Ava Gardner Museum
  Location within North Carolina | |
| Established | 1941 |
|---|---|
| Location | Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Type | Biographical museum |
| Website | www |
The Ava Gardner Museum is a museum dedicated to American actress Ava Gardner. Located in downtown Smithfield, North Carolina, the museum holds an extensive collection of artifacts from Gardner's career and private life.[1] The museum usually attracts 7,000 visitors a year.[2]
History
The original collection was started in 1941 by a fan, Thomas "Tom" Banks, who at age 12 met Ava on the campus of Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), where she was studying to become a secretary.[1][3] When she did not return to school the next year, he saw a photograph of Gardner in a newspaper and learned that she had been signed to a movie contract with MGM.[1]
Banks and his wife, Lorraine, collected memorabilia and artifacts related to Gardner. In the early 1980s, Dr. Banks purchased the Brogden Teacherage building, the house where Ava lived from ages 2 to 13[1], and created a small display to the actress.[4]
Following Thomas Banks' death in 1989, Lorraine Banks donated the museum's collection to the town of Smithfield. In 1999, the museum purchased its current home, a renovated 6,400 square foot building in downtown Smithfield.[1]
In 2020, the building experienced a flood due to a broken toilet. None of the collections were damaged, but repairs required the museum to close for a few weeks.[2]
The museum held a grant for digitization and preservation of their collection, but this was canceled early by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2025.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Learn about the history of the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC". www.johnstoncountync.org. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- 1 2 WRAL (January 15, 2021). "Ava Gardner Museum closes due to flood damage". WRAL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ↑ Rhodes, Jesse (May 31, 2011). "The Ava Gardner Museum". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Allen, Brian (October 24, 2020). "Ava Gardner, Unapologetic Sexpot, Still Bewitches". National Review. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ WRAL Staff (April 30, 2025). "Ava Gardner Museum loses federal grant for preservation efforts". WRAL. Retrieved June 1, 2026.