FREMONT – Visitors to the Aycock Birthplace can make good memories on Independence Day. The restoration of the fire-damaged farmhouse is nearly complete, and that part of the state historic site will soon be open for public viewing again.
Like other state historic sites, the Aycock Birthplace will be closed Friday, July 3, but open to visitors on Saturday, July 4.
It is often said that a house is not a home. So last week, after reconstruction of the childhood home of Governor Charles B. Aycock in Fremont finally was done, the first thing that Aycock Birthplace staff and other N.C. Historic Sites professionals did was to begin moving tables, chairs, beds, dressers and pictures back into the historic structure.
Most of these pieces had been salvaged from a fire that damaged the house on Jan. 24, 2008. The old furnishings included a dresser, five beds, four night stands, four blanket chests, a cradle and a small drop-leaf table. All these pieces were smoke damaged so they had to be cleaned by staff using special erasers and enzymatic solutions. Some of the furnishings needed extra care and were hauled to Historic Sites Conservator Jennifer French’s office in Durham.
Professional textile conservators were called in to help gently clean bed linens and other fabrics damaged in the fire. Cleaning historical artifacts is a painstaking process so it took several months to restore them. The staff also installed a few new pieces in the house, such as a 19th-century Victorian sofa and a slant-top desk.
After a few remaining furnishings are placed in the house and the tour information is updated to include information about the fire, plans are for tours of the governor’s family home to resume in late July.
Though the 2008 fire seriously damaged the main house, the state historic site subsequently reopened to the public and continues to present public programs. The period one-room schoolhouse and the historic area, including the kitchen, corn crib and smokehouses, have all remained open.
Visitors may also tour exhibits in the state historic site’s visitor center and watch a video on the late governor and his family.
A new exhibit recently installed at Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site also explains the governor’s key role in improving educational opportunities for deaf and blind North Carolinians, along with the evolution of a separate educational system for these populations.
Anyone wanting to aid in the home’s restoration may do so by contributing to the Aycock Birthplace Recovery and Restoration Fund. Contributions may be sent to Gov. Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, P.O. Box 207, Fremont, N.C. 27830.
Aycock Birthplace’s mission is to preserve and interpret the birthplace and history of Charles B. Aycock, emphasizing his contributions to public education in North Carolina. To reach the site, take U.S. 117 north nine miles from Goldsboro or U.S. 117 south 14 miles from Wilson. Turn right (from Goldsboro) or left (from Wilson) on Gov. Aycock Road. The site is 1-1/2 miles on the right. From I-95 take the U.S. 301 exit at Kenly. Take N.C. 222 east for 10 miles to Fremont and turn right on U.S. 117. Go two miles and turn left on Gov. Aycock Road.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, Aycock Birthplace is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.