History
At the age of 85, Julia LeCompte Purnell began embroidering elaborate scenes of homes, churches, and gardens in Snow Hill. Her works won the New York and Philadelphia Hobby Shows, and she was inducted into the National Hobby Hall of Fame. In 1942, Julia's son William founded the Julia A. Purnell Museum. He added his own large collection of historic artifacts when he gave the museum to the Town of Snow Hill in 1957. The museum has become a repository for the memories of the entire town, offering exhibits that interpret many aspects of local history. For example,