The Discovery Center turns the industrial history of the Alleghany Highlands into an active learning experience. Explore how natural resources, human ingenuity and technology helped shape the region.

The buildings at 227 North Maple Avenue began as commercial storefronts constructed in several phases beginning in 1899. Over more than a century, they served local businesses and stood as part of Maple Avenue's working downtown. Their rehabilitation created a place where the past is not simply displayed - it can be touched, tested and explored.

Exhibits introduce visitors to the science and skill behind regional industries, including pulp and papermaking, iron, fiber and film, communications, forestry and wood products, carbon, printing and energy conversion. Model trains, 3D printing and interactive experiments help younger visitors connect big industrial ideas to familiar objects and everyday life.

The Center also tells a broader community story. It celebrates the workers, inventors and companies that helped the Highlands grow while encouraging the next generation to ask questions, solve problems and imagine what comes next.