The museum’s purpose is to preserve, promote and present  Wilson’ rich African-American culture. From slave freedom papers to trailblazers of current day, visitors can expect to learn much about the community that surrounds them.  All exhibits are currently housed inside the Round House. 

Born in 1882  as the son of a former slave, Oliver Nestus Freeman like many other African-Americans in Wilson, NC found few opportunities. Educated at the Tuskegee Normal School in Alabama, Freeman returned to Wilson and helped construct a number of houses to help alleviate the shortage of housing for soldiers returning from World War II. Freeman’s contributions to Wilson’s architecture and affordable housing efforts were recognized  by the naming of Wilson’s first housing redevelopment project – Freeman Place.