Built in 1918, the Montague Building originally housed the college library and later administrative offices for alumni, public information, and development before its conversion to the Rural Life Museum in 1979. Exhibitions on the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region were first compiled by university historian Richard Dillingham with assistance from the N.C. Dept. of Archives and History, using reclaimed natural materials. The facility facilitates the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of artifacts relevant to the region and, through changing exhibitions, helps students, faculty members, and the general public understand rural heritage. It was refurbished in 2012, and its name was changed to Rural Heritage Museum in 2014. The North Carolina mountains and foothills were designated the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in recognition of their natural beauty and living traditions of music, craft, agriculture, and Cherokee culture.