The Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum in Franklin, NC is located in what used to be Franklin's jail, a real piece of history. Open Monday through Saturday, they offer individual as well as tour groups. The Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum has on display thousands of specimens of different gems, seashells, minerals, fossils, Indian artifacts plus many more. One of their most talked about pieces is a ruby that weighs 2 ΒΌ pounds.
The Museum, founded in 1974, occupies the historical old Macon County jail, which was built in 1850. It was started by the Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin along with the help of the local businesses and the Macon County Commissioners. The building consists of 10 rooms with a few hallways. The purpose of 6 rooms of the museum is to preserve and categorize all gem and mineral specimens found all over the world as well as in North Carolina, home of the museum. It is in these rooms that all the gems are catalogued for easy lookup later. Macon County, in North Carolina is where the Cowee Valley is located. Cowee Valley is where miners have found Sapphires and Rubies for over a century. The 4 remaining rooms are used for town meetings and workshops as well as being used as an office and library.
The Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum is owned by the Franklin Gem and Mineral Society, whose purpose is to educate individuals about the different gems and minerals as well as be of service to anyone interested in learning more about them. The Museum is open from May through October.
