Earl Scruggs Center — Attraction in Shelby

What a surprise this place!! Very well done regional history museum, extensive at two floors. It chronicles the life of Cleveland County's favorite son (guess who??!!), and it very thouroughly tells the larger story of the area.

Mentions of author and southern social observer and critic WJ Cash and his book, The Mind of the South. I recall my mother said this book blew her mind when she was an undergrad at Univ of GA... and it blew my mind years later. Loved how the museum told the textile history of the area -- who thought to highlight that the mills were named after the owners' daughters? Wonderful tidbit.

I think what I liked the best and found most unusual were the instances (there were many) in which the exhibits delved into Earl Scruggs's inner thoughts, feelings and emotions. There was a fairly large exhibit about Earl's childhood, and included the fact that Earl was only four years old when his father died. Earl never spoke directly about this loss. However, when traveling for shows as an adult, Earl went into a cafe where an old man, disheveled, poor and hungry, was refused service because he wasn't wearing a tie. Years later, Earl gave an interview in which he reflected on this experience, saying he thought the man had the hands of someone who worked hard all his life, and he would have liked to ask the man if he would like to be his father. This is an example of an experience this little museum gives: a very personal experience. I salute the person/s who made the decisions as to what stories went in to this museum, and how to tell...

I had a special interest in the Earl Scruggs Center as I had a family member who played banjo and mandolin. I loved learning about Earl Scruggs' personal story and how he developed his art. I also appreciated how the center wove together the history of banjo music, banjo making, banjo players and American history.

I loved all the artifacts on display such as actual banjos used by Earl Scruggs and his family members, antique radios, extremely sturdy 100 year old the handmade wooden desk.

I enjoyed the films, hearing the music, listening to the audio plug inside and seeing that the venue is a place where live concerts are held.

The gift shop has some very cool items like wooden mandolin and banjo earrings, necklaces, magnets; music themed T-shirts, and other items.

The staff are enthusiastic about the center and it's contagious!

I would certainly return for a concert when in...

We visited in Saturday, almost New Year's Eve. The center was outstanding with static as well as interactive exhibits. Mr. Harris, a center volunteer, was readily on hand with additional information and questions. I'm glad he was there and found him very knowledgeable of both Earl Scruggs and the history of Shelby too. All of the exhibits were on the ground floor. The center used to be the old courthouse. Also, at the front of the center/old courthouse, many years ago, there was a stand where they sold natural spring water by the glass. We obtained a copy of a map to locate the home place of Earl Scruggs. It was about a 9 mile drive from the center. There are posted no trespassing signs however we took pictures from the road side. I thoroughly enjoyed the center a learned a great deal about the life of Earl Scruggs....