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Ava Gardner: Ava Gardner Museum
built 614 days ago
The Ava Gardner Museum is home to an incredible collection of over 100,000 items, including original scripts, photos, costumes, and personal belongings of screen legend Ava Gardner. Ava Gardner was born near Smithfield and her grave site is located in Sunset Memorial Gardens, approximately three (3) miles from the museum. Merchandise is available for purchase.
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Banks eventually decided to display his collection in the boarding house where Gardner grew up, a few miles from Smithfield, an area known as "Grabtown". The "museum" began as a homespun affair, with thumb tacks and tape holding up posters and other items. It was open four days a week only during summers. No road signs pointed to the museum; Banks thought true fans would find it through word-of-mouth.
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The museum was started in 1941 by a fan, Tom Banks, who saw a photograph of Gardner in a newspaper. The Banks devoted most of their lives to collecting memorabilia from every source imagined. In 1989, Mr. Banks purchased the house that Gardner grew up in from ages 2-13 and managed his own Ava Gardner museum. He suffered a stroke at the museum a few days later and died. Gardner died five months later on January 25, 1990. In the summer of 1990, Mrs. Banks donated the collection to the Town of Smithfield for the maintenance of a permanent, authorized museum in Ava Gardner's hometown.
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The current, permanent home for the museum opened in October 2000, in a renovated building in downtown Smithfield and its collections are beautifully presented in a manner as fascinating as Ms. Gardner, herself. Ava Gardner’s film career spanned 44 years and more than 60 movies. Remaining loyal to her North Carolina roots, Ms. Gardner visited her native home continuously throughout the years....
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Ava Gardner Museum