Guest Article: Reflection on My Time by Matthew Titchiner

​When I first encountered the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County (MARC) in my search for employment, I never imagined that they would take a chance on a newly minted green card holder (and a Brit at that!) for leadership. I certainly didn’t imagine this museum would grow such deep roots in my life, nor that the people would become like extended family in such a short span of time. But they did.

​Above: 1907 Courthouse building & the main museum exhibit space, March 2021. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Titchiner)

​The obvious qualities that attracted me to the MARC were its community participation, potential and people. Many museums boast interesting collections, historic architecture and varied programs, but not many can claim their existence as being truly grassroots or have such a compelling story. Born from the Rockingham County Historical Society (formed in 1954) with support from the Rockingham County government and many community members, the MARC emerged at the geographical and cultural center of the county. Stewarding a space that had been the site of county governance since 1787, two Revolutionary War sites and the painstakingly restored 1816 Wright Tavern that was brimming with tales left me hooked. It was also clear as the only county-wide museum in the area, MARC was uniquely placed to act as a positive galvanizing force, with the power to bring people together. But the real selling point for me was the passion of the Search Committee and staff who, during my interview, proudly told MARC’s story and vision for the future. When I received the call offering me the Executive Director position, I couldn’t say anything but “yes!”
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Shortly after starting my tenure as Executive Director at the end of 2019, which now seems a lifetime ago (or two), the world was brought to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shutdown came at a critical time when MARC needed to expand rapidly and diversify funding sources to keep operating. The pandemic was a challenge I certainly didn’t expect, and one that could have easily led to a possible closure within 6-8 months. Thanks greatly to Jeff Bullins, former MARC President, and the Board of Directors, we were able to secure multiple COVID-19 relief funds and a local grant from the Reidsville Area Foundation which enabled MARC not just to weather the storm but to pivot our events and projects to virtual formats.
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That was a difficult time and, in many ways, defined my tenure at the MARC, with added complexities at home as my wife and I juggled full-time work with many a sleepless night tending to the needs of our newborn twin daughters, far from extended family. Fletcher Waynick (former Operations and Facilities Manager) and Nadine Case (former Administrative and Volunteer Coordinator) were instrumental in keeping everything going at the museum during this period and I can’t thank them both enough! The team’s collective efforts allowed MARC to not only continue to deliver its mission but expand our online presence and install two new exhibits, The James P. Southern Korean War Exhibit and Heavy are the Scales: Griggs v. Duke Power Co. Exhibit. A rather unexpected result of the pandemic was that it left MARC with a new vision of what it could be and what it could do.

Left: Matthew Titchiner and Korean War Exhibit sponsor Mrs. Marie Southern, June 2020. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Brown) Above: Fletcher Waynick assisting in the installation of the Griggs Exhibit, January 2021. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Titchiner)

One part of that vision was to realize the MARC’s full potential as a community convener. For the MARC to be able to draw together people from different areas and backgrounds and to acknowledge the full history of the people of Rockingham County. We have strengthened our relationships with the municipalities and rural areas of the county, and we have forged strong cooperative relationships with a wide variety of agencies and non-profit organizations in Rockingham County.
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MARC’s research and education regarding the Griggs v. Duke Power Co. case remains, for me, a personal highlight of our accomplishments and an example of our work to make connections. In 2019, when Valencia Abbott approached me about this 1971 United States Supreme Court case, it was a completely new history for me, and I spent hours researching all I could on the subject. Poignant but modest plans were set in motion to deliver the nation’s first permanent exhibit on the case, aiming to bring together the Duke Energy Foundation, the families of the 13 local African American plaintiffs and community leaders to celebrate this relatively unknown piece of local history that helped to secure workplace equity for all. Given the nature of the case, the volatile context for race relations during the 1960s and 1970s and the understandable reticence of the plaintiffs’ families to step forward, it was clear bringing these disparate groups together to share personal stories would be a significant challenge. But through championing our position as an apolitical cultural space that facilitates open dialogue, the project has grown beyond the state-recognized exhibit to include lesson plans, workshops, a North Carolina Historical Highway Marker, and North Carolina Civil Rights Trail Marker, with more ambitious plans in the works. Witnessing over 250 attendees at the Civil Rights Trail Marker event that included families of the plaintiffs from across the United States, County Commissioners, county tourism, Duke Energy, esteemed legal and cultural speakers and members of the community just visualized for me the power of MARC.

Above: North Carolina Civil Rights Trail Marker event, August 2023. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Titchiner)

Another large part of the vision that we set for MARC was the ability to be a more sustainable organization. I am proud that the MARC’s financial outlook is much improved, and we are continuing to make great strides in fiscal sustainability and transparency.  It feels as though we have moved beyond fighting to keep MARC’s head above water, to now working to transform ourselves to engage, to inspire and to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
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Antiquated utilities were a large threat to the sustainability of our operations in the historic courthouse building.  This was brought into sharp focus during the pandemic when parts of the system failed.  During the early stages of fundraising for the project, another highlight of mine was receiving a letter from the U.S. Senate announcing MARC’s selection for a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, one of only 13 awardees in the nation. Seeing that gold seal embossed on the letter was quite surreal for me, at the time a green card holder who had only been in the United States for three years.  It now proudly hangs on my wall.

Above: U.S. Senate recognition for receiving the NEH capital grant, December 2021 (Photo courtesy of Matthew Titchiner)

​The top highlight for me, however, and what I will miss most are the people who are the heart and soul of the MARC. They not only adopted me but also my family. Offering a warm and generous welcome, throwing a baby shower for us, a leaving party and truly becoming a community “home away from home”, much to the reassurance of my close-knit U.K. family 3,000 miles away (who, incidentally, got to visit the MARC in March 2022). I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Board, especially Jeff Bulins and David French for your leadership and advice, MARC’s staff for your dedication and support, as well as the hosts of volunteers behind the scenes, both past and present.

Above Left: My Executive Director position leaving cake, June 2022. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Titchiner)

MARC welcomed my family and are part of our twin girls’ lives, Brianna (left) and Evelyn (right). (Photo courtesy Lauren Soignet)

The more I have gotten to know Rockingham County, from its deep industrial and agricultural histories to its rural charm, the more I have also found an uncanny similarity with my home village of Barrowford in County Lancashire, England. It is a friendly village where, like Rockingham County, the news travels fast, you’re not far from wide open fields and we enjoy our hearty comfort foods. Out of these similarities, if I may indulge in my love of history, I have found one thread in particular that links Rockingham County and Lancashire across the Atlantic - cotton. Although pre-Civil War cotton farming was largely found in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and in North Carolina confined to the Coastal Plains, cotton bales made their way to Rockingham County just as they did to Lancashire. The red-rose county of Lancashire had more than 2,600 mills at its zenith as the powerhouse of the British Empire’s cotton produced goods. When the American Civil War broke out, it affected the textile mills and its workers in both counties, known in the U.K. as the “cotton famine.” This shared history and hardship, from differing perspectives, lives on in the heritage of both communities to this day. I’d recommend the University of Exeter’s ‘Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine’ if interested in the topic (https://cottonfaminepoetry.exeter.ac.uk/).

Above: the Leaksville Cotton Mill built by John Motley Morehead, later governor, in 1839 was one of the first cotton mills in the county. (Photo courtesy of the Eden Preservation Society)

Above: The Weaver’s Triangle in Burnley, Lancashire, circa 1910. (Public domain)

​So, whilst my time as part of the MARC staff is at an end and there is much I will miss, I am excited to see the MARC’s journey in the capable hands of its leadership team. I will, of course, continue to support MARC’s work any way I can as it has firmly secured a special place in my heart. And in the meantime, I am looking forward to taking what I have learned on to new challenges as Assistant Director of the Gaston County Museum, Dallas, NC (https://gastoncountymuseum.org). And I invite y’all to pop in to say hello!