p1_museum 1_4.27.23.JPG

This house at 203 Jefferson St. in Whiteville was built about 1823 by one of Columbus County’s most prominent families. The Reuben Brown House Preservation Society would like to turn it into a museum of county history. Staff photo by Diana Matthews

The Reuben Brown House Preservation Society will have to seek other funding sources after Whiteville City Council officially denied the group’s request Tuesday night for $300,000 to help purchase a historic home within the city limits.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever had any request from any nonprofit for $300,000 since I’ve been on council,” said Mayor Terry Mann. Considering the constraints of the upcoming fiscal year, “That figure,” Mann said, “would be way out of line.”