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.

The 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, an Osprey Aircraft exhibit. The Musuem will have a new Barrier Island exhibit opening April 2009. 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. 6 – May 15, 2009 Mon-Fri, 2-4 PM
May 18 – Sept 5, 2009 Mon-Sat, 2-4 PM
Sept 7 – Oct 16, 2009 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.