Milton Renaissance Foundation, established in 2016, initially worked to simply increase tourism, education and cultural interest in the 1796 Town of Milton. The historic Milton State Bank was available at the time for lease. Employing that beautiful space to house a museum featuring Milton history and host historically themed lectures worked well for almost 9 years.

Since commencing the lecture series in 2017, speakers have included:

The late Arthur Tillett, American Indian artifact collector/Timberlake, NC; Earl Ijames, curator with Museum of History/Raleigh, NC; Matt Neel, artifact preservationist, formerly with Museum of History/Raleigh, NC; the late Charles Rodenbough, North Carolina historian-author/Greensboro, NC; Russell Hicks, southern artifact-photograph collector/Bedford VA; Gerald Roxbury, Civil War era weaponry-Halifax County Museum/South Boston VA; Sally Gant, Director of Education and Special Programs Emirita-Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts/Old Salem NC; Dr. Bartlett Ganzert, Milton Chronicle newspaper history/Winston Salem University, NC; ReVonda Crow, Western NC Storyteller Scott Mason, WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler/Raleigh, NC; Barry Thompson, furniture craftsman-woodworker/Halifax, VA; Patrick Stewart, Saponi Tribe member/Roxboro NC; Jim McKnight, author/Mataoca, VA; Paul Allen. author of When Tobacco Was King/Florida and Canada; the late Stephen Wilson, Danville canal history-West End restoration/Danville VA; the late Jean Bradsher Scott, Milton historian-columnist-author/Milton NC; Alyssa Veasey Jones, then a dramatist-Averett student in Danville VA; Martha Bradsher Spencer, Milton historian/Raleigh NC; Tom Edmonds, Race to the Dan history enthusiast/Hyco Lake, NC; the late John “Blackfeather” Jeffries on native tools and culture of the Occaneechi/Hillsborough, NC; Bob Fulcher on the life of R. Wayne Bailey, credited with saving the wild turkey population in NC, W VA and beyond/Ohio; Lost Treasure Recovery, metal detecting team/Caswell County, NC; Ivan Nielsen on cemetery headstone cleaning/Danville, VA; Kyle Griffith from Rising Sun Tavern/Fredericksburg, VA.

Milton treasures have found their way back home since the museum opened.

As the Museum found surprising success, the Mission Statement changed to focus on curatorial responsibilities. Funds to purchase the Old Christ Episcopal Church were donated in 2021 to be used for additional museum and event space. The Jean Bradsher Scott Renaissance Center is a worthy historic site on its own.

As of January 2026, the Museum has closed at the Milton State Bank site and is raising funding to be able to open on Commercial Row.