The Tom Dooley Museum is part of the Whippoorwhill Academy and Village, a complex of restored buildings. The museum, housed in an old hewn-log cabin, features artifacts, photographs, paintings, and written information on the story of Tom Dula, who was hanged in 1868 for the murder of a young women named Laura Foster. There’s a historic marker at the intersection of Highways 268 and 1134 in Wilkes County that calls attention to the murder and Dula’s subsequent capture and punishment.
The enduring legend of Tom Dooley has generated several books, a video program, museum exhibits and the hit recordings “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley.”