Murphy – Locals as well as visitors came to see the results of the renovation project at the Cherokee County Historical Museum.
About 60 people had already come through the museum's doors Friday, just 30 minutes into the four-hour open house event. Additional space became available for the museum when the Murphy Police Department, once housed at the same location, relocated to a building on Hill Street.
Josh Boutwell from Alabama stopped by to take a look at the updated museum.
"It's really great," he said. "I have not seen this amount of artifacts from Native Americans ever in one place. It's pretty incredible. We've learned since we've been on this trip, a lot more about the Cherokee and the removal of the Cherokee."
The museum displays the rich history of Native Americans and pioneer settlers in the far-western tip of the state.
"People that may have come before and haven't been in years, they're getting to see a whole new facility," said Trevis Hicks, president of the museum's board of directors. "We've renovated the upstairs with cabinetry, and the whole downstairs has also been renovated."
The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from May through October, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children.
The Cherokee Historical Museum is at 87 Peachtree St. downtown.
Details: Call 828-837-6792 and visit cchistoricalmuseum.com.