The museum opened to visitors on September 15, so visitors can now experience the Water/Ways exhibit in-person. All special events, including lectures and book clubs will continue to be held online. Check out our events page for more information.

The Wake Forest Historical Museum, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities Council, is proud to host Water/Ways a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program from August 30, 2020 through October 10, 2020.
While the museum remains closed to visitors, a series of free online talks and book clubs will allow us to explore the cultural, social, and spiritual significance of water in our community. We hope you join us as we learn about the history of moonshine, the evolution of climate science, the diversity of African American maritime culture, and the creation of Falls Lake.
Exhibit Events
Video recordings of past events can be found on the appropriate event pages.
The Power of Citizen Science, with Dr. Caren Cooper and Crowd the Tap
Tuesday, September 1, 6:00-7:00 pm
Virtual Book Club – Waters of the World by Sarah Dry
Tuesday, September 8, 6:30-8:00 pm
First in Moonshine: North Carolina and the Illegal Liquor Business, a talk by Dr. Daniel S. Pierce
Thursday, September 10, 7:00-8:00 pm
Falls Lake: Past, Present, and Future, a presentation by Dana L. Matics, US Army Corps of Engineers
Sunday, October 4, 2020, 4:00-5:00 pm
Virtual Book Club – The Waterman’s Song, with special guest and author David Cecelski
Thursday, October 8, 6:30-8:00 pm
“Water/Ways” was inspired by an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul (www.smm.org), in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.
The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about “Water/Ways” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit http://www.museumonmainstreet.org.
Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress.