Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex

The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex features a main museum building with regional history exhibits, the preserved 1897 Poe House showcasing Victorian domestic life, and Arsenal Park containing Civil War era military ruins across four and a half acres.

The complex was established in 1988 as a regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History and includes the ruins of the Fayetteville Confederate arsenal, which was destroyed by Union forces under General William T. Sherman in March 1865 during the American Civil War.

The museum presents exhibits on Native American tribes of the Cape Fear region, early Scottish settlers who founded Fayetteville, the history of slavery, local textile and naval stores industries, folk pottery traditions, and a reconstructed early twentieth century general store with period merchandise.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday with additional Sunday hours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., remaining closed on Mondays and major holidays, and visitors can contact staff at (910) 500-4240 or mcf@ncdcr.gov for information about group visits and educational programs.

The 1897 Poe House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, offers docent-led tours exploring Victorian era social changes and family life while the adjacent Arsenal Park preserves visible remnants of a military ordnance factory that served both Federal and Confederate forces.

Location: Fayetteville

Website: https://museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov

GPS coordinates: 35.05451,-78.89265

Latest update: November 26, 2025 19:44