Page 7 - Harnett Life Summer 2018

A new museum in downtown Dunn is giving Harnett Coun-
ty residents a glimpse of the past. The Dunn Area History
Museum opened May 18th on East Broad St., thanks to two
local history buffs, Bobby Carr, and Mark Johnson, who are
the driving force behind its creation.

The museum tells the story of the Dunn area and its people,
shared through photographs, rows of artifacts and personal
effects belonging to members of the community.

Dunn, which is named for Bennett R. Dunn, a civil engi-
neer for the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, is located in Eastern
Harnett County, off Rt. I95, and has a population of roughly
10,000 people. Its founding dates back to 1887, with indus-
tries that were rooted in turpentine, timber, cotton and tobac-
co. It is home to the Harnett Regional Theatre, Averasboro
Battlefield and the annual North Carolina Cotton Festival.

A portrait of Bennett Dunn, painted by Walt Smith, hangs in
the museum.

“Everything in the museum is local with a direct connection
to Dunn and to its residents,” said Carr, who started the mu-
seum with Johnson, in 2015.Miss North Carolina 2015, Kate
Peacock, who is from Dunn, serves as the museum’s spokes-
person. The flowing blue gown worn by Peacock when she
was crowned is on display, along with her sash and tiara. This jacket belonged to Clifford Layton, who played
with the Negro Baseball Leagues, 1951-1954. Layton
Dunn native, Clifford Layton, 88, donated personal effects played with the Indy Clowns and with the New York
from his time with the Negro Baseball League, 1951-1954. Black Yankees. His jacket, game ball and bat are all
Layton played pro baseball with the Indy Clowns and the on display at the museum.
New York Black Yankees. His ball club jacket, photos, a
game bat and game ball are on display.

Carr and Johnson are both well known in the Dunn commu-
nity. Carr is the founder of Carr Precast Concrete, in Dunn,
and he also co-founded Carr Hardware. Johnson, who helped
to curate the new museum, is also curator of the Major Gen-
eral William C. Lee Airborne Museum, located just a few
blocks away.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony on opening day, Mayor,
Oscar Harris, recognized their patient years of preparation.
“Bobby Carr birthed this idea and Mark Johnson joined him
to help make this dream come true,” he said. “This is a his-
toric day in Dunn, and we are making history with history.
We stand on the shoulders of the men and women of the past.
Our history is colorful and rich, and the legacies are strong,”
the mayor said.

A purple heart and an actual western union telegram
The First Lady of Dunn, Jean W. Harris, is remembered informing a mother of the death of her son in Belgium
and honored with a display commemorating the occasion of during WWII, hangs in the new museum
Dunn’s 100th anniversary Centennial Celebration Ball, held
at the Dunn Armory, in 1987. She died in 2015. Mrs. Harris Page 7