Town evicts Wrightsville Beach Museum from historic cottage

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The Wrightsville Beach Museum is rushing to get historic artifacts out of the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage. The museum is being evicted from the 100-year-old cottage by the town.  

The museum’s volunteer staff received the eviction notice on Friday morning, giving them just seven days to vacate the property. Museum Vice President Donna Starling said that the notice has given them little time to move valuable history.  

“Unfortunately, with such short notice, we are struggling to get out of this building and preserve all of the precious artifacts that we have,” Starling said. 

The cottage was originally donated to the museum, which spent over $300,000 renovating the building. In 2018, the museum sold the cottage to the town for just $1. 

The eviction comes after the museum faces scrutiny following the museum’s board of directors voting unanimously to stop allowing Camp Chris Stone to use the cottage during the summer; though Starling noted that decision was not easy to make.  

“Some of the attacks that have come out we just kind of let it roll of our back,” she said. “We love children. We love Camp Chris Stone; I just want to say that.” 

Now that the museum will be forced to leave the cottage, Starling worries about the future of the historic structure.  

“We know what happens to history when it gets destroyed,” she said. “People forget and they move on and things change.”  

The museum wrote on Facebook that they were warned by a board of alderman member that their lease was in jeopardy if they did not cooperate with Camp Chris Stone. 

The town of Wrightsville Beach released the following statement on the eviction: 

“Prior to a meeting between representatives of the Town and the Wrightsville Beach Museum, staff became aware that the leases for the museum facilities had expired in October of 2021. At that meeting, items were discussed by those present that could be mutually beneficial when new lease terms were negotiated. The items discussed included insurance, maintenance, landscaping, sub-tenants and others. The Town did hear back in writing from the museum about a sub-tenant issue, however there was never any further discussion about a lease renewal. At the March 14th Board of Aldermen meeting, the Board directed the acting Town Manager to notify the Wrightsville Beach Museum of the termination of the month-to-month holdover lease for the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage. The Museum was given notice of termination of the lease for the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage as required by North Carolina Law. The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History still occupies Meyers Cottage which is its original location.”