Topsail Island’s Missiles and More Museum

When vacationers ask the ever-popular question, "What are those white towers?" locals point the way to Topsail Island Missiles and More Museum. Here visitors find out not only about the towers, but also all about the island's colorful history.

The Missiles and More Museum, appropriately housed in the Assembly Building, tells the story of Operation Bumblebee, the early rocket-testing program conducted on Topsail Island by the federal government from 1946-1948. The Assembly Building was used to assemble these rockets, and Operation Bumblebee had significant historical value since the Ramjet engine, the forerunner of today's jet engine, was developed and tested as part of this program. Some of the treasures housed inside the museum include video presentations, even a rare color video of the actual missile firings, an original rocket piece that washed ashore and a complete talos rocket.

Hand in hand with the creation of the museum was the research and writing of a book, Echoes of Topsail by David Stallman. A visitor to the island, Stallman was intrigued by the area's historical buildings, Operation Bumblebee and its link to the modern space program. Working with the Historical Society, he began an in-depth study, which led to a meeting with The Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, which had guided the U.S. Navy in Operation Bumblebee. This meeting led to a real treasure: volumes of documents and other materials pertaining to Operation Bumblebee that had been stored away in the archives. Unselfishly, Johns Hopkins was willing to share these materials with the museum and they became the core exhibit.

Visitors also have had a hand in the growth and success of the museum. Many artifacts have been collected because a visitor, when looking at a display, realized they have pictures, uniforms and other memorabilia handed down from family members that would add another appropriate piece to the Topsail story. Some of these donated pieces helped create the Camp Davis Military exhibit. In return, on more than one occasion, a conversation between a docent and a guest has resulted in the excitement of finding a relative or friend in one of the military pictures, learning more about an early island family business or just understanding how the island used to be when grandparents first discovered this vacation paradise.

In addition to the Operation Bumblebee exhibits, the museum also has an early 1700s Indian dugout canoe, found by a local resident, comprehensive histories of the beach towns and an incredible shell collection. The enthusiasm generated for the museum has created such a large inventory of materials and artifacts that there isn't room to display them all. Taking the next step, the Historical Society has launched a building program to expand into unused space. The first artifact in the new space was a very large, 1946-47–era fan that was part of the building's air-conditioning system, a rare occurrence for that time period.

The Missiles and More Museum has come a long way in a short time and has been a labor of love for the Topsail Island Historical Society. The Assembly Building is a designated Historical Site on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is open April through October from 2 to 4 PM every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. The museum may also be visited at other times by appointment.