Julia A. Purnell Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Julia A. Purnell Museum is located in downtown Snow Hill, Maryland in Worcester County on the Maryland Eastern Shore. The Purnell Museum is home to over 10,000 pieces of local history. An important exhibit offered in the museum is a time-line that parallels the history of the County compared to the nation as a whole and many many more. With such a variety of exhibits the Julia A. Purnell Museum has something everyone is interested in. The Julia A. Purnell Museum was the building where the St. Agnes Catholic Church was built in 1891. If you are ever drying through Snow Hill, Maryland it would not hurt to stop by the Julia A. Purnell Museum and take a track back through the local history.
Images
Artwork
Outside look of the Museum
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Julia A. Purnell museum shows exhibits of Snow Hill and Worcester County. Julia LeCompte was born in Snow Hill, Maryland in 1843. She then married William H. Purnell in 1869 and together they had two sons. Julia created needle art with quilts, cross-stitch, and embroidery. Her art is very well known around Worcester County and because of her artistic ability she was inducted into the National Hobby Hall of Fame. Her artwork is still shown to this day at the Julia A. Purnell Museum. Mrs. Purnell lived to be one hundred years old but her old age did not stop her from her needlework. When she was in her eighties she was wheelchair-bound still completing artwork. To this day her artwork along with her sons can be purchased for up to $80 at an auction or antique store.
The Julia A. Purnell Museum was built in 1891 originally as the St. Agnes Catholic Church. The church consisted of 18 members but in 1900 the church shut down. The church was shut down because of the amount of members that were attending. When the church closed down, the vacant building was then used for public functions. The Purnell Museum was relocated to where the St. Agnes Catholic Church used to be in 1957 and is still in that location today.
Toward the end of Julia's life her son began to show her artwork with the locals around Snow Hill, Maryland. Julia passed away in 1943 and the community was devastated. In her honor the community donated tons of historic items from their homes to the Julia A. Purnell Museum.
The Julia A. Purnell Museum gives visitors the chance to see some artifacts back in time. The museum shows over 10,000 artifacts on history of Snow Hill, Maryland and Worcester County.
For your involvement you can become a member of the Julia Purnell Museum to help support the interpretation of local history. Members involved will receive a newspaper four times a year, advance notice of programs, and a 10% discount on all purchases.
The Julia A. Purnell Museum was built in 1891 originally as the St. Agnes Catholic Church. The church consisted of 18 members but in 1900 the church shut down. The church was shut down because of the amount of members that were attending. When the church closed down, the vacant building was then used for public functions. The Purnell Museum was relocated to where the St. Agnes Catholic Church used to be in 1957 and is still in that location today.
Toward the end of Julia's life her son began to show her artwork with the locals around Snow Hill, Maryland. Julia passed away in 1943 and the community was devastated. In her honor the community donated tons of historic items from their homes to the Julia A. Purnell Museum.
The Julia A. Purnell Museum gives visitors the chance to see some artifacts back in time. The museum shows over 10,000 artifacts on history of Snow Hill, Maryland and Worcester County.
For your involvement you can become a member of the Julia Purnell Museum to help support the interpretation of local history. Members involved will receive a newspaper four times a year, advance notice of programs, and a 10% discount on all purchases.
Sources
General Information:
http://www.purnellmuseum.com
Family history:
http://travelhag.com/2013/07/06/7-julia-a-purnell-museum/