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WARSAW — Military recruitment posters during World War II featured the likeness of Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer with the caption, “Uncle Sam wants you!” That same message is being echoed by those in charge of the Duplin County Veterans Museum in Warsaw. They want you to come visit the incredible collection of artifacts that pays tribute to Duplin veterans of all wars, from the Revolutionary War to the most recent wars fought in the Middle East.
Duplin Journal visited the museum following the 105th Veterans’ Day Parade of North Carolina. Despite the intent to make the day a salute to those who have served and fought for freedom, the museum was mostly quiet after the parade. Earl Rouse, the museum’s curator, and the museum’s board members hope to generate significantly more interest in the museum.
The history of the museum’s home is a story in itself. Built by merchant and cotton gin owner Lucious B. Best in 1894, the large two-story house was home for Best and his family until they built an almost identical home in Mebane, where he, along with a relative, opened the factory for Craftique Furniture Company in 1946.
Members of the Best family lived in the Warsaw home until the mid-1960s, when the home was turned into apartments. Eventually, the house fell into poor repair and was at one point condemned. A few local citizens concerned about the house’s fate made their pleas known all the way to Raleigh. When a Raleigh television station aired a story about the house, Preservation North Carolina learned about the danger of the house being demolished. The group stepped in and saved the home after creating a non-profit organization for the restoration and raising funds for the project. The Best home was restored and eventually given a new mission as the Duplin County Veterans Museum in 1995.
Rouse is a perfect fit as the museum’s curator, considering his interest in history and the fact that he is a veteran himself, having served during the Vietnam War era in the U.S Coast Guard. Rouse, at one point, found himself almost literally “missing the boat, he was assigned to in Hawaii at the U.S. Coast Guard base on Sand Island. It was 1964.
“We checked in at the guard shack and the man said, ‘Your ship’s leaving the dock right now and you better be on it,’” Rouse said in an interview with Duplin Journal. “I never ran so far, so fast, in my life to make sure I didn’t get left behind.”
He made it to the ship just in time and ended up at sea for almost 90 days performing search-and-rescue operations and oceanographic work before returning to port.
Rouse would go on to serve in various areas of the Pacific, including Japan, Guam and Vietnam, where he was assigned to the docks in Saigon in October of 1965.
Rouse has been involved with the museum for the past 16 years, with the exception of three years when he went into the mission field for disaster relief, including in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina damaged or destroyed much of the area. During his absence and before being named curator, Randal Albertson, brother of long-serving Sen. Charlie Albertson, served as curator.
According to Rouse, the majority of the museum’s collection has been generously donated by Duplin County veterans or their families. Duplin’s deep-rooted tradition of military service is evident throughout the museum. One particularly striking feature is the wall in the stairwell, dedicated to honoring Duplin County veterans who achieved the rank of general. According to Rouse, more generals have come from Duplin County than from any of the other 99 counties in North Carolina —a testament to the county’s extraordinary legacy of service and leadership.
“Everything in this building is somebody’s memory,” Rouse said.
Rouse hopes those memories remain alive by more people taking time to visit the museum, an important treasure in the heart of Warsaw’s historic district.
