Author Archives: richardbarton

250,000 Pieces of Blackbeard from Shipwreck

GREENVILLE – Since the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR)began excavating the shipwreck believed to the Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR), Blackbeard’s flagship, more than 250,000 objects have been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, near Beaufort. All recovered artifacts go through the NCDCR QAR conservation lab located at East Carolina University in Greenville. On [...]

Sheila Kay Adams Performs “Christmas on the Mountain” at Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic

ASHEVILLE – Noted balladeer and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams will present an evening of Southern Appalachian mountain Christmas stories, traditional ballads and music in two shows at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site in Asheville on Saturday, Dec. 19.
“Christmas on the Mountain,” drawn from Adams’ own holiday childhood experiences growing up in Madison County, [...]

Christmas Open House Celebration at Bentonville Battlefield

FOUR OAKS – A typical Christmas for John and Amy Harper and their nine kids would have involved handmade crafts and home cooked goodies. The intrusion of the Civil War turned their home into a military hospital, but the fighting was still far away during Christmas. The Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will [...]

Historic Halifax Celebrates Holiday Season with a Bang

HALIFAX – Colonial Christmas traditions, including rag dolls and caning chairs, are among the quieter aspects of the holiday celebration at Historic Halifax on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Costumed re-enactors of the 5th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line will bring a bang with lively firings of 18th century muskets and [...]

“Telling Our Stories” Photography Eastern Tour Finale in Wake County

RALEIGH – For 14 months, 50 photographs depicting North Carolina’s mountains to coast, various time periods, and even far away places, have been on the road in North Carolina. The “Telling Our Stories” Photography Exhibit, organized on an eastern and western route by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, is ending. The Cameron Village [...]

Conservation Tales of Pirate Life from Blackbeard Shipwreck

Editors Note: Please respond if your organization will attend by Thursday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m., call (919) 807-7389 or email fay.mitchell@ncdcr.gov.
GREENVILLE — Study of artifacts from the shipwreck of the presumed Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship, continues to illuminate details of pirate life. A media review of the latest findings on [...]

Tree Lighting Ceremony Starts Holiday Season at State Capitol

RALEIGH – The tree-lighting tradition at the State Capitol will continue when Gov. Bev Perdue and First Gentleman Bob Eaves light the Christmas tree on Thursday, Dec. 10. The Junior Women’s Club and State Capitol staff sponsor this free, public celebration. It starts at 5 p.m. with luminaries being lit and holiday music [...]

Aycock Birthplace Celebrates 1870s Christmas

FREMONT – A festive feast of chicken, collards, biscuits and plum pudding will blanket the dining room table at Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site during the Christmas season. The typical late 19th century spread will be shown during free tours on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30-9 p.m. Gospel music, a [...]

Stagville Plantation Presents “Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters”

Durham – Grab your mittens, scarf and holiday wish list and head to Historic Stagville for “Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters” for free family fun. Bluegrass and Appalachian music, African American drumming and storytelling, artisans, and Durham barbecue, will offer a generous dose of unique history on Dec. 5, 10 [...]

Author Shares Insights from New Book on 1898 Wilmington Race Riot

RALEIGH – LeRae S. Umfleet will discuss the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot and sign copies of her new book, “A Day of Blood: The 1898 Wilmington Race Riot,” on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. She will be introduced by Dr. Jeffrey Crow, deputy secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources at Quail Ridge [...]