For more than 200 years, North Carolina’s capital city had no repository for its historical artifacts, no place to preserve its past, and no institution to educate its citizens and visitors. That all changed in 1993 when the COR Museum (formerly Raleigh City Museum) debuted its first exhibit.

The COR Museum grew out of the dream of local historian Beth Crabtree, and after Beth’s death, the vision and perseverance of Mary Cates, and countless dedicated volunteers. The Museum operated as a nonprofit until July 2012, when the City of Raleigh assumed operational control. While the City remains in charge of the Museum, it is also supported by the nonprofit Friends of the COR Museum.

As part of its mission to “Preserve Raleigh’s Past for the Future,” the museum collects and cares for artifacts, curates exhibits, and provides educational programming that all highlight and interpret Raleigh’s history and heritage.

The COR Museum is an integral part of the community for the services it provides to the general public. As the state capital and as its own municipality, Raleigh has a unique history that is worth recognizing and sharing.