McCallister House takes residence
Published: 10 June 2010
The first phase of a £2.4m New World Development expansion was unveiled today at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh.
The McCallister house, an original frontier log house, was first built by Ulster immigrant Richard McCallister in Cabell County, West Virginia, in 1827.
Pictured left is a Visitor Guide outside the McCallister House, click image to enlarge.
The new exhibit building is the first in a range of original Ulster settler buildings from the early American frontier, which when complete will be the finest collection in the world.
Dr Phil Mowat, Head of Emigration for National Museums Northern Ireland, said, “The Ulster American Folk Park is a wonderful exploration of Ulster’s own rich history, as well as the role that Ulster emigrants played in shaping American life and culture. The McCallister House is typical of those built by many Ulster emigrants. The human story of the McCallister family is also fascinating and this exhibit will create even more for visitors to see and do at the museum.”
The restoration and rebuilding of the McCallister house was made possible by a private donation and £75,000 investment by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
Tim Cooke, Director of National Museums Northern Ireland, said the McCallister house was a very significant addition to the museum: “This is great news for the Ulster American Folk Park. Our focus at the museum has always been to offer visitors living history at its very best.
Our long-term objective is to complete the New World area of the museum with a programme of historic landscaping, designed to represent the ever-advancing 18th and 19th century American frontier. The opening of the McCallister House is the first stage of the museum’s continuing development which will see 30 additional acres of museum land transformed into a series of American Frontier landscapes.”
He added “The museum’s globally acclaimed exhibitions currently attract 160,000 visitors per year. I am confident that this investment will encourage additional tourists in years to come while also extending opportunities to learn about emigration and our connections with the United States. ”
Pictured above is Visitor guides with Tim Cooke, Chief Executive of National Museums Northern Ireland and Phil Mowat, Head of Emigration at the Ulster American Folk Park, click image to enlarge.
The exhibit building will be officially opened by James Mellon, whose great-great grandfather Thomas Mellon’s homestead remains the hub of the award-winning museum today. The McCallister House will open to the public on 12th June.
For further details of events and exhibitions visit our what's on pages.
Additional information:
- The Ulster American Folk Park is an outdoor ‘living history’ museum which tells the story of emigration from Ulster to America over three centuries.
- Each year, the Ulster American Folk Park stages world-class events including American Independence Day Celebrations (2nd-4th July 2010) and the award-winning international Bluegrass Music Festival (3rd-5th September 2010).
- Collections link to the McCallister House
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