Experience 19th-century life in Banner Elk and the High Country in the home of Samuel Henry Banner, one of Banner Elk’s early settlers and his his wife, Jane Hyder Banner, and their seven children. The circa 1870 house has been furnished with period heirlooms donated and loaned by area residents to tell the story of Banner Elk life from the 1870’s to the 1900’s. An exhibition room highlights local history from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In addition, visitors may see a volunteer weaver demonstrating traditional hand-weaving techniques on a floor loom.
The Banner House Museum is participating this year in an area-wide oral history project to collect stories surrounding Tropical Storm Helene. Working in collaboration with Appalachian State University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center, Avery County Historical Society, and the Beech Mountain Museum, folks can share their Helene experiences at a special recording station set up at the museum. Learn more on the museum’s website.
The museum opens for summer visitors on June 7, 2025 and runs through September 20, 2025. Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. General admission is $5 per person and includes a house tour. The museum is located close to downtown on Hickory Nut Gap Road near the Banner Elk Greenway and next to the Mill Pond. The address is 7990 Hickory Nut Gap Road Banner Elk, NC 28604-2261.
Local businesses are encouraged to join the museum as a sponsoring business member, with several sponsorship levels available ranging from $250 to $1000. Benefits include free guest passes, sponsorship signage at the museum, and discounted tickets to special events.
Can’t visit in person? Check out the museum’s website at http://bannerhousemuseum.org/. A free PocketSights virtual walking tour is available for mobile download via link on the museum’s calendar page: http://bannerhousemuseum.org/calendar/
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