Summer Camp Openings Still Available

Posted June 17, 2013 – 3:37 pm

If you’re looking for ways to keep your children busy this summer, check out the fun and educational camps at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. There are still openings available in three sessions. Each camp is $90 per person and $80 for Museum of History Associates. Lunchtime care from noon to 1 p.m. is available for $15 per person. (Participants should bring a bag lunch.)

The half-day, weeklong camps are taught by museum educators or experienced teachers in the community. Need-based scholarships are available. For information call (919) 807-7979 or e-mail emily.grant@ncdcr.gov. The museum’s website is ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Spaces are available in these camp sessions.

For Students Who Have Completed Grades 3-5

Taste of the Past
July 22-26
8:30 a.m.-noon

Everybody loves to eat! Learn about past and present kitchen customs, tools, foods and recipes as you eat your way through history.

Toys and Games
July 22-26
1-4:30 p.m.

What did people do before television, videos, and Nintendo? Find out by spending a week making toys, playing games, and having old-fashioned fun.

For Students Who Have Completed Grades 6-8

History Training Shop
July 8-12
1-4:30 p.m.
Go behind the scenes at the museum, and learn how exhibits are researched and produced. Visit neighboring historic sites for special tours, learn how to care for artifacts, and gain experience presenting Gallery Carts. At the conclusion, campers will be trained junior volunteers!

For more information about the Museum of History, call (919) 807-7900 or visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.

The N.C. Museum of History is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in What to Do | Tagged , , |Comments Off

Fort Dobbs Recreates Life on the Frontier For 2nd Saturdays July 13

Posted June 14, 2013 – 4:00 pm

STATESVILLE — Guests are encouraged to get their hands dirty at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site as part of the statewide “2nd Saturdays” series. Costumed interpreters will construct a mud baking oven of the type used in the mid-18th century on Saturday, July 13. Visitors can help build this replica of an essential piece of life from 250 years ago. The free program is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On Friday, July 12, summer camps and homeschool families can preview and learn about the lives of the settlers, soldiers and American Indians who inhabited North Carolina’s frontier during the French and Indian War. Historic interpreters will perform demonstrations of 18th century life from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with musket firing, period cookery and games.  Advance reservations are required with a fee of $5 for children ages 5-18.

Named for royal governor Arthur Dobbs and commanded by Hugh Waddell, the fort was the base of operations for Waddell’s troops during the French and Indian War, which had been the climax of centuries of tension between England and France. The western frontier was considered dangerous, and on occasion colonists would stay close to the fort’s fortifications to remain protected from attacks by French-allied Cherokee Indians.

Educational programs at this state historic site gives life to North Carolina’s past experiences and traditions and demonstrates the value of living history to students and adults.

For more information, please call (704) 873-5882 or visit Fort Dobbs online. Fort Dobbs is the only state historic site dedicated to the period of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), also known as the Seven Years War. It is North Carolina’s only link to a war for empire that crossed five continents and lasted nearly 10 years, and is part of the Division of State Historic Sites of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in 2nd Saturdays, What to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , |Comments Off

Duke Homestead Celebrates the Tastes of North Carolina for 2nd Saturdays on July 13

Posted June 14, 2013 – 1:00 pm

DURHAM — Duke Homestead celebrates one of North Carolina’s greatest traditions on July 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,at the “Pork, Pickles and Peanuts: Tastes of North Carolina.” That tradition is food. This free family event focuses on everything that makes our state taste great with the highly competitive and extremely tasty annual Barbecue Cook-Off followed by the sweet treat that is the Pie Competition.

Visitors can get a taste of the action themselves and help judge and vote in our new People’s Choice category! Don’t forget to grab a bite from our local peanut and pickle vendors. Amazing food isn’t the only thing this festival is serving up as our local arts and crafts vendors will be selling their wares.

This year’s festival features special musical guests the Malpass Brothers on our main stage. Performing cover hits from the likes of Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, Chris and Taylor Malpass are as close to real traditional country music artists as it gets these days.

Also on the main stage guests catch our yearly favorite 1940s Tobacco Queen Mock Pageant. Featuring 1940s clothing and talents, this mock pageant is a light-hearted crowd favorite that leaves everyone wondering who will take home the crown.

Food continues to rule the day in our historic area as we explore North Carolina’s rich food history. There will be demonstrations of traditional pickling methods, a peanut boil and our favorite “Everything but the Oink” historic food program where costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional recipes for pork that garner reactions from “Oh my!” to “Smells great!” Kids can try out 19th century games and toys and everyone will enjoy traditional banjo and fiddle music in the swept yard.

“Pork, Pickles and Peanuts: Tastes of North Carolina” takes place on July 13, at Duke Homestead State Historic Site. For more information call (919) 477-5498 or visit Duke Homestead online. Duke Homestead is part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in What to Do | Tagged , , , , |Comments Off

Civil War Roster Index Now Available Online

Posted June 14, 2013 – 11:31 am

The Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has made available online a cumulative master index of the first 18 volumes of “North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster.” This index of approximately 115,000 names of North Carolinians who served in the Civil War will be of great interest to historians, genealogists, and anyone with a Tar Heel ancestor who fought in that conflict.

Work on “North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster” began in 1961 with the purpose of researching, compiling, and publishing service records for every North Carolinian who served in the Civil War. To date, 18 of a projected 22 volumes have been published.

The rosters in each volume are arranged numerically by regiment or battalion and alphabetically by company. Each roster is preceded by a unit history giving information about where it was raised and how it was designated. Officers and enlisted men are listed in separate sections alphabetically by surname. Each name is followed by a service record that includes information such as the soldier’s county of birth and residence; his age and occupation at time of enlistment; promotions; whether he was wounded, captured or killed; and whether he deserted or died of disease.

This online cumulative index contains an entry for each man listed in the series. Each entry includes the volume number and page number where his service record is listed or where he is otherwise mentioned. It does not list company and regiment. Cross referencing of variant name spellings is available. The index database also contains entries for all the persons, places and military units mentioned in the histories.

Most public and academic libraries hold volumes of the “North Carolina Troops” series. Individual volumes and copies of individual pages from those volumes can be purchased from Historical Publications.

Digitization of the “North Carolina Troops” index is a joint project of Historical Publications and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Information Technology Application team.

For additional information call (919) 733-7442, ext. 225. The Historical Publications Section within the Office of Archives and History is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , |Comments Off

Highway Historical Marker to Commemorate Tanning Industry

Posted June 11, 2013 – 3:04 pm

ROSMAN — In the 19th century home tanning, the conversion of animal hides into leather was a standard practice in much of North Carolina. Entrepreneurs also established about a half dozen commercial tanneries in the state’s mountain region around 1900. On June 15, a N.C. Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated to recognize the importance of this early industry to the state. The marker will be dedicated on US Highway 178 (Pickens Highway) in front of the Rosman Town Hall.

The ready availability of the key ingredient of tannic acid, derived from chipped oak or chestnut wood, spurred the growth of the business in the region. In 1897, C.C. Smoot built a tannery on 35-acres near North Wilkesboro. Hans Rees had a tannery in Asheville, and one of the buildings survives to this day. C.J. Harris had a tannery in Sylva from 1901 to 1957, producing machine belts and shoe leather. At its peak, Harris employed 350 people and produced 300 hides per day.

Joseph Silversteen established the Toxaway Tanning Company in 1901. The Toxaway community is known as Rosman today, so named to avoid confusion with nearby Lake Toxaway. Silversteen became the principal industrial leader in the county, and established a second tanning company in Brevard in 1916. He founded a tanning extract company and a lumber company. As economic and industrial trends changed, the aging Silversteen closed the Rosman operation. No remnant remains. Today the site in Rosman is the location of the town hall, a ballfield and a pool.

For information on the N.C. Highway Historical Marker Program call (919) 807-7290. The Highway Marker Program is part of the Office of Archives and History in the N.C. Department of Archives and History.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , , |Comments Off

July Programs at the N.C. Museum of History

Posted June 11, 2013 – 10:57 am

RALEIGH — All July programs are free at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg this month. Watch the 1993 film Gettysburg, followed by a Q&A session led by Dean Harry, a licensed battlefield guide from Gettysburg National Military Park.

As part of the statewide 2nd Saturdays program on July 13, the Museum of History presents North Carolina potter Bob Meier, who will demonstrate the art of turning clay on a wheel. He is owner and operator of Doe Ridge Pottery in Boone. Additionally, check out the exhibit Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware. Exhibit admission will be free on July 13!

Take advantage of these July programs and more. Weekend parking is free. PLEASE NOTE: The Museum of History will be closed Independence Day, July 4.

PROGRAMS

At the Movies: Gettysburg
Sunday, July 7, 12:30-6 p.m.
If you can’t make it up to Pennsylvania this year, commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg with us. See the entire four-hour movie (with intermissions) starring Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen and Jeff Daniels. Then stay for a discussion and Q&A session led by Dean Harry, a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg National Military Park.

*Storytime in the Gallery
Thursdays, July 11, 18 and 25, 10-10:30 a.m.
Ages 3 and up (with adult)
Meet a staff member at the information desk and follow your guide to one of the museum galleries. There, you can look around and listen to a history-related story.

Artist at Work: Bob Meier
Saturday, July 13, Noon-3 p.m. (drop-in program)
Meier, owner and operator of Doe Ridge Pottery, will demonstrate the art of turning clay on a wheel as he makes examples of contemporary pottery. The Boone resident is a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild and Blue Ridge Hearthside Crafts.

*Make It, Take It: Clay Creations
Saturday, July 13, Noon-3 p.m. (drop-in program)
Watch potter Bob Meier and work a little clay yourself. Then visit the exhibit Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware to learn more about the state’s pottery history. Exhibit admission is free on July 13!

Art in Clay is sponsored by Old Salem Museums & Gardens, the Chipstone Foundation and the Caxambas Foundation. The N.C. Museum of History gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following individuals and institutions: The Marion Stedman Covington Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. W. Trent Ragland Jr., Goodnight Educational Foundation, Ms. Nella P. Fulton, and Mr. and Mrs. C. Edward Pleasants.

Conservation Assistance Day
Friday, July 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Appointment is required. Call Jan Sweatt at 919-807-7823.
Get answers about how to care for your treasured possessions. Make an appointment and you may bring up to three objects to the museum for assessment and advice on care from a museum conservator.

Saturdays in the Garden
Saturdays, July 20 and Aug. 17, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Join the museum’s garden staff for an informal tour of the History of the Harvest, a block-long exhibit flourishing in planting beds along Bicentennial Plaza. See what’s going on in the garden this month, and check out this year’s new additions. Tours begin at the information desk in the lobby.

The chronological exhibit connects North Carolina’s agricultural past with today’s cutting-edge research and development by universities and companies such as Syngenta.

For more information about the Museum of History, call (919) 807-7900 or visit ncmuseumofhistory.org.

The N.C. Museum of History is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in What to Do | Tagged , , , , , |Comments Off

Botanist Andrẻ Michaux Commemorated with North Carolina Highway Historical Marker

Posted June 7, 2013 – 1:30 pm

HIGHLANDS — In June 1787 botanist Andrẻ Michaux crossed into North Carolina, starting out in South Carolina and crossing the Highland Plateau near North Carolina’s Wildcat Gap. During his explorations with his son and two Cherokee guides, he discovered one of the rarest wildflowers in North America, the Shortia galacifolia in South Carolina.

Recognition of this second botanist to enter North Carolina will be bestowed on June 15 with the dedication of a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker on West Main Street in Highlands between Second and Third Streets.

The Frenchman Michaux documented severe hardship endured by his party, including steep peaks, wide rivers and creeks, persistent fog, and also snakes and bears. On June 16 the party crossed several mountains and creeks which were the headwaters of the “Tenasee” River, near present-day Franklin.  Michaux crossed the Carolina Piedmont several times from 1789 to1796. His journals detail the conditions of the region and its geographic features.

For additional information, please contact Randolph Shaffner at (828) 526-5622. For information about the N.C. Highway Marker Program, please call (919) 807-7290. The Highway Marker program is a collaboration between the N.C. Department of Transportation and the N. C. Department of Cultural Resources.

For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , |Comments Off

State Library’s N.C. Cardinal Program Expands to Caldwell County

Posted June 7, 2013 – 10:26 am

RALEIGH – The State Library of North Carolina welcomes Caldwell County as the newest local library joining the innovative N. C. Cardinal program, a consortium of public libraries that share a common online catalog and library management system The N. C. Cardinal system lowers the cost of traditional system software and allows  consortium-wide resource sharing, providing patrons across the state with greater access to library resources.

N. C. Cardinal fosters a state-wide library community that gives North Carolinians greater access to collections that patrons were not able to access before.

“No one library can have it all,” said Cal Shepard, North Carolina State Librarian. “One library might have an extensive gardening collection, while your library does not.” The N. C. Cardinal program ensures that with a few clicks of a button, the book you want in another county can be delivered to you in your county at no cost.

Similarly, Tanya Prokrym, the N. C. Cardinal Program Manager, said that participating libraries really get more for less. “Patrons can resource share, place holds and use their library cards at any library that participates in the program. The great thing is, the patron can do it themselves online. It’s seamless.”

“The best thing about this is that the Cardinal program is a great money saver for libraries. We are taking the first steps toward having a statewide library card and that is in the best interests of all residents from Murphy to Manteo” says Shepard.

Operating since July 2010, the NC Cardinal program began as a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funded project that is now in its third year. The system currently has 93 branch locations in 26 counties, and serves 9.7 million North Carolinians. Within this massive, central library are over 4.2 million library items with more than 6.6 million circulations to date. Residents can now share library items across the state, all the while taking part in a system that lowers cost for cataloging and circulating.

For more information, call (919) 807-7408 or visit www.NCCardinal.org.

The State Library is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , , |Comments Off

Shelia Kay Adams of Madison County Named National Heritage Fellow

Posted June 5, 2013 – 6:00 pm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sheila Kay Adams, a seventh-generation ballad singer, musician and storyteller from Madison County, was recognized today as a National Heritage Fellow, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, by the National Endowment for the Arts.

One of the best-known living ballad singers in North Carolina, as well as a fine old time banjo player, Adams becomes the 12th traditional artists from North Carolina to be named a National Heritage Fellow, joining nine other traditional artists from across the United States receiving the designation this year. Each fellow receives a $25,000 award.

“Sheila took up the mantle of ballad singing at a crucial time when that venerated tradition was in danger of becoming irrelevant for the modern age,” said Wayne Martin, Executive Director, N.C. Arts Council. “She made it her mission to absorb the old love songs from her elders in Madison County and, in the process, she has become the bridge that has enabled younger generations to learn, and to love, ballads.”

A new travel guidebook, Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, features a profile of Adams, as well as other traditional musicians in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina. The guidebook, released in April from UNC Press, is a guide for citizens and visitors to experience living Blue Ridge music traditions, including ballad singing.

Ballad singing is a folk practice that flourished in a time when rural communities didn’t have access to newspapers, magazines or books and it served as a way to discuss events and occurrences, and even ponder the human condition. The Sodom Laurel community of Madison County is renowned for its unbroken traditional of unaccompanied ballad singing that dates back to the early Scots/Irish and English settlers in the mid-17th century.

Adams learned to sing from her great-aunt Dellie Chandler Norton and other notable singers in the community, such as Dillard Chandler and the Wallin family (including NEA National Heritage Fellow Doug Wallin). In addition to ballad singing, Adams is an accomplished clawhammer-style banjo player and storyteller. Adams began performing in public in her teens, and throughout her career she has performed at festivals, events, music camps, and workshops around the region, United States and the United Kingdom. She has performed at the acclaimed International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and the 1976 and 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival as part of The Bicentennial Celebration and Appalachia: Heritage and Harmony.

Adams is the author of two books: Come Go Home With Me, a collection of stories published by the University of North Carolina Press and a 1997 winner of the North Carolina Historical Society’s award for historical fiction; and My Old True Love, a novel published by Algonquin Books in 2004. She has recorded several albums of ballads, songs and stories including My Dearest Dear (2000), All the Other Fine Things (2004), and Live at the International Stroytelling Festival (2007). Adams appeared in the movies Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Songcatcher (2000), a movie for which she also served as technical advisor and singing coach.

Adams’ devotion to preserving and perpetuating her heritage earned her the North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award in recognition of her valuable contributions to the study of North Carolina folklore.

“We are delighted by today’s announcement recognizing Sheila Kay Adams and her contributions to continuing the ballad singing tradition,” said Susan Kluttz, Secretary, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “In North Carolina preserving these strong indigenous artistic traditions is an important component to arts driven economic development.”

In a letter in support of her nomination, George Holt, director of performing arts and film studies at the North Carolina Museum of Art, part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, wrote, “Sheila Kay Adams is the key figure in carrying forward to this day the tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing that has enriched her community for more than two centuries, promoting its beauty throughout our country and beyond, and insuring that it will be perpetuated by younger generations of singers well into the 21st century.”

The 2013 National Heritage Fellows will come to Washington, DC, for an awards presentation at the Library of Congress on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 as well as a free concert on Friday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m. at the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium. Both events are open to the public. Concert tickets are first come, first served and will be available later this summer. The concert will also be webcast live at arts.gov. More information about these events will be available on the NEA website this fall.

The NEA is currently accepting nominations for the 2014 class of NEA National Heritage Fellowships. The deadline is July 15, 2013. Visit the NEA’s website for more information and to submit a nomination.

In addition to Adams the 2013 National Heritage Fellowship recipients are:

  • –Ralph Burns, Storyteller, Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe (Nixon, Nevada)
  • –Verónica Castillo, Ceramicist and clay sculptor (San Antonio, Texas)
  • –Séamus Connolly, Irish fiddler (North Yarmouth, Maine)
  • –Nicolae Feraru, Cimbalom player (Chicago, Illinois)
  • –Carol Fran, Swamp blues singer and pianist (Lafayette, Louisiana)
  • –Pauline Hillaire*, Tradition bearer, Lummi tribe (Bellingham, Washington)
  • –David Ivey, Sacred Harp singer (Huntsville, Alabama)
  • –Ramón “Chunky” Sánchez, Chicano musician and culture bearer (San Diego, California)

*Pauline Hillaire is the recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award. The Bess Lomax Hawes Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage.

To listen to an interview and music on NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock click here. You can watch a interview with David Holt with Sheila here.

For more information on the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowships, including bios, interviews, and audio selections for the NEA National Heritage Fellows; portraits of more than 155 NEA National Heritage Fellows by Tom Pich; and publications such as a 30th anniversary publication featuring a DVD-Rom, created by Documentary Arts, with photos, videos, and audio recordings of all the Heritage Fellows, and a Masters of Traditional Arts Education Guide, visit http://arts.gov/.

The N.C. Arts Council is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , , , |Comments Off

“Fishing Frolic” at Mountain Gateway Museum on June 8

Posted June 5, 2013 – 5:00 pm

OLD FORT — The skill and joy of fly fishing will be on display on Saturday, June 8 at for the 2nd Saturdays “Fishing Frolic” program at Mountain Gateway Museum.

Members of Trout Unlimited will demonstrate casting, fly tying and other tricks for fishermen and wannabees on June 8. There will be lessons for young and old, and if you don’t bring a rod and reel, that will be provided. Expert fisherman “Squeak” Smith will demonstrate techniques. An information station of materials from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will be available also.

Two wildlife and landscape artists also will be present with artwork for sale. Local artists Tim Muench works in graphite and Wayne Stroud works in acrylics. Both are members of the Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League (A3L), which recently opened a studio across from Mountain Gateway Museum. A3L works to ensure local artisans have a place to display and sell their work and to preserve the art of the region.

Organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 2nd Saturdays offer authentic programs of arts, history and fun on June 8, July 13 and Aug. 10 at all of the department’s 27 state historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums and several other attractions.

For additional information call (828) 668-9259. Mountain Gateway Museum is within the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on the 2nd Saturdays series, visit 2ndSaturdaysNC.com.

For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in 2nd Saturdays, What to Do | Tagged , , , , , , |Comments Off

North Carolina Historical Review Now Available Online

Posted June 5, 2013 – 4:00 pm

RALEIGH — The first forty-four volumes (1924-1967) of the North Carolina Historical Review are now available online through the North Carolina Digital Collections. First published in the spring of 1924, the quarterly Review quickly established and maintains through today a reputation for scholarly excellence.

Now in its ninetieth year of publication by the Historical Publications Section of the Office of Archives and History, the North Carolina Historical Review has provided a forum for scholarship on North Carolina’s rich history for generations of students, historians, and the general population. Each issue of the Review contains a table of contents, several articles and essays, a selection of book reviews, and notes of historical interest. Since 1934, the April issue includes a bibliography of North Carolina books published in the previous year. The October issue contains a cumulative index for all four issues in that volume. Access to these new digital volumes is free and the full text of each of the 176 issues is searchable.

The North Carolina Digital Collections, a joint project of the State Archives and the State Library of North Carolina, contain more than 64,000 historic and recent photographs, state government publications, manuscripts and other resources on topics related to North Carolina. The Collections are free and full-text searchable, and bring together content from the State Library and State Archives of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Digitization of the North Carolina Historical Review was made possible through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage and lifelong learning.

North Carolina Historical Publications and the State Library and State Archives of North Carolina are units of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , |Comments Off

Broadway Comes to the Beach

Posted June 5, 2013 – 11:00 am

MANTEO --  The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Opera Theatre will bring its musical theatre revue, “Broadway Goes to the Beach” to Roanoke Island Festival Park with two shows. Broadway for Kids will be performed in the Indoor Theatre on June 13, 14 and 15 at 10:30 a.m. Children can  hear their favorite Disney Musical tunes from shows like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid Tickets are $5 and those 5 and under are free.

On the evenings of June 13 and 14 at 7 p.m., the talented faculty and students from Greensboro Light Opera and Song (UNC-G Opera Theatre’s Young Artist Program) will perform favorites from classic musicals, such as South Pacific, Man of La Mancha, and Guys and Dolls, as well as favorites from more recent hits such as Wicked and The Secret Garden.  Tickets for this performance are $10 adults and 6- 12 years old: $5 – 5 and under- free. Tickets may be purchased in advance or the day of the performance for both shows.

For more information call (252) 475-1506  or visit the park’s website. Roanoke Island Festival Park is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in What to Do | Tagged , , , , , |Comments Off

Only 10 More Days to See the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in Raleigh

Posted June 5, 2013 – 10:00 am

RALEIGH — Time is running short to see the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most significant documents in United States history, before it leaves Raleigh. On view through Sunday, June 16, at the North Carolina Museum of History, this historical seven-page document is on loan from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Admission is free.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, after the Union victory at Antietam (also called the Battle of Sharpsburg). Signed by President Lincoln, the document ordered that in 100 days the Federal government would free all slaves in the states still rebelling against the Union. It formally alerted the Confederacy of Lincoln’s intention. On Jan. 1, 1863, with the Confederacy still in full rebellion, the president issued the final Emancipation Proclamation.

The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation represents the transformation from the idea of emancipation into official Federal action. The document is highlighted in the exhibit Freedom Coming, Freedom for All, which is presented by the North Carolina Freedom Monument Park and the North Carolina Museum of History. A second phase of the exhibit opening July 1 will feature the 13th Amendment.

“As a milestone on the path to slavery’s final abolishment, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom,” says Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero. “We are honored to share this official Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation for the exhibit Freedom Coming, Freedom for All at the North Carolina Museum of History.”

The exhibit focuses on the status of North Carolina before the Civil War, events leading up to Lincoln’s issuance of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, and outcomes of the document in the state and nation. Freedom Coming also examines the differences among the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, the final Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

Phase Two of Exhibit Highlights 13th Amendment

Freedom Coming will reopen with a second phase on Monday, July 1. Phase two features original copies of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United States (except for punishment for crime) and nullified the antebellum slave codes (laws). The movie “Lincoln” centers on this life-changing document.

Phase two will be presented in two parts.

–July 1 through Oct. 6: North Carolina’s original copy of the 13th Amendment will be on view. Visitors also will see a letter from U.S. Sec. of State William Seward to Gov. Zebulon Vance about the document. Both are on loan from the State Archives of North Carolina. In 1865 the North Carolina Constitutional Convention ratified the 13th Amendment (and 14th Amendment) in order for North Carolina to be readmitted to the Union.

–Oct. 14, 2013, through Jan. 26, 2014: The exhibit will feature Massachusetts’ copy of the 13th Amendment. After the amendment’s adoption by the U.S. House of Representatives in January 1865, members of Congress, Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin and President Lincoln signed several commemorative copies of the 13th Amendment for the U.S. Sanitary Commission. A secretary provided Lincoln’s signature. The commission sold these signed copies to raise money for sick and wounded Union soldiers. Col. Henri Crandall, the Adjutant General of Rhode Island, owned the copy that will be on view.

Traveling Version of Exhibit

On Monday, July 1, a traveling version of Freedom Coming, comprised of eight informational panels (no original documents), will be available for museums, historic sites, and other organizations across North Carolina. For more information call 919-224-0480 or e-mail info@ncfmp.org.

Major sponsors of Freedom Coming are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina; Mechanics and Farmers Bank; News & Observer; North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company; PNC; Radio One; and Spectacular Magazine. Additional support is provided by Epiphany Public Relations of N.C., LLC; the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the State Archives of North Carolina.

For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call (919) 807-7900, access the museum’s website  or connect with the museum on Facebook and Twitter.

The N.C. Museum of History is a unit of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on North Carolina arts, history and culture, visit Cultural Resources online.

By Jeff Miles Posted in What to Do | Tagged , , , , , , |Comments Off

Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace to Present Arts and History Extravaganza

Posted June 4, 2013 – 7:00 pm

WEAVERVILLE — The sights and sounds of the past will come to life on Saturday, June 8, as the Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace kicks off this summer’s series of programming known as 2nd Saturdays. The free event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will present living history re-enactors, hands-on activities, craft demonstrations and area artists vending their wares.The 2nd Saturdays program, organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, will offer free family fun at state historic sites and art and history museums statewide on June 8, July 13 and Aug. 10.

The list of activities, demonstrators and artists include a Civil War living history encampment by members of the 26th North Carolina Regiment – the unit that Governor Vance commanded prior to his election to the chief executive’s office in 1862.  The encampment will offer military drills and firing demonstrations throughout the day.  At 2 p.m. James Stokely, son of the late novelist Wilma Dykeman, will present a lecture on his mother’s family connections to the Reems Creek Valley and how this inspired characters in many of her novels.

Local African-American face-jug potter and historian Jim McDowell will present accounts of the lives of enslaved artisans whose works were often times a means of expressing the suffering associated with their condition. Demonstrations of weaving, spinning, quilting and open hearth cooking will be ongoing throughout the day. Gerald’s Fireplace Restaurant will also be on hand from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with BBQ plate dinners.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Friends of the Vance Birthplace support group, which provides supplemental support for the historic site and its programming. This “Heritage Day” is a fundraising initiative by the Friends group as part of their on-going efforts to raise additional revenues to benefit the site.

For more information about this or other events, contact the Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace at (828) 645-6706 or email site manager Chris Morton.

The Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace is part of the Division of N.C. Historic Sites and Properties within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For more information on 2nd Saturdays, visit 2ndSaturdaysNC.com.

By Jeff Miles Posted in 2nd Saturdays, What to Do | Tagged , , , , , |Comments Off

Celebrate a “Day in Durham” with Cultural Resources 2nd Saturdays Programs June 8

Posted June 4, 2013 – 5:00 pm

DURHAM — A day of free family fun on June 8 celebrates all things Durham, the cavalry to the rescue, and an early Juneteenth commemoration, in the first of three 2nd Saturdays programs organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this summer.  Unique programs of arts, history, food, and fun will be found on June 8, July 13 and Aug. 10 at the 27 state historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, and a history center this summer.

Duke Homestead will offer “Bull Fest” to celebrate the Bull City’s roots with local artists, businesses, live musicians and a mini food truck rodeo. The Little River Cloggers; Durham Bulls mascot Wool-E-Bull; and local artisans and craft makers selling their wares are among attractions. Demonstrations of making bags and labels for the first W. Duke and Sons pipe tobacco, cooking on a wood stove and period toys and games are just a few of the activities that will delight all from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bennett Place invites you to “Join the Cavalry” in an examination of the unique role of the cavalry throughout U.S. military history. Interpreters portraying Union and Confederate soldiers on horseback will demonstrate tactics, drills and weaponry from the Civil War era.  The program is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Historic Stagville will celebrate the emancipation of the enslaved after the Civil War on June 19, 1865, when the last slaves learned they were free. Blues musician John Dee Holman, storyteller Priscilla Best, children’s author Carole Boston Weatherford, and the Golden Genies dance troop are among performers. An African Drum Circle will provide a lively beat, and children’s toys and games will be offered, all 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special repeat performance of slave narratives, “Let Them Be Heard” by Bare Theatre will be presented at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available online and at the site.

For more information call (919) 807-7389 or visit www.2ndSaturdaysnc.com.

By Jeff Miles Posted in 2nd Saturdays, What to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , |Comments Off