Carolina comments

              Historic Sites Commemorate 140th Anniversary of
State Archives is Featured on Popular Television Program
Rebecca Waer, associate with Shedmedia, the research group associated with
the TV show Who Do You Think You Are, spoke with several people in the Office
of Archives and History last fall in reference to historical and genealogical research
for an upcoming episode of Who Do You Think You Are? The program on NBC
http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are examines the family history of a
different celebrity during each installment. Once the production team had a better idea of
the types of records available, they contacted Debbi Blake, Head of Public Services at the
State Archives. Blake, scheduled for a vacation, handed the request for documents over to
Chris Meekins of the Correspondence Unit with the instructions to assist the research
group as much as possible without interfering with his regular work schedule. Waer
requested materials relative to George Brasfield of Wake County. Shedmedia
does not disclose the identity of the celebrity until filming begins.
Although Waer had a list of documents—materials gleaned from various published
abstracts—what the show really wanted to know was where George Brasfield lived in
1820. Their only clue was a newspaper advertisement that Brasfield had published regard-ing
a runaway slave—Brasfield indicated he could be found at the “crossroads between
Raleigh and Hillsborough.” Checking deeds, tax records, maps, and census records,
Meekins identified the intersection in the newspaper ad as the current Angier Avenue and
Mineral Springs Road/Miami Boulevard intersection. The 1833 MacRae map confirms
the intersection as “Brasfields.”
The Shedmedia production crew came to the Archives in November 2011 to see the
documents and get a feel for the layout of the building. Meekins pulled about twenty
primary documents, as well as a number of secondary sources and associated documents,
for the crew to review. When the production crew returned in early December to film,
they revealed that the celebrity was Reba McEntire. A native of Oklahoma, McEntire is
the best-selling female country artist of all time. An actress as well, she had one of the top
television sitcoms for six consecutive years on two networks, and performed in Annie Get
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Carolina
Comments
Carolina Comments is a quarterly publication of the
Office of Archives and History
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
2 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
For the Record
What is your favorite quotation about history? I have
been thinking a lot about that question recently. The
Program Evaluation Division in the General Assembly
issued a report that, among other things, proposed to
close the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City
and to cripple other state historic sites to the point that
several might have to reduce hours or close entirely.
The Department of Cultural Resources, under the
leadership of Secretary Linda Carlisle and Chief Deputy
Secretary Melanie Soles, provided a sturdy defense with
plenty of data to show the faulty assumptions in the
report In the end the legislative committee chose not to
act on the recommendations to close or reduce hours at historic sites and museums.
My role in responding to the report was to discuss the importance of history to the
state and nation’s civic well-being. Longtime readers of this column know that I
have written about that subject a number of times.
An astute quotation sometimes can address civic illiteracy and historical amnesia
more than a recitation of disturbing test results among high school and college
students. When Tryon Palace opened its new North Carolina History Center in
October 2010, it included a lengthy list of such quotations in its exhibits. In my
remarks to the legislative committee I did not have time to quote ancient
philosophers and modern historians. So here are some quotations that I might have
used.
Novelists have a special regard for the power of history. One of my favorite
quotations originated with novelist William Faulkner. In Intruder in the Dust, he
famously said: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” John Steinbeck, in his
novel The Grapes of Wrath, portrayed the sorrows of the Joad family as it contem-plated
a painful move from Oklahoma to California. Many precious possessions,
including the land, would be left behind. The Joad women sorted through the
many belongings that they could not take with them: “How will we know it’s us
without our past?”
Philosopher George Santayana’s well-known observation—“Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it”—has become a cliché. The idea
that history links the past to the present and ultimately to the future has reappeared
through the millennia. Aristotle said: “If you would understand anything, observe
its beginning and its development.” Political philosopher Machiavelli extended the
thought to future generations: “Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult
the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times.”
R. D. W. Connor, the first secretary of the North Carolina Historical Com-mission,
agreed: “No man is fit to be entrusted with control of the Present who is
ignorant of the Past; and no people who are indifferent to their Past need hope to
make their Future great.”
The list goes on. For those of us who pull the laboring oar, whether as teachers
or public historians, the voyage never ends. “So we beat on, boats against the cur-rent,
borne ceaselessly into the past.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Jeffrey J. Crow
Your Gun on Broadway. McEntire, a descendant of George Brassfield’s through her
mother’s line, was exceptionally friendly and professional throughout filming. The
day-long shoot was primarily in the Archives, but the State Capitol was the location of
choice for outdoor scenes. Before the episode aired in March, Meekins received a hand-written
note from the star thanking him for helping her to find out “Who I think I am.”
Linda Carlisle Named to U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle was
sworn in as a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises the
U.S. Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the
United States. “This Board represents the eyes and ears of our nation’s travel and tourism
industry and I am committed to working with each of the esteemed members to bring
more visitors to the United States,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce John E. Bryson said. “I
appreciate the Board members’ dedication to our economic recovery and look forward to
working with Secretary Carlisle to put ideas into action to bolster job creation in this
critical economic sector.”
The 32-member board, appointed by the
Commerce secretary, serves as advisers on gov-ernment
policies and programs that affect the
U.S. travel and tourism industry, offers counsel
on current and emerging issues, and provides a
forum for discussing and proposing solutions to
industry-related problems.
The U.S. tourism and travel industry is a
substantial component of U.S. Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and employment, representing
2.7 percent of GDP and 7.5 million jobs in
2010—with international travel to the United
States supporting 1.2 million jobs alone. The
travel and tourism industry projects that more
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Former State Archivist Dick Lankford; Reba McEntire; Archives Correspondence Unit Supervisor
Chris Meekins; Archives Reference Unit Supervisor Doug Brown; Archives Public Services Branch
Head Debbi Blake; and Archives Collections Management Branch Head Sarah Koonts.
than 1 million American jobs could be created over the next decade if the U.S. increased
its share of the international travel market. Here in North Carolina visitors traveling to and
within the state spent a record $17 billion in 2010, supporting more than 40,000 North
Carolina businesses and directly supporting 183,900 jobs all across the state. State and local
tax revenues generated as a result of visitor spending total more than $1.5 billion annually.
North Carolina ranks as the 6th most visited state in the United States.
Since January 2009, Carlisle has served as secretary of the N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources. Prior to her appointment, she was a corporate and banking executive,
entrepreneur, and active community volunteer. Carlisle works on the local, state, and
national level to communicate the positive impact of culture and heritage to attract and
retain jobs, enhance the education of children and lifelong learners, and grow stronger
communities.
North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund Awards Major Grant
for Battlefield Protection
The North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund on February 27, 2012, approved a
$355,000 grant to acquire 120 acres that will become part of Bentonville Battlefield State
Historic Site. The Civil War Trust will be matching the state grant dollar-for-dollar using
funds from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program, effectively allowing the
state to acquire the land for half its total cost.
“The remarkable work done to permanently protect the Bentonville Battlefield
is among the great success stories of this organization,” said Trust President James
Lighthizer. “We are honored to continue such a fruitful long-term partnership with the
state of North Carolina and look forward to many more opportunities for mutual achieve-ment
in the months and years to come.” Lighthizer emphasized that the availability of
federal battlefield preservation matching grant funding made this project an outstanding
investment for the state, essentially allowing the popular state historic site to grow signifi-cantly,
while funding only half the fair-market value for that land.
“Our Bentonville Battlefield is a rare jewel because, unlike many Civil War
battlefields, the landscape includes miles of original trenches in a largely undeveloped,
agricultural area. We are grateful that the Civil War Trust recognizes and supports our
efforts,” said North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle.
“We are preserving history and open space, while simultaneously enhancing economic
activity in the area with tens of thousands of visitors and an economic impact of nearly $7
million for Johnston County annually.”
Each of the nine properties covered by the grant is adjacent to previously preserved
properties. With the assistance of the North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund, in
particular, the Civil War Trust has been able to acquire historically significant battlefield
land associated with the First, Second, and Third Days of the battle. Today, a total of
1,435 acres have been permanently protected at Bentonville, much of it through partner-ships
between the Civil War Trust, Bentonville Battlefield Historical Association, the
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, and the N.C. Department of Cultural
Resources.
With its proximity to Interstates 95 and 40, Bentonville has long been eyed by
preservationists as a site potentially vulnerable to development. Johnston and Wayne
counties continue to experience long-term development pressure that is threatening the
remaining rural landscape in the vicinity of Bentonville. This project will preserve open
green space as well as the remnants of a battlefield that, in the words of the federal
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, had “a decisive influence on a campaign and a
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direct impact on the course of the war.” This combination of historic significance and
pending threat earned Bentonville a Priority I, Class A ranking, the highest possible
designation, in the congressionally authorized report.
The Battle of Bentonville, fought in Johnston County in March 19–21, 1865, is often
referred to as the Confederate army’s “last stand in the Carolinas.” This defeat, coupled
with the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia a few weeks later,
prompted Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to surrender his command on April 26. Fighting raged
over more than 6,000 acres during the largest engagement to take place in the Tar Heel
State, and 4,500 men fell as casualties. http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/map2.htm
The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization
in the United States. Its goal is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War sites and
to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and heritage
tourism. Please visit the Trust’s Web site at www.civilwar.org.
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A Rough Sketch of the Engagement at Bentonville Highlighting the Major Actions of
March 19–21, 1865. Map courtesy of the N.C. Office of Archives and History.
Archives and Records Section
Betty Driver retired on February 29, 2012, after 34 years of service in the document
conservation lab of the State Archives. In her long and productive tenure with the lab,
Driver worked on a number of significant and long-term projects, including the conserva-tion
of all of the original land grants and the earlier marriage bonds from each county.
Driver’s attention to detail served her well as she deacidified, repaired, and stabilized docu-ments
worn from use and fragile from deteriorating paper and acidic inks. She was a dedi-cated
employee always willing to help with special projects in the Archives, such as annual
inventory. Driver earned the unofficial title of #1 basement person after working so many
years continuously in the basement conservation lab at 109 East Jones Street. Sending her
off in style, the State Archives staff hosted a retirement party on February 27, 2012, in the
basement. Secretary Linda Carlisle presented Driver with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine
in honor of her dedication to the preservation and conservation of so many archival
treasures of the state.
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News from the Archives and Records Section
At her retirement party, Betty Driver receives the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Secretary Linda
Carlisle.
New Collections Available Online
In January, NC LIVE began streaming digital copies of some State Archives motion
picture film created originally by H. Lee Waters, George Stoney, and others. To see these
films, go to this Web site—http://media.nclive.org/—and click the State Archives logo.
If you are using a personal computer, a screen may appear asking you to select a library
and then authenticate to use NC LIVE before you can watch a film. If you are using a
computer in a public or academic library you will not be asked for that intermediary step.
Cataloging Update
Vann Evans, a member of the State Archives Public Services Branch and part-time
assistant to the Non-Textual Materials Unit, has completed MARS descriptions for the
entire backlog of uncatalogued negatives in the General Negative Collection. This retro-spective
cataloging has been an ongoing effort since 1988. Many students and archivists
over the years have been involved, but it is Evans who has persevered to get this project
done. Because of his tireless work, the Archives now has item level access and indexing
for the entire General Negative Collection through the card catalog and the MARS
access. Now that this monumental achievement has been accomplished, Evans is switching
gears, and his new major project will be processing the recently acquired Heulon Dean
Photograph Collection, while continuing regular duties keeping up with the MARS
descriptions for recent acquisitions in the General Negatives, assisting researchers, and fil-ing
pulled records as needed.
Outer Banks History Center Exhibit
The Outer Banks History Center debuted its new exhibit, The Civil War Comes to
Roanoke Island: Fishers, Fighters, and Freedmen, at an opening reception on March 2, 2012.
Among the 150 guests, who were treated to a meal of cornbread and beans, were local
dignitaries and costumed interpreters. The exhibit, created in-house by History Center
staff, tells the story of the events leading to the Battle of Roanoke Island, the conflict
fought there, and how the island became home to runaway slaves after Federal occupation.
The Civil War Comes to Roanoke Island: Fishers, Fighters, and Freedmen runs through
December 30, 2012.
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Re-enactors from Manteo’s Island Farm’s Civil War Living History Day and other guests enjoyed
Civil War-era food at the opening reception for the new exhibit, The Civil War Comes to Roanoke
Island: Fishers, Fighters, and Freedmen.
Shifting Archival Collections into New Basement Storage
Upon completion of renovations in the Archives and History/State Library building, a
large basement space became available to the State Archives for housing archival collec-tions.
Compact mobile shelving purchased as surplus from the Department of Revenue
was installed, providing an additional 12,000 cubic feet of valuable storage space in the
building. In early February, Archives’ staff began shifting records into the renovated room.
Moving into the compact mobile shelving will be archival state agency records, governors’
records from 1900 through Governor Holshouser’s administration, and General Assembly
materials through 1992. In addition, all original Supreme Court cases through 1939 will be
housed there. Other state agency collections that receive increasing reference requests are
being moved to that area. All of these materials will be available for Saturday reference.
The relocation effort will create additional space in the Archives’ stacks for more county
records, private collections, and photographic collections.
Love Heritage
In February the Information Management Branch of the State Archives took part in
Love Heritage, an international effort to focus attention on love-related materials in archi-val
collections for Valentine’s Day. Ashley Yandle wrote several blog posts for Love Heri-tage
on a variety of subjects, including: a list of flowers and their symbolic meaning found
in the Williams-Womble Papers; the story of Tom Dula, which is perhaps one of the most
famous love triangles and murder mysteries in North Carolina history; and George Moses
Horton, a slave who became well-known for writing, reciting, and selling acrostic love
poems to students at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Several love-related
collections were also digitized prior to Valentine’s Day and announced as part of Love
Heritage. Those collections included the photographs of Thomas N. Bryson and
Warren C. McNeill from the World War I Military Collection; both the Bryson and the
McNeill Papers contain memorable photos of soldiers and sailors with their sweethearts.
Also digitized was a group of love letters written by Zebulon Baird Vance to his future
wife, Harriett N. Espy. The newly scanned and indexed digitized items are part of North
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Left to right: Sarah Koonts, Bill Brown, Kermit Siler, and Tomoko Cole work to move archival
records into the new basement storage area.
Carolina Digital Collections, a joint project of the State Archives and the State Library of
North Carolina, and are available at http://digital.ncdcr.gov.
To read more about Tom Dula, George Moses Horton, and the World War I
photos of Thomas Bryson and Warren McNeill, visit the main blog of the State
Archives, History for All the People, at http://ncarchives.wordpress.com/. To read
more about the Vance love letters visit the Archives’ Civil War 150 blog at
http://civilwar150nc.wordpress.com/.
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LEFT: One of the most romantic items in the
collections of the State Archives of North
Carolina. Ethel Leona Evans and Pvt. Thomas
Newton Bryson, ca. 1917.
BELOW: “When shall we meet again” postcard
from the Warren C. McNeill Papers, part of
the World War I Collection.
State Archives on Twitter
The State Archives of North Carolina has an official Twitter account: @NCArchives.
Twitter is a real-time information network that allows people, organizations, and compa-nies
to discuss events, news, and ideas by composing “tweets”—short statements or
questions that contain no more than 140 characters. The State Archives plans to use Twit-ter
to discuss the latest news on archives, records management, genealogy, and North
Carolina history, and to notify followers about new blog posts, newly digitized materials,
and any upcoming events at either the State Archives or State Records Center. To read
the NCArchives Twitter feed, visit: http://twitter.com/#!/NCArchives. To learn more
about Twitter, visit the “About Twitter” page: https://twitter.com/about.
William B. Howard Diary
In February Tiffanie Mazanek of the Information Management Branch finished
scanning and indexing the Civil War diary of William B. Howard, part of the Williams-
Womble Collection. The diary begins on May 4, 1862, as the Seventh Regiment N.C.
Troops left Kinston, N.C., to travel to Gordonsville, Va. Howard recounts, in great detail,
his company’s movements in Northern Virginia and recalls the numerous battles in which
he fought. He also details the prisoners taken, supplies captured, as well as the number
of soldiers wounded and or killed after nearly every battle. The diary of William B.
Howard is now available for researchers through the Civil War collection in the North
Carolina Digital Collection (http://digital.ncdcr.gov), and more information about the
battles recorded by Howard can be found in Tiffanie’s blog entry on the diary at
http://civilwar150nc.wordpress.com/.
Geospatial Multistate Archive and Preservation Partnership
Findings Available on Web site
In December 2011, DCR completed its work on the Geospatial Multistate Archive
and Preservation Partnership (GeoMAPP). GeoMAPP is a project sponsored by the
Library of Congress. The GeoMAPP project focused on the preservation of and access to
geospatial content. All of the final GeoMAPP policies, tools, and reports are on the pro-ject’s
Web site: http://www.geomapp.net, including the much-anticipated publication of
the Final Report and Business Planning tool suite. A condensed version of the project’s
findings can be reviewed in the GeoMAPP Key Findings and Best Practices document.
In addition to these documents, the project also published a number of other useful
policies pertaining to content packaging, archival metadata and processing, geospatial for-mats,
and data transfer over the past several months that may be of use to this group. All of
these materials and other older GeoMAPP content can be found on the Web site under
the Publications and Tools page.
Another important item of interest is that GeoMAPP is currently working with its
existing Informational Partners group to determine next steps for this collection of
practitioners interested in the preservation of digital geospatial data. As part of the
assessment, membership will be more open and inclusive. If you have an interest in being
part of these future discussions, please email geomapp@ncdcr.gov. Likely options for
future discussions for the group will be either the National Digital Stewardship Alliance
(http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/ndsa/ ) or simply continuing to meet on a quarterly
basis as an independent body. The team would like to acknowledge the support of the
Library of Congress. Without its guidance and funds, this work would not be possible.
1 0 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
New Employees and Promotions
Aaron Cusick, a graduate of the Public History Program at N.C. State and the Library
Science Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, began working for the Archives and Records
Section on January 17, 2012. Cusick is working in the Information Management Branch
and will be processing the World War I and World War II poster collections to get them
online. He will also be working on getting finding aids and other research resources online.
Effective March 1, 2012, Mark Holland was promoted from a processing assistant in
the State Records Center to the position of records management analyst in the State
Agency and University Records Unit of the Government Records Branch. Holland brings
with him firsthand experience working with state agencies as well as knowledge gained
from his degree in history.
Rachel Trent began working as a records management analyst I in the Electronic
Records Branch on February 1, 2012. In her position, Trent will be working with staff
from the State Archives to assist with the transfer and ingest of electronic records and digi-tal
files into the Digital Repository. She will also be helping to automate many of the pres-ervation
processes that are currently very labor intensive as well as develop guidance for
state and local employees. Trent is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and is
completing her Masters in Public History from N.C. State and her Masters in Library
Sciences from UNC-Chapel Hill. Trent has experience working with electronic records
and digital materials through graduate school as well as through her work with the
American Baptist Historical Society. Interestingly enough, she also spent time teaching
English in Japan. This past summer Trent completed her practicum in the State Archives
by developing the workflow for extracting audio files from CDs, extracting the metadata,
normalizing the file into a preservation and access copy, and re-encapsulating the metadata
in the object to help with both preservation and access.
Effective February 1, 2012, Tom Vincent was promoted to the position of Local
Records Unit supervisor in the Government Records Branch. Vincent brings with him a
wealth of knowledge concerning records management issues and practices from his posi-tion
as a local records analyst. He has also established many professional relationships with
various local officials that will assist him in continuing to service the needs of local officials
throughout North Carolina In addition, he brings to his new position a depth of
knowledge concerning archival local records gained from his time as a correspondence
archivist in the Public Services Branch.
Connecting to Collections Assists with Disaster Planning
The message has gotten out: cultural heritage institutions need disaster plans in order to
prepare for and respond to disasters effectively. A recent survey, conducted by NCDCR’s
Connecting to Collections (C2C) office, showed progress in the number of institutions
that have established disaster plans. However, the survey revealed mixed results in overall
preparedness levels. Fewer than half of the institutions with disaster plans reported staff
familiarity with the plans. Most institutions do not hold drills or other training exercises.
The C2C team is trying to fill this void in training by offering workshops and other
resources related to disaster recovery.
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Staff News
Connecting to Collections
How can we prepare workers in North Carolina’s cultural heritage institutions to
recover from disasters without practice? Heritage Preservation offers several important
training materials, including the Field Guide to Emergency Response and the “Emergency
Response and Salvage Wheel,” but there is no substitute for real, hands-on experience.
During the inevitable period of panic after a disaster, responders are able to draw from
knowledge they have gained through practice much more readily than from information
they have absorbed from reading or from audio-visual materials. In order to practice
response and recovery techniques, C2C developed a controlled burn exercise that func-tioned
as an important training exercise—not only for those participants from North
Carolina’s cultural heritage institutions, but also for firefighters on the Outer Banks.
In preparation for the workshop, C2C staff members gathered materials to burn in a
staged museum setting at the Buxton Fire Department’s fire training facility on Hatteras
Island. Shelving and cast-off items from NCDCR offices and thrift stores filled up what
we termed “the Burnsville Museum.” Staff inventoried and numbered over 120 objects
for this “museum” collection. In early February the Burnsville Museum was loaded into a
cargo van and taken to the Outer Banks. The day before the workshop C2C’s Matt Hunt
and N.C. Museum of History’s John Campbell set up the shelving units and arranged
“museum” objects inside and around the casework.
On the afternoon of February 6, ten participants joined with C2C staff for a Fire
Disaster Recovery Workshop. Several Archives and History professionals joined the C2C
team for this workshop, some as training partners and others as participants. The event
began with an overview of common fire causes in historic buildings and recovery tech-niques.
Martha Battle Jackson, curator of N.C. Historic Sites, presented her experiences
during the aftermath of the devastating 1998 fire at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.
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Frances Hayden of the N.C. Maritime Museum, and Nicolle Johnson of Wayne County Public
Library blot a large ledger book with soot sponges.
At the Buxton Fire Department, firefighters lit fires in various rooms adjacent to the
“museum” storage areas. None of the prepared materials burned up in the fire, but most
suffered damage from soot, ash, and/or water. The following morning the group began to
sort through the mess and practice recovery. After the triage process, teams brought items
out of the dark, sooty burn facility and into the open air. Collapsible tables and tarps
formed work surfaces and spaces for air drying. Participants filled out worksheets on each
item as they inspected and treated it, recording accession numbers, conditions, and recov-ery
actions. The group divided into 3 teams, with Jackson and C2C staff serving adminis-trative
roles, according to Incident Command Systems protocol. All participants
practiced a variety of important recovery techniques.
After a morning spent practicing fire recovery, the group returned to the
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum for a presentation by Reid Thomas on
fire prevention advice for historic house museums. For a brief version, see
http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/fire-prevention-top-ten-tips-for-
historic-houses/. Matt Hunt then led participants in a discussion about what
went well, what could have been improved, and what was learned during
the controlled burn and its aftermath. (For some of these highlights see
http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/fire-recovery-discoveries/.
For more information you may sign up for the C2C listserv
(http://c2c.ncdcr.gov/listserv.html).
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Andrea Gabriel of the N.C. Archives, Meagen Wilson of Wayne County Public Library, and Mary
Ellen Riddle of Roanoke Island Festival Park document and vacuum recovered books and an oil
painting.
The Historical Publications Section’s 2012–2013 catalog is now
available. The cover features a likeness of Zebulon Vance, since this
year marks the 150th anniversary of his inauguration as governor.
The 48-page catalog includes information about two new publica-tions,
as listed below, and a list of forthcoming titles planned in
the next year.
In conjunction with the recent celebration of February as
Black History Month, the Historical Publications Section has
published a new, second revised edition of A History of African
Americans in North Carolina (bottom left), by Jeffrey J. Crow,
Paul D. Escott, and Flora J. Hatley Wadelington (paperbound;
pp. xii, 292; illustrations; index; 2011). This revised edition
brings the history through 2008 and the election of Barack
Obama and sells for $25.62, which includes tax and
shipping. More information can be found at
http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/3512.html.
Destitute Patriots: Bertie County in the War
of 1812 (bottom center) examines the
contributions and sacrifices of the citizens of Bertie County in the context of North
Carolina’s preparations for and participation in what has been called the “Second War of
U.S. Independence.” The book’s title refers to the fact that many of these men did not
receive their military pay until several years after the war. Destitute Patriots, by Gerald W.
Thomas (paperbound; pp. xiii, 233; illustrations; index; 2012) sells for $25.62, which
includes tax and shipping. More information may be found at
http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/4120.html.
The January issue of the North Carolina Historical Review (bottom right) features three
articles and a selected bibliography of theses and dissertations related to North Carolina
subjects. “The North Carolina State Library as a Cultural Resource, 1812–1914,” by
Maurice C. York, is the first article, which is very timely, given that this year is the bicen-tennial
of the founding of the state library. The other two articles deal with the subject of
white supremacy. “ ‘The Lexington of White Supremacy’: School and Local Politics in
Late-Nineteenth-Century Laurinburg, North Carolina,” by Gael Graham, is the second
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News from Historical Publications
article, and “Defending White Supremacy: David Clark and the Southern Textile Bulletin,
1911 to 1955,” by Bart Dredge, is the third article. Issues are available via the online store at
http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/the-north-carolina-historical-review.ht
ml.
In February, the section joined the Department of Cultural Resources’ Constant
Contact account and began using that service to distribute digital notifications of new
titles to customers. Constant Contact generates detailed reports on recipient responses to a
digital notification and saves staff members considerable time in distributing a message to
approximately 3,800 individuals on the section’s contact list.
Several staff members from the Historical Publications Sections were honored with a
service award at a ceremony held February 23, 2012. Anne Miller was recognized for fifteen
years of service, Lisa Bailey for twenty-five years, and Trudy Rayfield for thirty years.
Two Properties Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 20, 2012, the Lincoln
Park Historic District is a suburban Rocky Mount neighborhood of Minimal Traditional-style
houses that were originally marketed to African American buyers. Construction
began in 1948 and culminated with the Modernist motel and restaurant erected in 1953
for African American clientele during a period of continuing segregation in Edgecombe
County. A pdf of the listing is found at: http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nr/ED1555.pdf.
Franklin County Training School-Riverside Union School, listed on January 4, 2012,
began as the Franklin County Training School, a Rosenwald Fund-assisted school for
African American students that was constructed in 1928 and burned in 1960. A 1951
classroom building, known as the Porch Building, survived and continued to be used
after the school became Riverside Union School. The Porch Building, a 1960 classroom
building, and a 1964 cafeteria building, along with two buildings excluded from the nomi-nation,
continued as an African American school until desegregation of the county schools
was court mandated in 1967.
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News from Historic Preservation
The Lincoln Park Historic District in Rocky Mount.
Historic Mill Tax Credits Transforming Downtown Winston-Salem
The first building within the Historic R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Complex in
Downtown Winston-Salem to be rehabilitated opened to much fanfare on February 21,
2012. Tobacco Factory 91 is now Wake Forest Biotech Place in the developing 200-acre
downtown Piedmont Triad Research Park (PTRP), led by Wake Forest Baptist Medical
Center. Noted speakers at the Grand Opening included Gov. Bev Perdue and U.S.
Senator Richard Burr. Perdue lauded the state and federal historic tax credits, and said she
is “hard pressed to find a better example in America of how a community and a region can
transform itself from one century into the next.” Doug Edgeton, former president of
PTRP, stated that the tax credit program “is a very effective tool for sustainable redevel-opment
and provides considerable benefits to the local economy while enabling the pres-ervation
of a former manufacturing area in downtown Winston-Salem.”
The striking, five-story building was designed by Libby-Owens Glass Company,
which used “glass bricks” for curtain walls. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company constructed
the distinctive building in 1937 for tobacco storage and recently donated the facility to
PTRP. Baltimore-based Wexford Science & Technology, LLC became part of the team
to develop the 242,000-square-foot building into a world-class biotech research and inno-vation
center. Wexford and its consultants worked closely with the State Historic Preser-vation
Office and took great care to preserve important historic features of the building,
while creating a state-of-the-art facility to serve the Wake Forest School of Medicine
departments, private companies, and incubator wet labs for start-ups.
Rehabilitation of North Carolina’s historic buildings increased dramatically following
the 1998 expansion of the state tax credit for historic structure rehabilitation. Since 1998
state and federal historic and mill credits have encouraged $1.3 billion of private invest-ments
in over 2,000 projects. The Factory 91 project created 1,572 local temporary jobs
and over 400 permanent positions on site. An estimated $300 million investment is also
proposed for an additional 1.35 million square feet of historic mill rehabilitation tax credit
projects within the R. J. Reynolds Complex.
The North Carolina historic and mill tax credits provide jobs, bolster the tax base, and
utilize existing buildings and infrastructure, while preserving the priceless historic character
in communities large and small, rural and urban, across the state. The State Historic
1 6 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
The Franklin County Training School-Riverside Union School.
Preservation Office of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources administers
the historic review for all rehabilitation projects that benefit from the innovative incen-tives.
To date, Factory 91 / Wake Forest Biotech Place is the second largest mill rehabili-tation
tax credit project in North Carolina history with a total investment of nearly $90
million.
Staff News
Annie Laurie McDonald is the State Historic
Preservation Office’s (HPO) Western Region
Preservation Specialist effective February 1, 2012.
McDonald relocated to Asheville from Leesburg,
Virginia, where she was the town’s preservation
planner for six years. Her prior experience
includes several years serving as the Southeast
Tennessee Development District’s federal program
liaison to the Tennessee Historical Commission
and earlier as an architectural historian with the
Washington, D.C., firm EHT Traceries.
McDonald holds a B.A. degree in art history
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ABOVE: Grand opening ceremony
for Factory 91 / Wake Forest
Biotech Place.
TOP RIGHT: The newly rehabilitated
historic R. J. Reynolds Building 91,
formerly a tobacco warehouse and
machine shop, now a cutting-edge
biotech research facility.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Ribbon cutting by Gov. Beverly Perdue and U.S. Senator Richard Burr and
other dignitaries at the grand opening ceremony for Wake Forest Biotech Place.
from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in history and historic preser-vation
from Youngstown State University.
She has conducted rural and urban architectural surveys, written National Register
nominations for individual properties and districts, coordinated workshops and a statewide
conference, and has extensive experience with preservation planning and local historic dis-trict
designation and review. She also is the author of Leesburg Then & Now. The Western
Region Preservation Specialist represents the HPO’s Survey and National Register Branch
and serves as liaison with local historic preservation commissions in the twenty-five
westernmost counties. McDonald may be contacted directly at 828-296-7230 x 223 or
annie.mcdonald@ncdcr.gov.
Museum Receives Grant
On January 26 the Coca-Cola Foundation presented a $100,000 grant to the North
Carolina Museum of History Foundation. The grant, titled Educational Outreach Pro-grams
for North Carolina Students, will enable the Museum of History to expand its out-reach
services across the state.
The museum’s outreach services provide learning opportunities and resources to
students and teachers in all 100 North Carolina counties. With the $100,000 grant, the
museum will:
• Double its capacity to provide distance-learning videoconferencing classes for grades
K–12;
• Develop a new distance-learning class about human ecology in North Carolina;
• Publish four issues of the award-winning magazine Tar Heel Junior Historian;
• Expand multidisciplinary History-in-a-Box teaching kits; and
• Initiate the Tar Heel Junior Historian Community Preservation Project and service
award.
The 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, Funds
Conservation of Battle of Gettysburg Confederate Flag
The N.C. Museum of History is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of
Confederate flags. Conservation of these banners requires expensive, specialized textile
treatment. To help fund this need, the museum has formed a partnership with the 26th
Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, the state’s largest Civil War re-enactment
group.
During a January 21, 2012, presentation at the Museum of History, the 26th Regiment
unveiled the sixth flag it has helped conserve: the battle flag of the 16th Regiment North
Carolina Troops. Carried into the Battle of Gettysburg, the banner was captured during
the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge on July 3, 1863, by a soldier from the 14th
Connecticut Volunteers. The regiment’s colors were sent to the U.S. War Department in
Washington, D.C., and returned to North Carolina in 1905.
It is anticipated that the flag will be on exhibit at the Museum of History during the
North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial, which continues through 2015.
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News from the N.C. Museum of History
African American Cultural Celebration Sets Attendance Record
Black History Month kicked off early at the North Carolina Museum of History on
January 28, 2012. The 11th Annual African American Cultural Celebration attracted a
record-breaking 10,256 visitors, an increase of over 3,000 attendees at last year’s event.
In honor of the festival’s 11th year, the African American Cultural Celebration saluted
the contributions of North Carolina’s eleven historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs)—the largest number of any state in the nation. All eleven HBCUs were
represented.
The celebration, presented in partnership with the North Carolina African American
Heritage Commission, featured more than 75 presenters—well-known musicians,
award-winning authors, storytellers, dancers, playwrights, re-enactors and others—who
highlighted the contributions of African Americans to North Carolina.
The African American Cultural Celebration was sponsored by Wells Fargo, with
additional support provided by the North Carolina African American Heritage Commis-sion,
the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, and the United Arts Council of
Raleigh and Wake County, with funds from the United Arts campaign as well as the
North Carolina Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a
great nation deserves great art.
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During a January 21 presentation at the North Carolina Museum of History, the 26th Regiment
N.C. Troops, Reactivated, unveiled the battle flag of the 16th Regiment North Carolina Troops.
Left group (left to right): Members of the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated: 1st Lt.
Ronnie Overby, Maj. Randal Garrison, Capt. Dennis Brooks, and Lt. Col. Chris Roberts. Right
group (left to right): Ken Howard, museum director; Jeanne Marie Warzeski, museum curator;
Col. Skip Smith, 26th Regiment; and Jackson Marshall, museum associate director.
Exhibit (The exhibit is free.)
Al Norte al Norte: Latino Life in North Carolina
May 4, 2012, to April 28, 2013
The museum’s first exhibit focusing on the
history of Latinos in North Carolina will feature
images by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer José
Galvez. He documents individuals in his diverse
community, from urban professionals to agricultural
laborers, as they work, protest, worship, and cele-brate.
Bilingual descriptions will accompany each
photograph.
Al Norte al Norte received generous support from
the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, and the project
is made possible by funding from the North
Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit
and affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Programs (All programs are free unless otherwise noted.)
Music of the Carolinas: Alejandro Santoyo
Sunday, April 15
3:00–4:00 P.M.
Catch a performance by pianist, composer, and
recording artist Alejandro Santoyo (left), who will
play traditional folk tunes from various Latin Ameri-can
countries. He will debut his original composi-tion
inspired by photographs by José Galvez, whose
work will be featured in the exhibit Al Norte al
Norte: Latino Life in North Carolina, opening May 4
at the museum. The performance is presented with
PineCone, with support from the N.C. Museum of
History Associates, Williams Mullen, and
WLHC-FM/WLQC-FM.
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Maximiliano Hernandez stands behind the American flag
at a May 1 immigrant family rights vigil. Durham, 2010.
© José Galvez.
Catch a performance by pianist-composer Alejandro Santoyo at the North Carolina Museum of
History on Sunday, April 15, at 3:00 P.M.
Civil War Sesquicentennial Lecture
When Will This Cruel War Be Over?
Sunday, April 29
2:00 P.M.
$5 per person (free to Associates members and full-time students)
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Dr. James M. McPherson, author of best-selling books on the American Civil War,
will present a lecture at the N.C. Museum of History on Sunday, April 29, at 2:00 P.M.
McPherson, author of numerous best-selling books on the American Civil War, will
discuss the failed attempts at peace negotiations during the war and consider why the
conflict could only have ended with an unconditional military victory.
Music of the Carolinas: Sheila Kay Adams
Sunday, May 13
3:00–4:00 P.M.
Employing her powerful voice and clawhammer banjo, Adams performs English, Scot-tish
and Irish ballads passed down since the mid-1700s. The performance is presented with
PineCone, with support from the N.C. Museum of History Associates, Williams Mullen,
and WLHC-FM/WLQC-FM.
Cooking Demonstration: The New Southern-Latino Table
Sunday, June 3
2:00–4:00 P.M.
To register, call 919-807-7992 by May 27.
Sandra A. Gutierrez, Author and Chef
Explore recipes and sample lively dishes as Gutierrez blends ingredients, traditions, and
culinary techniques of Latin America and the American South. The program is made pos-sible
by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and
affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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James M. McPherson, George Henry Davis 1886
Professor of American History Emeritus, Princeton
University. Photo credit: Denise Applewhite, Office of
Communications, Princeton University.
Second Saturdays: Celebrate North Carolina Sports
Saturday, June 9
11:00 A.M.–3:00 P.M.
Bounce a ball, jump a rope, and see famous NASCAR stock cars as we celebrate sports
in our state! Watch demonstrations by the Bouncing Bulldogs jump rope team and Cheer
Extreme athletes. Try your skill at a basketball-shooting challenge. Talk to athletes about
sports from soccer to roller derby. Create your own trading card. Go on a hunt through
the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
History à la Carte: Preserving the Past
Wednesday, June 13
12:10–1:00 P.M.
Bring your lunch; beverages are provided.
R. Jackson Marshall III, Associate Director for Programming
The North Carolina Museum of History has one of the largest collections of Civil War
flags in the world. Hear how the museum is partnering with individuals and organizations
to preserve these unique banners for future generations.
For more information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access
ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.
For several years work has proceeded on a plan to transform the Museum of the Cape
Fear Historical Complex in Fayetteville into a revamped museum with a focus on the
Civil War era. The plan is to expand and enlarge the facility to interpret the period 1835
to 1900 with a particular focus on the prelude of the war, the ramifications for North
Carolina (with special attention to Sherman’s March), and Reconstruction through
disfranchisement. The Winslow Group of Winston-Salem has served as consultants. On
Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25, that group organized a retreat at Graylyn
Conference Center in Winston-Salem to review plans, receive comments, and refine a
future course. The keynote speaker was William B. Cogar, formerly of the Mariner’s
Museum in Norfolk, who addressed the challenges of reaching audiences in the
Internet age.
Taking part were Professors Paul Escott of Wake Forest University, Philip Gerard and
Jim Leutze of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, David Goldfield of the Uni-versity
of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bertha Miller of Fayetteville State University, and
Harry Watson and Heather Williams of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Other participants were Charles Broadwell, Mary Lynn Bryan, and Tad Prewitt, all of
Fayetteville; Jefferson Currie of Middlesex; Jerry Eisterhold of Kansas City; and Michael
McElreath of Cary. Representing the Department of Cultural Resources were Ken
Howard, director of the Division of State History Museums, and Michael Hill, supervisor
of the Research Branch.
Small group sessions and detailed note-taking preceded full group meetings and the
exchange of ideas. Challenges awaiting the project are considerable, not the least among
them the raising of funds to support the state’s contribution toward the project. The goal
is to break ground for a new building in March 2015, the sesquicentennial anniversary of
the Carolinas Campaign, Sherman’s March, and the destruction of the arsenal, part of the
museum complex.
2 2 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
News from the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex
Staff News
Walker Mabe, executive director of the North Carolina Museum of History Associ-ates,
has resigned.
On February 11 cannons were booming outside, while inside the Museum of the
Albemarle the Civil War exhibit, Under Both Flags: the Civil War in the Albemarle, opened
to loud applause. Over 3,200 visitors took in the day’s activities, which included unveiling
of the new exhibit and Civil War Living History Days. Participants included the Confed-erate
68th N.C. Regiment, with an encampment on the green, and the Tidewater Mari-time
Living History Association. There were a variety of activities such as a wet-plate
photography demonstration, rope making, displays of historic clothing, Civil War medical
demonstrations, and naval squadron weapons firing.
Sunday, March 11 marked “Isaac Byrum Day” at the museum. Isaac Byrum, a native
of nearby Chowan County, joined Company F, 11th Regiment N.C. Troops in February
of 1862. In the summer of 1863, he was wounded in the left leg at Gettysburg. His left leg
was later amputated. After the war, Byrum returned home to North Carolina where he
raised a family and returned to farming. Members of the Byrum family participated in an
afternoon celebration of his life. Byrum’s great-grandson, Earl Rountree gave a talk on the
life of his great-grandfather. Ansley Wegner, research historian in the North Carolina
Office of Archives and History, followed with a talk about her book, Phantom Pain: North
Carolina’s Artificial-Limbs Program for Confederate Veterans. Wegner also brought along the
artificial leg of Samuel Clark of Granville County. Clark’s leg was purchased by the state,
for Clark, in 1866.
Visitors can view Byrum’s hand-carved wooden leg in the Our Story exhibit. In the
museum’s newest exhibit, Under Both Flags: Civil War in the Albemarle, there is a life cast of
Byrum based upon a photograph taken in the early 1900s.
This spring brings The Photography of Lewis Hine: Exposing Child Labor in North
Carolina, 1908–1918 to the museum. Hine photographed children throughout the state
working in textile mills. The photographs began the movement to legislate and enforce
age parameters for children in the work force and the beginnings of a true public educa-tion
system throughout North Carolina. The exhibit was previously on display in the
North Carolina Museum of History and is funded in part by the North Carolina Humani-ties
Council.
Information and programming can be found at www.museumofthealbemarle.com, or
on Facebook.
On February 1, the division’s regional lines were redrawn to reflect the loss of one
regional supervisor position. The previous three regions—East, West, and Piedmont—
have now been reduced to two: East and West. The West Region consists of Alamance
Battleground, Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Fort Dobbs, Horne Creek Living
Historical Farm, House in the Horseshoe, President James K. Polk, Reed Gold Mine,
Town Creek Indian Mound, Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace, and Thomas Wolfe Memo-rial.
The East Region contains Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, Historic Bath, Bennett
Place, Bentonville Battlefield, Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, CSS Neuse/Caswell
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News from the Museum of the Albemarle
News from N.C. Historic Sites
Memorial, Duke Homestead, Historic Edenton, Fort Fisher, Historic Halifax, Somerset
Place, and Historic Stagville. The State Capitol and the North Carolina Transportation
Museum will continue to report directly to the division director.
The Division of State Historic Sites is now a formal partner of the National Park
Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (NTF).
http://www.nps.gov/subjects/ugrr/index.htm North Carolina has the most site
designations of any in the Southeast Region, which encompasses North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and
Kentucky. North Carolina’s thirteen sites preserve and interpret the role of North
2 4 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
Division Director Keith Hardison (right) and Curator of Multicultural Initiatives Michelle Lanier
(center) present a Historic Sites Underground Railroad poster to NPS Underground Railroad
Network to Freedom Southeast Regional Program Manager, Dr. Turkiya Lowe, in appreciation for
her visit to North Carolina on March 5.
Carolina’s historic roads, rivers, and port cities as transportation routes for enslaved African
Americans to seize their freedom. Of the state’s NTF members, three are members of the
Division of State Historic Sites: Somerset Place, Historic Edenton, and Historic Halifax.
Other sites in the division have plans to apply for program designation.
In anticipation of those applications, NPS Southeast Regional program manager
Turkiya Lowe visited the state during the week of March 5. She presented a free informa-tional
session about the Network to Freedom program on Monday, March 5 at East
Carolina University. Earlier in the day, she met with several division staff members,
including those from the Raleigh headquarters, Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, Historic
Edenton, Fort Fisher, Historic Halifax, Somerset Place, Historic Stagville, and the
Curatorial Services Branch. Lowe also visited several of the division’s sites, including
Stagville, Edenton, Halifax, and Somerset Place. She was pleased with her visit and
impressed by division staff and facilities. She left North Carolina excited about the contri-butions
from and possibilities in the Division of State Historic Sites.
The visit was a collaborative effort by the Department of Cultural Resources, Division
of State Historic Sites; N.C. Division of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development; and
ECU’s Center for Sustainable Tourism. Additional support was received from the Friends
of Fort Fisher, the Eastern Region Commission, the Edenton/Chowan Tourism
Development Authority, and GK Cafe and Catering.
Curatorial Services
On March 10–11, Assistant Curator of Education Andrew Duppstadt and Jim McKee,
historic interpreter III at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson, represented the Division at the
Tenth Annual Battle of Hampton Roads Weekend at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport
News, Virginia. http://www.marinersmuseum.org/ This year marks the 150th anniversary
of the Battle of Hampton Roads, and along with other activities, the museum sponsored a
Civil War Navy Conference. http://battleofhamptonroads.com/ On Saturday, Duppstadt
and McKee assisted with living history programming in and around the Monitor Center
portion of the museum complex, and on Sunday they were part of a panel discussion
organized by Duppstadt entitled, “Bad Luck All Around: The North Carolina Built
Ironclads.”
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Andrew Duppstadt, Jim McKee, and Chris Grimes in period clothing at the recent Civil War Navy
conference at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
McKee’s presentation about the CSS North Carolina, CSS Raleigh, and CSS Wilmington
was titled, “Hard-Luck Ironclads of the Cape Fear River Squadron.” Duppstadt presented
“ ‘I Give Them ’til Christmas’: The Hard Luck Career of the CSS Neuse.” The third
speaker on the panel was Chris Grimes, owner of Martin County Insurance in
Williamston and former board member of the Washington County Historical Society and
the Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle. Grimes is also a part-time historic interpreter
at the Mariners’ Museum and gave a presentation titled “The Story of the CSS Albemarle.”
The trio was introduced by Sam Craghead, Marketing and Outreach Specialist for the
Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. The panel discussion was well received by
those in attendance and generated a number of excellent questions from the audience.
East Region
On Saturday, January 28, Aycock Birthplace held a Genealogy Workshop for Begin-ners.
Chris Meekins, correspondence archivist with the State Archives, began the session
by discussing basic genealogy. Kay Tillotson, with the State Library of North Carolina,
discussed the library’s genealogical resources, such as indexes and abstracts, family histories,
and genealogical society journals. Debbi Blake, Public Services Branch supervisor at the
State Archives, discussed the Archives’ collections, which include county records, state
records, federal records, and private records. Participants engaged in an informative
question and answer session after the three presentations.
West Region
The North Carolina Council of State has agreed to lease the north section of the Fort
Dobbs property to the Friends of Fort Dobbs (FFD). This will allow the FFD to recon-struct
the fort using plans approved by the Department and the Office of State Construc-tion.
Arrangements are being made with the goal of completing substantial work on the
three-story log and timber fort during the summer months of this year.
New troughs for the panning area at Reed Gold Mine have been built by site staff.
Construction at Massachusetts Cottage at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum has
been completed, and work on a furnishings plan is nearing completion. Historic Sites
craftsmen have replaced the siding on the Cotton Barn at the House in the Horseshoe, and
a new ceiling is in place in the Visitor Center at the President James K. Polk site, thanks to
the efforts of the staff and the Polk Support Fund.
2 6 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
Participants at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace’s Genealogy Workshop for Beginners.
Horne Creek Living Historical Farm has several new additions to its livestock. Velvet
the lamb was born on February 3. She was one of two lambs born, but her twin did not
live. Because her mother was not producing enough milk, site staff had to bottle feed her
and allowed visitors to participate. Roosevelt, another lamb, was born on March 4. Addi-tionally,
Wills the donkey was purchased in February to protect the sheep from coyotes
that have recently moved into the area. Wills already has an interesting history. The site
acquired him from Wade and Betty Perrell in the Reedy Creek community near
Lexington. Wills’s father, Ward, is a Mexican Burro. His mother, Wilma, came from
somewhere in Kentucky, and it was apparent that she had been mistreated. While she was
pregnant, Wilma escaped from her pasture and was hit by a car. Wilma was in very bad
shape, and it was uncertain whether she would survive. However, she pulled through and
gave birth to Wills in July of last year.
Film projects have occurred at both Horne Creek and Alamance Battleground. The
School of Visual Arts in New York spent five days at Horne Creek. The film, Taps, is
about a farm boy who wanted to be a musician and ultimately went on to compose the
famous bugle tune. At Alamance Battleground, students from the University of North
Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking shot scenes for a narrative short film,
Knight of Faith, on March 6 and 7 at Alamance Battleground. The Allen House provided
the needed setting for the collab-orative
effort. The film, based on
a script written by Lazarus Dance,
examines the life of nineteenth-century
Danish philosopher
Soren Kierkegaard. Knight of Faith
is the first project undertaken by
Second Section Pictures, a pro-duction
company created by the
students involved.
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Matthew and Alisha Dowell hold Horne Creek Living
Historical Farm’s new lamb, Velvet, while on a visit in
February. Roosevelt, the newest addition, was born
March 4.
Wills the Donkey at Horne Creek
Living Historical Farm.
On February 23, the North Carolina Transportation Museum announced the appoint-ment
of Samuel J. Wegner as the museum’s new executive director. Wegner succeeds
longtime director Elizabeth Smith who retired on December 1, 2011. Wegner, a native of
Idaho, has held leadership positions with museums and historic sites for more than
thirty-four years. His service includes experience with historic site systems in both Mis-souri
and North Dakota, as well as museums in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Virginia. He
most recently served as a vice-president of the National World War II Museum in New
Orleans. Keith Hardison, division director said, “We are delighted to have Mr. Wegner at
the helm of this museum at this point in its history. His experience, leadership, and ability
to engage staff, volunteers, and the community will bring focus, progress, and enhanced
support for the institution during this critical transition period. I look forward to working
with him to insure the continued vitality and growth of this institution.”
Marian Inabinet, historic interpreter for over twelve years at the Charlotte Hawkins
Brown Museum, left on February 17 to become curator of the High Point Museum.
Megan Maxwell’s last day at Bentonville Battlefield will be March 18. She has been
hired at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex in Fayetteville.
The State Capitol has received two grants to support an oral history project for the
Capitol and Executive Mansion—$3,000 from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and
$700 from the N.C. Humanities Council. The State Capitol also congratulates volunteer
Ray Strickland for twenty-five years of volunteer service to the Capitol, Betty Ginn for
twenty-one years of service, and Ed Clayton for twenty years of service!
Tuskegee Airmen Honored at Program at State Capitol
In a ceremony at the State Capitol on February 29, 2012, the State of North Carolina
and the N.C. African American Heritage Commission paid tribute to Tuskegee Airmen
last month, and recognized four Tuskegee Airmen who live in the state. Gov. Bev Perdue
and Secretary Linda Carlisle spoke in the program honoring the airmen and support
personnel who had performed heroically in a racially segregated military during
World War II.
Perdue recounted the injustice that the airmen experienced, having to prove them-selves
time and again as pilots, fighters, and patriots. When the Tuskegee Airmen program
was started in 1941, Tuskegee Institute and Tuskegee Army Air Field provided training
for the pilots, navigators, medics, mechanics, and many other support personnel known as
Tuskegee Airmen. They were readied to help the war effort during World War II. Carlisle
expressed her gratitude for what the Tuskegee Airmen achieved and that the four who
now live in North Carolina could accept our thanks.
The Tuskegee Airmen in attendance were Harvey Alexander of Greensboro, Terry
Bailey of Winston-Salem, Joe Burrucker of Timberlake, and Harold Webb of Raleigh.
They were presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine or the Old North State Award
(two of them had received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine earlier). The awards also were
presented to surviving family members of deceased Tuskegee Airmen who had lived in
North Carolina.
2 8 C A R O L I N A C O M M E N T S
Historic Sites Staff News
News from the State Capitol
An overflow crowd in the Old House Chamber spilled into the balcony during the
program, for which the Cultural Resources EEO Diversity Choir sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice
and Sing” on the last day of Black History Month.
Pictures and a video of the program are available online.
NCpedia Expanding to Include Entries from the Encyclopedia of
North Carolina and the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography
What do Blind Boy Fuller, the Catawba River, and Manteo have in common? Thanks
to a new partnership between the State Library of North Carolina and the University of
North Carolina Press, there are now entries about them in NCpedia. The partnership,
announced in February, will make content from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina and
Dictionary of North Carolina Biography available to anyone, anywhere, for free through
NCpedia. NCpedia is an online encyclopedia about North Carolina that is managed by the
Government and Heritage Library’s Digital Information Management Program at the State
Library and hosted by NC LIVE. It is online at http://ncpedia.org.
The expansion of NCpedia to include these entries will take place incrementally over
the next few years and is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant
through the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Some of the first entries added to NCpedia from the University of North Carolina
Press’s resources include biographical entries about African Americans from North Caro-lina
from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, and overview articles about African
Americans, American Indians, Lumbee Indians, and Cherokee Indians from the Encyclope-dia
of North Carolina. Based on recommendations from several school media specialists
across the state, NCpedia has also added articles from the Encyclopedia about rivers, the
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, and Cheerwine. Additional articles are being
added weekly.
Digital Information Management Program staff at the Government and Heritage
Library who will focus on the NCpedia expansion include Mike Childs, the digital
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Gov. Bev Perdue salutes Tuskegee Airmen (l-r) Terry Bailey, Harold Alexander, Harold Webb, and
Joe Burrucker.
publishing librarian, Michelle Czaikowski, the digital projects manager, Emily Horton,
the digital media librarian, and Josh Wilson, the systems support librarian.
Other NCpedia content partners include the Research Branch at the North Carolina
Office of Archives and History, the North Carolina Museum of History, the North
Carolina State Archives, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the North Carolina
Atlas Revisited, and the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Individuals across the state have also contributed articles to NCpedia. Those
interested in contributing new articles, images, or media to NCpedia are encouraged to
e-mail the Digital Information Management Program staff at digital.info@ncdcr.gov.
National History Day Receives the National Humanities Medal
from President Barack Obama
National History Day (NHD), a year-long academic program focused on historical
research for 6th- to 12th-grade students, was awarded the prestigious 2011 National
Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony on Febru-ary
13, 2012. Dr. Cathy Gorn, executive director of NHD, accepted the award on behalf
of the NHD staff, board, and honorary advisory council.
The National Humanities medals honor achievements in history, literature, education,
and cultural policy. For the first time ever, a K-12 education program received the
National Humanities Medal. The citation for National History Day was given to a pro-gram
that inspires a passion for American history in students. Each year more than half a
million children from across the country compete in this event, conducting research and
producing Web sites, papers, performances, and documentaries to tell the human story.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the President and your peers for doing work that
you love—helping students understand and appreciate history,” said Gorn. “NHD repre-sents
the most ambitious humanities learning model for middle and high school students in
the United States today. I have witnessed firsthand that the study of history can change the
life of a young person far beyond this program. These students achieve not only academi-cally
but are also prepared for life.”
NHD operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and is
expanding internationally in Europe, China, Indonesia, and South Korea, serving more
than half a million children annually with its unique approach to the hands-on learning of
history. Gorn said she is as proud of the National History Day winners as she is of the
students who find a way to improve their education overall through their participation in
the yearly program. She cites two remarkable examples in the last few years.
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Entries from the Dictionary of North
Carolina Biography and the
Encyclopedia of North Carolina are
being entered into the online
NCpedia. Photo courtesy of the
North Carolina Department of
Cultural Resources.
Along with their teacher, three students from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in
Lincolnshire, Illinois, helped change history in the famous Mississippi Burning case. The
students selected the 1964 murders of civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi, as
their National History Day Project. They created a documentary that presented important
new evidence and helped convince the state of Mississippi to investigate, reopen the case,
and convict Edgar Ray Killen for the murders.
A special education student, whose former principal believed he could not learn, cre-ated
a documentary for National History Day as part of his history class, the only main-stream
class he took. His first National History Day project went to the state finals, and in
his second year of participation, he was a finalist in the annual contest. That same student
was able to transition to all honors classes, with much of his progress attributed to the criti-cal
thinking and analysis skills he learned in developing National History Day projects.
“NHD works because it applies a research-based methodology, specifically engaging
students in rigorous research, connecting teacher practice and instruction to student
achievement, and providing students and teachers career-ready skills they can use outside
the classroom,” Gorn said. “Students have always told us how their NHD experience has
changed their life, both in their academics and their careers. History not only teaches
students about the stories of our past, but is vital to creating a generation of young people
who can apply these lessons to the future,” said author and journalist Cokie Roberts, a
member of the NHD Honorary Cabinet.
Call for Papers: The Roanoke Conundrum—Fact & Fiction
The Roanoke Island Historical Association and the National Park Service at
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site are sponsoring a 5-day international symposium
October 6–10, 2012, focusing on the Sir Walter Raleigh-inspired sixteenth-century
English settlements on Roanoke Island. The sponsors invite presentation proposals from
scholars in archaeology, history, literature, languages, the arts, and other fields that involve
new research, discoveries, and interpretations relating to the English and Indian figures
and their interactions surrounding the years of the Roanoke explorations and settlements
in the 1580s. The sponsors anticipate a program including ten one-hour presentations on
research topics and an additional ten one-hour presentations on the interpretation of these
historical events through art, music, dance, drama, and theatrical design. It is the purpose
of the sponsors to elicit a new body of research and interpretation as a fundamental com-ponent
in their celebration of the 75th anniversary-season of Paul Green’s The Lost Colony
outdoor symphonic drama. The symposium will be held at Fort Raleigh National
Historic Site on Roanoke Island in the Gazebo Theatre. Inquiries and topic proposals
should be directed to Brandon Smith, 1409 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954;
252-473-2127; bsmith@thelostcolony.org
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Civil War Cannon Returns to North Carolina
for 150th Anniversary of Battle of New Bern
By Susan Lamb
A Confederate cannon seized by the 21st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
during the Battle of New Bern on March 14, 1862, has returned to North Carolina for
the 150th anniversary of the battle. The six-pounder bronze cannon tube is on exhibit at
the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh until June 2015. Admission is free.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, the cannon was issued to Company C, 10th N.C.
State Troops (the Charlotte Artillery), which was sent to defend New Bern. A week after
the battle, Union general Ambrose Burnside ordered that the cannon be presented to the
21st Regiment, who in turn voted to give it to Amherst College in Massachusetts as a
memorial to college president William A. Stearns’s son, 1st Lt. Frazar Stearns, who had
been killed while leading the charge at New Bern.
In anticipation of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Bern, a re-enactment
group—the Charlotte Artillery, Company C, 10th N.C. State Troops, Reactivated—
began searching for guns that the Charlotte Artillery used during the battle. Two members
of the re-enactment group are direct descendants of soldiers who served in the Charlotte
Artillery. The group’s research led it to the cannon at Amherst College.
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The Amherst cannon is on exhibit at the Museum of History during the N.C. Civil War
Sesquicentennial, which continues through 2015.
FLASH POINTS
“Every layer of history about the cannon is compelling,” said Lt. Grover Godwin,
Charlotte Artillery, Reactivated. “The artifact draws interest from both Southern and
Northern perspectives,” he added, noting that individuals such as General Burnside,
Col. Zebulon Vance, and poet Emily Dickinson are associated with its history.
The cannon tube features an elaborate inscription that describes its capture at New
Bern and lists 20 men of the 21st Regiment who were killed in the battle.
The Museum of History acknowledges the generous support of the Ella Ann L. and
Frank B. Holding Foundation for the transport of the cannon; Amherst College for the
loan; and the Charlotte Artillery re-enactors for their ongoing support.
Emily Dickinson’s father, Edward, presided over the dedication ceremony when the
cannon was presented to Amherst College in memory of 1st Lt. Stearns. The poet’s
brother, Austin, was a close friend of Stearns.
“A factor that helped dramatically in locating the cannon is that the original dedication
of the gun to Amherst College was highly publicized and thus left a good historical trail,”
remarked Ted Stables, Charlotte Artillery, Reactivated.
Articles about the dedication ceremony appeared in New York and Boston newspa-pers,
and the event drew so many people that extra trains were needed from Boston to
Amherst.
The cannon is on exhibit at the Museum of History during the N.C. Civil War
Sesquicentennial, which continues through 2015. The N.C. Department of Cultural
Resources is presenting programs in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the
Civil War in North Carolina. For a calendar of events, go to the Civil War 150 Web site
www.nccivilwar150.com.
Understanding Fort Dobbs
By Scott Douglas
In December of 1756, Francis Brown and Richard Caswell, acting under commission
from the Royal Colony of North Carolina, made a formal report of their inspection of a
newly completed western fort. They found it to be:
A good and Substantial Building of the Dimentions following (that
is to say) The Oblong Square fifty three feet by forty, the opposite Angles
Twenty four feet and Twenty-two, In height Twenty four and a half feet
as by the Plan annexed Appears, The Thickness of the Walls which are
made of Oak Logs regularly Diminished from sixteen Inches to Six, it
contains three floors and there may be discharged from each floor at one
and the same time about one hundred Muskets the same is beautifully
scituated in the fork of Fourth Creek a Branch of the Yadkin River.
After the French and Indian War, Fort Dobbs was closed, and its supplies were
removed. In 1766, Gov. William Tryon described it as, “a ruin.” In the years following
the American Revolution, the log structure may have experienced a destructive fire and
was certainly scavenged for usable building material, leaving an empty field by the turn of
the nineteenth century.
Since none of the original plans for the fort have survived the passage of time, the
seemingly brief description above has led to varying interpretations as to what the fort
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actually looked like. Research through archaeology, study of other similar forts, and
review of period building practices have enabled modern scholars to give the old fort
shape again.
Interest in Fort Dobbs is not a modern phenomenon. As early as 1847, Statesville resi-dents
excavated the then-collapsed well of the fort in search of cannons that local legend
claimed had been hidden therein. While failing to locate the guns, the dig marked the first
time the fort site officially had been explored.
In 1909, the newly formed Fort Dobbs Chapter of the National Society of the Daugh-ters
of the American Revolution took it upon themselves to preserve the site, acquiring
several acres of land by gift and purchase during their sixty-year ownership. The DAR
hosted patriotic gatherings at the site, including a July 4th celebration in 1913 that was
attended by more than 1,500 people and included a “sham battle.”
In 1915, Leonard White sketched his version of what the fort may have looked like.
The DAR hoped to reconstruct the fort along the lines of White’s image and even enter-tained
the idea of turning it into “a wonderful clubhouse” with “golf links . . . included in
the scheme of improvement.” White envisioned a three-story structure with cantilevered
floors, as was often done on smaller blockhouses. This version of the fort, however, com-pletely
ignored the reference to the “opposite angles” mentioned by Brown and Caswell.
Beginning in the late 1960s the State of North Carolina initiated the first of several
archaeological studies of the site in an effort to better determine the location and dimen-sions
of the old fort. As the digs progressed, each successive archaeologist came up with
possible designs for the building based on what partial excavations of the site they had
completed. Initially, archaeologists envisioned a small-scale “traditional” fort.
One version described Fort Dobbs as a fortification made up of a stacked wall
enclosures three stories high with firing platforms on the inside and four corners or
“bastions” protruding from a central 40 by 53 foot rectangle. Another envisioned a
central, rectangular wall of vertical sharpened logs (a palisade) with four small blockhouses,
one at each corner.
Several problems with these earlier interpretations exist. Of utmost importance is the
fact that the fort is referred to as a “building” in the 1756 report, thus negating interpreta-tions
of an open air 53 by 40 foot enclosure. While the report does not mention how
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Leonard White’s interpretation of Fort Dobbs.
many flankers protrude from the main structure, study of several other fortified barracks
and large blockhouses that are represented by surviving drawings indicate that two flank-ers,
on opposite ends of the building, were common and would certainly be more than
adequate for providing enfilade fire on attackers approaching from any direction. Also,
while Fort Dobbs was intended by the governor to be a stockade fort, archaeological work
has not yielded any post holes or other stockade remains surrounding the site of the
building.
Dr. Larry Babits extensively researched Ruthven Barracks in Scotland in 2008–2009.
One of several stone fortified barrack posts constructed along the English-Scottish border
during the first half of the eighteenth century, Ruthven may have shared many similarities
with Fort Dobbs, including the three-story barrack building, opposite flankers, and a
design for a typical garrison of 50 men.
When combined, elements of Ruthven, other North American timber blockhouses,
and the description of Fort Dobbs, result in a view of the fort very close to that which is
accepted today: a three-story stacked timber structure with two flankers opposite each
other. The walls of each floor are pierced with enough loop holes for approximately one
hundred muskets to be fired per story. Artist Robert Steele’s 2008 painting reflects this
interpretation below.
As plans have been finalized for a reconstruction of Fort Dobbs, the basic structure has
retained this form, though details of the size and number of windows, pitch of the roof,
formation of the chimney, etc. have all benefitted from further study and research.
Today, more than a century after the site was first preserved and the Daughters of the
American Revolution envisioned a replica of the old fort, The Friends of Fort Dobbs
stand poised to undertake the task of rebuilding this important French and Indian War
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Ruthven Barracks. Image courtesy of the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.
site. The result will be the culmination of decades of research by dozens of historians and
archaeologists and will represent, as far as is practicable, the edifice that once guarded
North Carolina’s western frontier.
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Artist Robert Steele’s 2008 painting reflects the modern interpretation of the appearance of
Fort Dobbs.
Plans by architect Steven Bell.