Welcome to the Historical Society of Topsail Island: Home of the Historic Assembly Building and the Missiles and More Museum

The Historical Society of Topsail Island was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Topsail Island. It currently operates the Assembly Building and the Missiles and More Museum. The Assembly Building which is on the Historic Register, was the research and testing site for Operation Bumblebee, the top secret missile program operated by the Navy on Topsail Island from 1946-1948.

Th Missiles and More Museum which preserves artifacts and data for the Topsail area, was first opened in 1997. Today, exhibits include Operation Bumblebee, Camp Davis, pirate and Native American exhibits, a natural history exhibit, and most recently, an Osprey Aircraft exhibit. The Museum operates regular hours from April to Mid October (see schedule below). In addition, special tours are conducted for students and other groups. Arrangements for visits may be made by calling the Museum at (910)328-8663, or the Museum Director at (910)328-2488.

Museum Hours:
Apr 7 – May 23, 2008 Mon-Fri, 2-4 PM
May 24 – Sept 1, 2008 Mon-Sat, 2-4 PM
Sept 2 – Oct 17, 2008 Mon-Fri, 2-4 PM


The Historical Society meets the second Thursday of the month at 11:30 AM at the Assembly Building from September through May. The meeting features a lunch and a speaker on a topic of historical interest. Reservations are required, and visitors are welcomed. Please call the Museum Director for additional information in this regard.