Sir Edgeworth David Memorial Museum

Sir Edgeworth David Memorial Museum preserves the history and heritage of the Cessnock local government area and the wider Hunter Valley. Although the museum began in the old Pokolbin schoolhouse, it is now housed with its library and archives at the Abermain School of Arts.

Visitors can explore around 5,000 individual items, including photographs, newspapers, maps, household objects, mining and farming material, sporting items, military objects, musical instruments, and radios and televisions. The collection reflects the everyday, industrial and community history of the region, with particular attention to coal mines, cemeteries, schools, councils, biographies and Hunter politicians.

The museum also supports deeper research through its growing local history library and archives. Its work covers family, military, social and industrial history, while the Association’s oral-history project has helped preserve interviews with Hunter Valley residents recorded during the 1970s and 1980s. The collection includes personal records of soldiers and nurses, alongside research into the Hunter’s involvement in the First World War.

This is a useful stop for families, local residents, history enthusiasts and anyone researching family or community connections in the Hunter. Admission is listed as $5 per person or $20 per family of four or more, with EFTPOS available. Parking is provided behind the building, including accessible parking.