What a night to remember! On Friday, October 17, the Museum of Durham History came alive to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibit, Made in the Triangle: The Story of RTP.

We loved seeing so many familiar faces—and meeting new ones—who came to celebrate this story of innovation, vision, and community. We couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic crowd—and it’s not every day we get to welcome both a former and current Mayor of Durham to the Museum!

The gazebo at 500 W. Main buzzed with conversation and music as guests explored the exhibit banners and swapped stories about the Park’s early days in the late 1950s.

Inside, visitors took in rare photos, maps, and archival materials that trace RTP’s evolution from a bold mid-century idea to one of the world’s leading research parks. Guests also enjoyed Fullsteam Brewery beer and catering by Fullsteam at Boxyard RTP.

A highlight of the evening was hearing from Durham’s own Robb Teer, who spoke about his longtime connection to RTP. He recalled first learning about the Park in junior high and reflected, “I never dreamed in 1959 that I would spend my entire working life involved with this new science park in the heart of North Carolina.”

Robb reminded us that innovation grows from collaboration, shared purpose, and sometimes sacrifice. He added, “You can’t put a price tag on what the Park has meant to the economic success of Durham, the Triangle, and North Carolina.”

We were also thrilled to welcome featured guest Mack Paul, whose forthcoming book, Miracle Road: The Story of Research Triangle Park (co-authored with his father, Allen) provided key research for the exhibit. Mack shared, “RTP represents one of the greatest economic development stories in American history. It is much more than a place. It’s a multifaceted strategy advanced by leaders in business, government, and academia.”

Mack underscored Durham’s pivotal role: “RTP came into existence in Durham—Durham offered it a home. When crunch time came in the mid-1960s, Durham directed its remaining water capacity to RTP. Without it, RTP would have died on the vine.”

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for opening night—and to the generous partners who made this project possible: Cisco, MAA Nixie, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Triangle Community Foundation, Clark Nexsen, A JMT Company, C.T. Wilson Construction, Inc., Duke Energy, Lenovo, Longfellow Real Estate Partners, LLC, Maxwell, Freeman & Bowman, PLLC, as well as a generous group of individual donors.

If you missed the opening, don’t worry—the story of innovation and community that started right here in the Triangle is just getting started. Stay tuned for upcoming exhibit-related programs in the months ahead!

And in case you are wondering, an exhibit like this does not happen by magic!  Researching the topic, editing an enormous amount of information to present in a relatively small space, choosing audio-visual aids, designing the exhibit, producing the panels and banners, taking measurements, mounting the panels and the banners…it all takes work — and TEAMWORK.  We are lucky to have talent on staff and in the form of our volunteer Exhibit Committee to help.