HATTERAS – New exhibit space at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is currently under construction as part of the final phase of completion for the Museum. The 5,162 square foot permanent exhibit gallery is being fitted with HVAC, wiring, and other essential elements in preparation for the installation of a new series of permanent exhibits highlighting the history, culture and peoples that have lived along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the adjacent waters known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Following completion of the gallery space, design of an exciting new exhibit will commence. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources announced today that the work is underway for the gallery space. Since 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation have provided $375,000.00 towards the design planning phase of the project. NOAA is working in partnership with the Department of Cultural Resources on this endeavor.
“This is the culmination of a strong partnership with NOAA, the National Parks Service and the Department of Cultural Resources in completing a cultural attraction with 400 years of state, national and international history,” said North Carolina Maritime Museums Director Joseph Schwarzer. North Carolina is known to have one of the most profound concentrations of submerged cultural resources in the world off Hatteras and Ocracoke with over 2000 shipwrecks.
“In the future,” notes Schwarzer, “we will be able to showcase and interpret more exciting artifacts and present diverse exhibits to tell the fascinating story that captures the attention of people around the world. It is exciting to see this come to fruition.”