Andy Griffith Museum, Mt. Airy, North Carolina

During our stay at Lake Myers in Mocksville, I discovered the Andy Griffith Museum in Mt. Airy, about an hours drive north of where we were staying. We love watching Andy Griffith, mostly when he was the sheriff of Mayberry with Barnie, Aunt Bea and Opie. In fact, we still watch the shows that run on some of the channels. It's not a huge museum; it does not take a long time to go through it. There are two levels - the upper part deals with the history of Mayberry and touches a little on when Andy Griffith played Matlock. The downstairs tells a little about Barnie's girlfriend, Thelma Lou (Betty Lynn) along with an exhibit about a set of Siamese Twins that lived in Mt. Airy.

Andy Griffith was born and grew up in Mt. Airy. He first started performing in the auditorium at the Rockford Street Grammar School, which is now home to the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Though Andy's dreams and accomplishments eventually carried him to many places. Many highlights and artifacts of his career and life are included in his museum. 

Andy Griffith Childhood Home

This shirt was worn by Andy Griffith in the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. The shirt was tailored by Nudie Cohn of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors of North Hollywood, California. Labeling inside the shirt indicates the tailoring completion date of June 20, 1966. Cohn is often cited as the first designer to apply rhinestones to clothing. Among the star-studded clientele for his custom apparel and accessories were Roy Rogers, Hank Williams, John Wayne, Gene Autry, John Lennon, Cher, Elvis Presley, and Ronald Reagan.

Yamaha F-310 Acoustic Guitar

Andy Griffith was a life-long Martin guitar player. As a way to honor Andy and his contribution to acoustic, country, gospel, and bluegrass music, D.R. Martin & Company produced the Andy Griffith D-18 Signature Edition Model. The above guitar was signed by the cast members from The Andy Griffith Show and The Danny Thomas Show.

Barney Fife's fabled salt-and-pepper suit made its first appearance on The Andy Griffith Show in "Irresistible Andy," the show's fifth episode, which was first broadcast on October 31, 1960. Don Knotts owned two salt-and-pepper suits during his years on The Andy Griffith Show -- the one above and another he later gave to a friend. This is the suit he wore on his dates with Thelma Lou. Don always kept his suits in his closet with his regular clothes. 

"Barney's First Car" broadcast April 1, 1963.

The New Housekeeper, the first episode from The Andy Griffith Show, broadcast October 3, 1960.

"Divorce Mountain Style" broadcast March 30, 1964.

"Opie the Birdman" broadcast September 30, 1963.

"The Rehabilitation of Otis" broadcast January 18, 1965.

"Malcolm at the Crossroads" broadcast September 27, 1965.

The core cast for Season Seven (1966-67).

All dressed up for Barnie and Thelma Lou's wedding scene, George Lindsey (Goober) in his brown suit visits with Ron Howard (Opi) while on location for the filming of Return to Mayberry in February 1986. "I always felt good in this suit. I like it was right for me and for Goober. I sometimes can't tell where Goober ends and George Lindsey begins." 

Goober and the Art of Love. The episode, which originally aired on February 1, 1965, was one of George Lindsey's favorites.

This wardrobe was worn by George Lindsey in his portrayal of his iconic Goober Pyle in film and stage over a period of decades. Lindsey affectionally called this wardrobe "the Goober suit." He used several Goober suits over the years, often mixing and matching pieces. Lindsey recalled that this particular Goober suit was sewn together into a one piece version for Hee Haw Live, a 1994 stage show at Opryland USA show park that starred Lindsey and other popular performers from the Hee Haw TV show. Having a zippered one-piece Goober suit allowed for easier and quicker wardrobe change during the stage show.

The felt beanie or "Goober cap" as Lindsey called it, is one that Lindsey wore in various performances and appearances as Goober over many years. 

Andy Griffith and Ronnie Howard (1961). This image was used for the cover of the January 28-February 3, 1961, issue of TV Guide.

Otis Campbell's suit, necktie, and hats. This suit and the more rumpled of the two straw hats shown here were worn by Hal Smith in his portrayal of Otis Campbell during his seven seasons working on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 to 1966. The necktie was worn with the suit during Smith's later years of doing personal appearances and performances as Otis. When the original straw hat became too worn and fragile to use in performances, Hal Smith replaced it with the somewhat newer one displayed above. He still carried the original hat with him in his briefcase and would wear it for special photographs and other occasions. Smith continued to do appearances as Otis until his death at age 77 on January 28, 1994. 

This is a re-creation of the area around Andy Taylor's desk in the Mayberry Courthouse. While many are not originals, there are several key items that are the actual items seen onscreen.

B. Darlin Farm

The Don Knotts chair was used by Barnie throughout the five years he was a regular on The Andy Griffith Show. When Knotts announced he would be leaving as a regular at the end of the fifth season, the show's producers took the chair and had it bronzed as a going away gift. The signatures of 69 members of the show's cast, crew and team are etched on the chair. According to Francey Knotts (Don's widow), Knotts told many stories about the people he worked with on the show. He liked this chair so much that he continued to sit in it at home, even though it had been bronzed.

The candlestick telephone is reputed to be an authentic prop used in the Mayberry Courthouse during at least the first five seasons. 

Floyd's Barber Shop

Andy Griffith Museum founder Emmett Forrest visited Cindi and Andy Griffith at their home in Manteo, NC in 2009. During that visit, Andy gave Emmett the original gavel, gavel sound block, and eagle props that resided on Andy's desk. In this photograph, the gavel and sound block can be seen between the pencil holder and Andy's right hand, and the eagle is visible to the right of Andy's left elbow.

The Mayberry Jail Keys were props used during the filming of The Andy Griffith Show. The ring with two keys usually hung on the wall between the two jail cells in the Mayberry Courthouse. The ring with the single key with its teeth "filed off" by Barnie Fife's cousin Virgil was used in the filming of "Cousin Virgil," an episode in the show's second season. The ruined key prevented Andy and Barney from being able to release Otis Campbell from his jail cell until Virgil was able to use some tools to remove the cell's door.

Andy Griffith's Childhood Home

Andy Griffith's childhood home is now used as a bed and breakfast called Andy Griffith's Homeplace, located at 711 East Haymore Street, Mt. Airy, NC.

Women of Mayberry

Betty Lynn played Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show as Barney's girlfriend for five seasons. In the hit movie, Return to Mayberry, Thelma Lou became Mrs. Barney Fife in 1986. In the years since Mayberry, Betty delighted her fans at reunions and festivals held in Mt. Airy. She made her first visit to Mount Airy for Mayberry Days in 2001. She enjoyed her visits to Mt. Airy so much that she decided to make Mt. Airy her home. In 2007 she moved from Los Angeles to Mt. Airy. 

Otis Campbell's Still

 

This article was shared on Facebook and it showed up on my page, and since we had visited Andy Griffith's museum here in Mt. Airy, I wanted to add it to my blog post. These are behind The Scenes Facts From “The Andy Griffith Show.”

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The other exhibit the Museum highlighted was the life of Siamese Twins Eng and Chang.

Their story is a bit long, but interesting.... Eng and Chang were born in the village of Meklong, Siam (now Thailand), on May 11, 1811, to Chinese parents. For their entire lives, the twins were connected at the chest by a cartilaginous band of flesh. The two boys shared relatively normal childhoods ~~ running, swimming, and playing with other children in their village. They helped support their family by gathering and selling duck eggs. Although their mother had nine children, all except Eng and Chang, a brother and one sister, died in cholera epidemics. Their father died when they were eight years old.

When Siam's King Rama III heard about the twins, he feared that it was a bad omen, but the widespread interest in them eventually inspired the King to have the boys brought to his court in Bangkok for an appearance. When the twins were fourteen, they were schooled in appropriate behavior and then taken to the palace with their mother and sister to meet the King.

At the age of sixteen, the boys were once again summoned by the King, this time to be part of a diplomatic mission to Cochin, India. They traveled from their village back to Bangkok and then on to Cochin. After each trip, the twins came home with valuable gifts, which they sold, and then used the money to further their family's duck egg business.

The trips spurred Eng and Chang's desires to continue traveling. On April 1, 1829, at the age of 18, Eng and Chang left Siam with the approval of their mother and the King. They traveled across the Pacific Ocean with British merchant Robert Hunter and an American sea captain, Abel Coffin. The twins earned money for themselves and their agents by making appearances throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, Cuba, and cross the Atlantic in Europe. 

During their extensive travels, Eng and Chang became very popular celebrities. They also became more independent. They were tutored by their managers to help them become more knowledgeable and entertaining for those who could afford to spend time with them. They were examined by the most famous physicians both to analyze their condition and to validate their conjoined state. By 1832, having fulfilled all the obligations of their contracts, Eng and Chang, who felt they were compensated unfairly, declared their independence from their agents. During the same year they became closely acquainted with Fred and William Bunker while in New York. They became American citizens in 1839, and in honor of their friends, they began using the surname Bunker in 1840.

In the late 1830s, at the invitation of a physician friend, Dr. James Colloway, Eng and Chang traveled to Wilkes County, North Carolina, for a hunting and fishing vacation to take a break from making appearances. They had amassed a considerable amount of money on their own. After several months in Wilkes County, they decided to settle there. A short time later, at the wedding of their friend, Dr. Charles Harris, they met the Yates sisters. They built a home and married sisters Adelaide and Sarah Yates on April 13, 1843. The two families produced 22 children.

Eng and Chang moved to Mt. Airy in 1845 seeking better and more prosperous farmland and the best education for their children. They were successful farmers and good members of the community. In addition to farming, they bought and sold land for profit and lent money to their friends charging a little interest. In 1857 they built a second home and began their system of three days in one house followed by three days in the other house - with each brother being the master of his own home. They observed this routine without exception until they died on January 17, 1874, at the age of 62.

Taken in 1870, this may have been the last photo taken of Eng and Chang while they were alive. They are seen with Eng's 21 year-old son, James Montgomery, and Chang's 12 year-old son, Albert.

On January 12, 1974, Chang had developed a lung ailment. Committed to their schedule, the twins continued to move between their homes. Chang's condition worsened and he passed away in the night on January 17th. Dr. Hollingsworth was sent for in hopes that separating them would save Eng's life. Eng passed away within hours of his brother, before Dr. Hollingsworth arrived. Eng and Chang were put in a wooden coffin, which was placed inside a tin box. They were temporarily buried in the cellar of Eng's house, for safety purposes, until decisions could be made regarding their autopsy. On January 31, 1874, Dr. William Pancoast of The College of Physicians in Philadelphia, accompanied by Drs. Harrison Allen and Thomas Andrews, arrived in Mt. Airy for a preliminary autopsy. Upon completion of the autopsy, Eng and Chang were buried in the front yard of Chang's house. The twins were not disturbed again until 1917 following the death of Adelaide, when they were reinturred at the White Plains Baptist Church cemetery beside her. Sarah died in 1892 and was buried in an unmarked grave on Eng's property, where many of the family's children and slaves were also buried.

Eng and Chang were loyal to the Whig party and the Confederate cause, each had a son who fought in the Civil War. They also opened their homes to Confederate soldiers who were traveling through the area. Eng and Chang were the first Buddhists to enter this country. They brought with them a palm leaf manuscript - a Siamese Buddhist text - the first ever to reach the shores of America. Mark Twain wrote an essay about them in 1868. They were among the most famous people in the world during their lives and afterward. Because of them, the word Siamese is now synonymous with conjoined.