The town of Snow Hill, outside of Ocean City, is known for its beautiful and historic churches. One of the local favorites, though, might look like a church on the outside, but since 1942 it has served a different purpose. The former St. Agnes Catholic Church is now the home of the Julia A. Purnell Museum, a home for arts and crafts that reflect the rich history and culture of Snow Hill and the entire Eastern Shore region.

A detail of Julia A. Purnell's crazy quilt

Julia Purnell may not be a big national name, but she is well-known in textile art and crafts circles, in Snow Hill she was beloved for her quilting and needle art, which often depicted scenes from the daily life of the historic town. Starting at the age of 85, she created an impressive body of work, winning prizes in craft shows across the mid-Atlantic and eventually being inducted into the Hobby Hall of Fame. She and her son founded the museum to house her acclaimed work in 1942, a year before her death at the age of 100. In the decades since, the museum has grown to include the work of other artists and craft workers, including objects and artworks from around the Eastern Shore region – leading the museum to adopt the nickname “the Attic of Worcester County.” 

These days, assistant director Claire Otterbein describes the museum’s mission as “to interpret and display the history of Worcester County.” The museum owns over 10,000 artifacts revealing the region’s multi-faceted history. These artifacts range from vintage crafts like Purnell’s to commercial items from various eras to everything in between – including “our public’s favorite artifact,” a collection of dressed fleas, a collectible fad from the 1920s. The real flea carcasses are dressed in tiny costumes as the members of a wedding party, and are so small that visitors must use a magnifying glass to see them clearly. Otterbein laughs that “the kids who come through on the school tour groups love those.”

As the museum has become a bigger attraction for Snow Hill visitors and locals, its curators have arranged several fun annual events to celebrate the region’s history and culture. The annual Historic Church Tour is popular with tourists. Usually taking place on a sunny afternoon in May, the tour offers a unique view of local history through the lens of the  town’s remarkable churches, including colonial buildings, historic African American churches, and some denominations that were the first of their kind in America. The tour concludes with a visit to the museum, including a tour of the museum’s exhibit of Christian art from Maryland.

The Society for Early Music performs at the museum

The museum also celebrates International Museum Day with a Children’s Discovery Day, on which children can visit the museum for free, tour the exhibits, and take part in creative history-themed arts and crafts activities as well as a scavenger hunt for small prizes. These activities help to keep hand crafts alive by introducing them to a new generation, as well as teaching children an enthusiasm for museums and galleries. “It’s all for the kids,” the assistant director says, noting that museum staff are always happy to answer children's questions about the museum.

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