RALEIGH — When is a bench more than a bench? When it has a barcode that teaches visitors about North Carolina history. The State Capitol will unveil a new QR barcode program and host a bench dedication at a public ceremony on Wednesday, May 1, at 10 a.m. Visitors will be able to scan the [...]
RALEIGH — The 10th anniversary of the recovery of North Carolina’s copy of the Bill of Rights is being celebrated on Monday, March 18, in Raleigh. A procession led by Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Susan W. Kluttz will travel from the legislative building to the State Capitol at [...]
January 28, 2013 – 11:37 am
RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Capitol in downtown Raleigh is seeking volunteers interested in training as docents. Docents give tours to student and adult groups who travel to Raleigh from all over the state and country, and more volunteers are needed. The Capitol will host a two-part training and information session for new volunteers on Feb. [...]
December 4, 2012 – 3:30 pm
RALEIGH — Since July, State Capitol visitation numbers have been rising steadily. The month of October saw the biggest jump with a 43 percent increase in visitation numbers over the previous year. More tours, a variety of special programs and even a film crew all boosted visitation numbers. Such increases are part of a year-long trend at [...]
November 16, 2012 – 9:52 am
Brighten your December with a Raleigh tradition, the Capitol Tree Lighting, and then walk to the N.C. Museum of History for hands-on fun. Also in December, take in a musical performance by the Happy Valley Pals, who will present the special holiday tradition “Breaking Up Christmas.” Children will delight in the month’s programs created just [...]
November 15, 2012 – 3:43 pm
RALEIGH – An annual North Carolina tradition continues as Gov. Bev Perdue and First Gentleman Bob Eaves host the annual tree-lighting ceremony at the State Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 6. The Junior Woman’s Club and State Capitol historic site host this free, public celebration. The festivities begin at 5 p.m. with luminaries being lit and holiday music by the Raleigh Concert Band and [...]
November 8, 2012 – 9:08 am
Musket firing at the coast, a patriotic parade and concert in the Piedmont and a timeline of military history in the west are just a few of the ways visitors can commemorate Veterans Day with the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. On Sunday, November 11, join Tryon Palace in New Bern for a special salute to the [...]
October 5, 2012 – 10:32 am
RALEIGH–The North Carolina State Capitol will host a ceremony to unveil eight steel commemorative benches to be placed on the grounds of the State Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be held on the south plaza of Union Square. The commemorative benches to be installed on Oct. 17th honor former Governors Michael Easley, James B. [...]
August 29, 2012 – 3:58 pm
RALEIGH — Historian David Cecelski, who details the extraordinary life of an American original in his book, “The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War,” will be at the State Capitol on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m. for a book launch and a signing. The book, which will be for sale [...]
August 13, 2012 – 11:09 am
RALEIGH — Ever wonder what the attic of the Capitol looks like? Or how the Rotunda looks from 90 feet up (Hint: George Washington looks very small!)? The State Capitol Historic Site is offering special, behind-the-scenes tours on Saturday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 3, to explore areas of the 172-year-old building that visitors don’t [...]
RALEIGH – In honor of May’s designation as National Historic Preservation Month, the State Capitol will host a lunch-time lecture on Monday, May 14. The free talk will take place at noon outside on the south plaza. Susan Little, of the Raleigh landscape architecture firm Little and Little, will speak on the history, evolution, and on-going [...]
April 24, 2012 – 12:56 pm
RALEIGH – As one of the most visited monuments on the State Capitol grounds, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a dramatic reminder of the realities of one of America’s longest foreign military conflicts. On Saturday, April 28, the memorial’s sculptor, Abbe Godwin, will speak about her inspiration and artistic process in creating the monument to honor [...]
RALEIGH - The State Capitol will host the lecture “Between Heaven and Hell: Raleigh and the End of the Civil War,” by historian Ernest Dollar on Saturday, March 24, at 1 p.m. Dollar will explore the end of the Civil War through letters, diaries and photographs. These documents reveal the excitement and sadness of Raleigh citizens [...]
January 27, 2012 – 8:33 am
RALEIGH – The State Capitol and the Richard B. Harrison Library will host a session of the 2012 National African American Read-In on Saturday, Feb. 18. The Read-In will be held at the State Capitol from noon- 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The event is held in recognition of Black History Month, and the [...]
January 25, 2012 – 4:03 pm
RALEIGH – The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and the North Carolina Humanities Council have each awarded the State Capitol grants to begin recording the oral histories of state government workers-the secretaries, schedulers, pages, chefs, gardeners, artisans, and managers who have kept the State Capitol and Executive Mansion open to the public and available for all [...]