Today’s show features a celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States; takes a look at a new guidebook that explores North Carolina’s rural riches; and explores “tank of gas or less” ways to experience North Carolina historic sites.
First up, many African-Americans have adopted celebration of “Juneteenth” on June 19 to mark the unofficial freeing of the last slaves in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, where two months after the end of the Civil War, and more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, he informed black citizens that they were free. Gen. Granger’s Order Number Three freed the last 250,000 slaves in America. Today Texas alone grants the date holiday status, but other states and communities find ways to pay tribute to that and other events in African American history. Fay Mitchell talks with archivist Earl Ijames about discoveries in North Carolina’s Black History.
On a bright, sunny day in Snow Hill, N.C., a crowd gathered to launch “Homegrown Handmade: Art Roads and Farm Trails,” a new guidebook for travelers interested in “Agri-Cultural” tourism. Click here for a look at the day.
The guidebook, which was published by John F. Blair, Publisher of Winston Salem, was produced by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
Fay Mitchell recently sat down with Keith Hardison, director of State Historic Sites for some suggestions on travel that won’t break the bank.