LUMBERTON — The Robeson County History Museum has done some spring cleaning over the past three months.

During that time, staff members uncovered a variety of hidden treasures and worked on its newest exhibit, “Robeson Cook,” said Shep Oliver, museum curator.

The exhibit offers museum patrons the opportunity to take a look at vintage appliances and a large collection of cookbooks donated or loaned by Robeson County residents.

“A lot of people have loaned us stuff,” Oliver said. “It turned out pretty good.”

The exhibit is the first since the museum’s soft reopening after being closed for months because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Oliver said he didn’t use that time when the doors were closed to visitors to sit on his hands. He and other staffers met at the museum Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays of each week.

“We social distanced and wore masks,” Oliver said. “We got a lot done and we found a lot of stuff. We found things downstairs; we found things in desks; we found things we didn’t know about because we were able to sit here by ourselves and go through things and take our time.”

The clearing of space opened up the possibility for future events at the museum and uncovered ideas for future exhibits.

“We got a lot of ideas, and work done in the middle of it,” he said.

They also found time to create the “Robeson Cooks” exhibit, which is housed in the temporary 30-by-40-feet exhibit room at the museum.

The exhibit includes a large collection of cookbooks, new and old, that have been collecting dust in Robeson County homes, Oliver said.

“It’s amazing how many books people have brought in,” he said. “There’s well over 100.”

Some of the books were donated by Lumberton residents Dencie and Jef Lambdin. The loaned books belonged to Jef’s late mother, Betty Lambdin.

“She loved to cook, cookbooks and cooking magazines,” Dencie said. “There were always way too many dishes on the table.”

Because Jef’s father, Charles, was a captain in the U.S. Navy, Betty had the opportunity to travel the world and pick up cookbooks along the way, Dencie said.

“She had over 125 books,” Dencie said. “This is just a little sample.”

Besides the Lambdins, other items were donated or loaned by Shep and Gale Oliver, Richard and Anne Monroe, Neill Britt, Jackie Utz, Liz Stone, Nancy Johnson, Scott Bigelow and Lou Ann Cleveland, among others.

Lining the walls are old aprons and featured recipes, like Janie Blanchard’s notorious peanut pie that was once served at Blanchard’s Restaurant, a former Lumberton landmark. The recipe has been featured in Our State magazine.

Another eatery that’s part of the exhibit is John’s Restaurant. The Lambdins loaned menus from the restaurant, which was located in the former Blanchard building. Known as a place for fined dining in Lumberton, the business was a hub for businessmen, politicians and Interstate 95 travelers.

John and Ruth Ann McLellan ran the restaurant until it closed its doors for the last time in 2007, after nearly 30 years of operation.

Other items include a vintage cooking pot that belonged to Lucinda Branch, who died in 1954. A set of canisters from the 1950s is on display, as well is a meat grinder and sausage maker from Neill Britt.

“Robeson Cooks” is a temporary exhibit and will be in place for about three months, Oliver said. Patrons who make a donation to the museum can keep one of the donated cookbooks.

Those who wish to see the exhibit and its offerings can do so by visiting the museum on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon, and Sundays 2-4 p.m.

The museum is located at 101 S Elm. St. in Lumberton.