation Museum is home to the largest remaining operational roundhouse in North America, and numerous structures that represent what was once Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility in the southeast. The museum is part of the Division of Historic Sites and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Learn more at www.nctransportationmuseum.org.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a mission is to improve the quality of life by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development. NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, the State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.