Search results
May 11, 2021 · Ava Lavinia Gardner was born on December 24, 1922, in a community known as Grabtown near the town of Smithfield, North Carolina. According to Doris Rollins Cannon, author of the Ava Gardner biography.
- Ava's Life Story | Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC
The large Gardner family made their home in the rural North...
- Ava's Life Story | Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC
Grabtown is an unincorporated community in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. [1] Grabtown is located 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Smithfield. It is included in the Research Triangle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Aug 26, 2023 · Ava Lavinia Gardner, born on December 24, 1922, in Grabtown, North Carolina, would grow up to become one of the most enduring and charming figures in the history of Hollywood. Raised in a modest family, Gardner’s journey from a small rural town to the silver screen epitomized the quintessential American dream.
The large Gardner family made their home in the rural North Carolina community of Grabtown, seven miles east of Smithfield. They lived in a white, two-story farmhouse surrounded by acres of land they cultivated to grow tobacco and cotton.
- It Started with A Kiss…
- Doris Cannon, The Article That Sparked A Museum.
- The Brogden Museum Years at The Teacherage
- From Storefronts to A Newly Designed Museum
The Ava Gardner Museum started with a kiss. More specifically, the large holdings of memorabilia and artifacts amassed over 40 years by Dr. Thomas and Lorraine Banks which form the bedrock of our collection all began with a kiss. In 1941, Ava Gardner was a freshman secretarial student at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, No...
Born in the mountains of North Carolina, Doris was a young widow with three small children when she relocated to Raleigh to pursue a career in journalism. After completing courses at NC State University, she landed a job in 1970 with The Smithfield Herald. Having been an avid film fan since childhood, Doris knew that Ava spent her formative years i...
In May 1985, during her last visit home to North Carolina, Ava and three of her sisters, Bappie, Elsie Mae, and Myra, drove out to the farm where they were born in Grabtown. After seeing the farmhouse, they headed to the nearby community of Brogden to see the Teacherage. The Ava Gardner Museum had not yet opened for the summer season, so the door w...
In 1991, the Teacherage was sold and, in the spring, the Banks collection was relocated to a rented storefront in Smithfield. The Ava Gardner Museum was incorporated in 1996 as a 501 (c) 3 to properly manage and care for the collection. In August 1999, the board of directors invested in a permanent museum home by purchasing and extensively renovati...
If you are looking for a unique experience, come visit downtown Smithfield and drop in to meet Ava at the museum where we celebrate the life, loves, and legacy of one of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies and the pride of North Carolina.
People also ask
Where is Grabtown NC?
Where is Grabtown and Quitsna located?
Why was Grabtown called Grabtown?
Grabtown is an unincorporated community in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. Grabtown is located 9 miles southeast of Smithfield. It is included in the Research Triangle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Overview. Map. Directions. Satellite. Photo Map.
