Waldensian Heritage Museum

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Museum & Gift Shop Hours

Tours are conducted at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM Tuesday - Friday.  Other times are available by appointment.

Additional Summer Hours - July 5th  through August 9th 2008, also open 4-6 PM Friday and Saturday.

The Waldensian Heritage Museum is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage and culture of the Waldensian settlers. It features several rooms and thousands of items that date back to the earliest immigrants, including: clothing, tools, books, pictures, and household items.

In 1947, the Session of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church appointed an Historical Committee to collect and arrange a place "to preserve anything relating to the early settling of Valdese." For eight years, items were stored in a room too small for display. Then, in 1955, they were displayed in the Tron Hall section of the Church. The collection continued to grow.

In 1968, Tron Hall was renovated to more adequately display the items. Appreciation of the collection grew, and hundreds of visitors came from far and near.

As a result of the growing collection, inadequate display space, and an increasing number of visitors, plans for a new museum building were drawn up. The congregation gave unanimous approval, and in 1973, the building was constructed on the corner of Rodoret Street and St. Germain Avenue. The  beautiful structure is Waldensian in its exterior characteristics. The interior has been lovingly and painstakingly arranged in a variety of excellent displays, including photographs, clothing, crafts, home furnishings, church furnishings, farm implements, carpentry tools, wine making apparatus, toys, and miscellaneous items. Several books relating to Waldensian history are available for sale (see below.)

The latest addition to the museum was completed in 2006, effectively doubling the size of the facility.

The Waldensian Heritage Museum is owned solely by the Waldensian Presbyterian Church and is maintained and staffed by volunteers and a full time executive director since January 2007.  Hundreds of special tour groups and thousands of visitors from thirty-six states and twenty-three foreign nations have toured the museum.

For information or to arrange a tour, call the museum office at: (828) 874-1111, or the church office at 828-874-2531.  Correspondence to the museum should be sent to PO Box 111, Valdese, NC  28690. You may also contact the museum  via e-mail at museum@waldensianpresbyterian.org.