Have you ever wondered why the Museum of Durham History sits back from Main Street surrounded by swooping turnaround lanes that are blocked off? Did you know the “Globe Warehouse” once stood where we now call home? Thanks to a recently installed exhibit, you’ll have the answers.

The Story of 500 W. Main St. is an outdoor exhibit of weatherproof text and image panels mounted on the museum’s brick wall facing Great Jones Street. This permanent installation provides visitors and passersby answers to our most commonly asked questions: what used to be on this site, and what is the museum’s story?

The exhibit comes to us through an unrestricted gift of $50,000 made possible by Dr. Thomas H. Krakauer, founding chair of the museum’s board of directors.

Krakauer was lead plaintiff and star witness in a successful $61 million dollar class action suit brought against DISH Network. The legal firms representing the plaintiffs made the donation in Krakauer’s honor.

Krakauer, retired head of the N.C. Museum of Life and Science, became involved in the history museum more than a decade ago. He had this to say of the gift in his name: “We keep reading about the special gifts that have proven the salvation of not for profits at this time of the coronavirus. This gift came at a time that the Museum of Durham History had been forced to close.”

We are grateful for all Dr. Krakauer has done and continues to do for the MoDH.

The Story of 500 W. Main St. joins Faces of Durham as a social-distance friendly exhibit right outside our front door.