5 Fascinating Things You Have to Know About the Missiles and More Museum
Are you looking for a fascinating vacation, as well as a fun and relaxing one? Especially if and when you have school aged kids, it can be a constant challenge to not only keep your kids interested in history and science while in school, but especially during any vacation you take as a family.
Well, guess what? When you come to Topsail on your next North Carolina vacation, we have a fascinating vacation lined up for you, and for your kids. That’s right! We have a lovely museum here - the Missiles and More Museum - filled with the fascinating history that took place right here on our beautiful Topsail Island. Below we have 5 fascinating things that you have to know about the history of Topsail, and that you can find in the Missiles and More Museum.
1). The Building Itself is Historic
That’s right! Granted, it isn’t an especially old building - it was built in 1946. It is the story behind the building, and what happened in it, that makes it historic. Built the year after World War 2 ended, it was still used by the military. The government created missiles there (hence the name of the museum now) for a secret missile operation that took place on Topsail Island. Inside the building of the museum, of course, you can learn all about the missile operation that took place during the Cold War.
2). It Contains Artifacts Older Than Our Country 
The Missiles and More Museum isn’t just about Topsail’s military history. Infact the exhibits go back all the way to the 1700’s. The natural history exhibit will detail for you, and your kids, the life of the Native American’s on Topsail from before the founding of our country. There is even a Native American canoe there that dates back to the era of George Washington and the Founding Fathers. Just picture how your kid’s imaginations will be piqued after viewing this exhibit.
3). A Physical Place is Represented
The Camp Davis exhibit in the museum is an interesting exhibit, both because of what it details and because of the fact that the exhibit is about a place rather than about an actual artifact. Camp Davis was an important antiaircraft training center during World War 2, and was located near Topsail Island. The displays include pictures and artifacts from the World War 2 period that show what life was like for the soldiers who were at Camp Davis.
4). It Will Become One of the Highlights of Your Kids’ Vacation
If the tails of Native Americans and missile construction aren’t enough to fascinate your children, then the next exhibit will grab their interest and stimulate their imagination! That’s right, we are talking about pirates! From 1630-1720, pirates terrorized the coast of the Carolina’s, including Topsail. In fact, there is a tail that says Topsail got its name from pirates who would hide their ships behind the island, ready to chase after unsuspecting merchants. The merchants became wise to the pirates because they could see the pirate "topsails” from behind the island. While you might not recognize the names of most of the pirates who terrorized the waters around Topsail, you will recognize at least one of them: Blackbeard! If you would like to read more about the pirate history of Topsail before visiting the museum, you should check out this blog post of ours here.
5). The Bravery of Women WW2 Pilots is Preserved 
In Topsail’s Missiles and More Museum, there is an exhibit dedicated entirely to the WASPS, or the Women Airforce Service Pilots. The WASPS were created at the beginning of World War 2, in 1942. The women who were accepted into the program received training very similar to what the male aviation cadets received. And while the WASPS did not see combat, they did fill many of the non-combat flight duties, thereby freeing up soldiers to pilot overseas in the war. Some of the duties of these fantastic women were towing targets for live anti-aircraft practice, test-flying both rocket and jet propelled planes, and much more.
Indulge yourself with a stay in one of our Topsail Island rentals this fall, and at the same time treat your entire family to a vacation that will pique everyone’s curiosity and love of history. Hurry and book now. It’s high time you indulged yourself!
Images Courtesy of Missiles and More Museum.
