Country Doctor Museum hosts African-American Heritage Day on May 26
BAILEY, N.C. — A new event at the Country Doctor Museum will celebrate the many contributions of eastern North Carolina’s African-American physicians.
African-American Heritage Day will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 26. Admission and events will be free.
Stories of African-American physicians are highlighted throughout the museum. “We thought this would be a great event to share them,” said Jennie Schindler, site manager.
At 1 p.m., the Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts and Education of Wilson step team will perform. At 1:30 p.m., Patricia Brown of Greenville will speak on overcoming life’s challenges with a disability. Brown, who was stricken with polio when she was 11 months old, is the author of a self-published book, “Enduring Life Challenges with a Disability.” Carol Quigless of Tarboro will speak at 2 p.m. about traditional African food and how it has been Americanized. She is the daughter of well-known African-American physician Milton Quigless. D4L, a dance team from Jerusalem Baptist Church in Whitakers, will perform at 2:45 p.m.
In the Farmer Annex, a new exhibit room will be showing a movie about the elder Quigless throughout the day. Quigless donated a hospital bed to the museum before his death in 1998.
The museum is the oldest in the United States dedicated to the history of America’s rural health care. It was created in 1967 by a group of North Carolina women whose initial interest was to build a lasting memorial for rural physicians. As the museum’s collection grew to more than 5,000 medical artifacts and volumes of historic texts gathered from across the nation, the focus expanded to include topics such as nursing, pharmaceuticals and home remedies. Exhibits highlight the practice of medicine between the late 18th century and the first half of the 20th century.
The museum is managed as part of the History Collections of Laupus Library at East Carolina University through an agreement with the ECU Medical Foundation. To visit the museum, travel U.S. 264 to the Bailey/Spring Hope exit and turn south toward town on N.C. 581. At the first traffic light, turn right on Deans Street (U.S. 264 Alternate). Take the first left onto Peele Road. The museum’s parking lot entrance is on the left.
Normal operating hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students. For more information, call (252) 235-4165 or go to www.countrydoctormuseum.org.
Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at (252) 328-6799 (V) or (252) 328-0899 (TTY).