Carolina comments

              VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2 MARCH 2002
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum to Observe Centennial
This year the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, a state historic site in Guilford County,
is celebrating the centennial of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown’s creation in 1902 of
Palmer Memorial Institute, an educational institution she headed for fifty years. Dr.
Brown’s school became the nation’s preeminent preparatory school for African Ameri-cans
and the school of choice for well-to-do blacks in the age of Jim Crow. Brown, born in
North Carolina but educated in Massachusetts, was only nineteen years old and nearly
penniless when she began her school with a handful of rural students. Yet through excep-tional
personal courage, perseverance, powers of persuasion, faith in God, intellect, and
some good luck at times, she succeeded, and she and her school became nationally known.
Her formula for success was based on a shrewd, timely, and changing mix of accommoda-tion,
activism, education, hard work, propriety, and social graces. Palmer Memorial Insti-tute
turned out more than one thousand graduates (many of them still leaders today)
before it closed its doors in 1971, ten years after Dr. Brown’s death.
This year the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is commemorating the centennial of Palmer Memorial
Institute, the nationally recognized preparatory school Dr. Brown founded in 1902. Charlotte Hawkins
Brown achieved success in her endeavors by emphasizing a number of positive attributes, including an
abiding belief in the importance of knowing and practicing the social graces. In this photograph, made
about 1918, Dr. Brown is stylishly attired in the fashions of that period. (All photographs by the Office of
Archives and History unless otherwise indicated.)
The museum inaugurated its series of special centennial activities during February,
which was Black History Month throughout the nation. The first such event was the for-mal
opening of Canary Cottage, Dr. Brown’s residence on campus since 1927, as a fur-nished
house museum for visitors. Speaking at the affair were Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, deputy
secretary of Cultural Resources; Palmer graduate and state representative H. M. “Mickey”
Michaux; Jeanne Rudd, former museum manager, current mayor of Sedalia (the town in
which the museum is located), and president of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Historical
Foundation; and Historic Sites Section administrator James R. McPherson. The restora-tion
and furnishing of Canary Cottage has been a lengthy process, with special support
from the Brown foundation, which made the furnishing project possible (see January
2002 issue of Carolina Comments). Researcher Howard Hendricks produced a furnishings
plan in 1993, and over the past year in particular furnishings specialist Marian Inabinett
has led a Historic Sites team in completing the collecting, preparing, and installing of fur-nishings
from the house itself or from antiques dealers and others in an effort to make
Canary Cottage appear as it did in the 1930s and 1940s. The house interior reflects not
only trends in interior design in those decades but also Dr. Brown’s own personality and
interests, such as music, represented by her restored piano in the home. Several dozen
additional pieces original to the cottage are presently in the house, among them a settee,
two chairs, a china cabinet with original china and silver, a sideboard, a table, and two
dressers. Items from antiques dealers, as well as reproductions (such as a group of oriental
rugs), complete the furnishings. In addition to Canary Cottage, of course, numerous other
buildings (such as the Massachusetts Congregational Women’s Cottage) on the old
Palmer campus have received the attention of section employees and contractors, who
have been busy painting and carrying out additional renovations for the centennial.
22 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Canary Cottage, built in 1927, was
Charlotte Hawkins Brown’s official resi-dence
at Palmer Memorial Institute for
decades. The house has been reopened to
the public as a house museum with
furnishings representing not only typical
styles of the 1930s and 1940s but also Dr.
Brown’s own personality and interests.
This view of the cottage is from its left
(east) end.
Historic furnishings specialist Marian
Inabinett, here shown examining a piece
of sheet music at Dr. Brown’s beloved
piano in Canary Cottage, led efforts by the
Historic Sites Section to collect, prepare,
and install furnishings that would reflect
the way the house looked during the many
years Dr. Brown resided there. In addition
to the restored piano, a number of items
original to the house have been preserved
as part of the overall furnishing plan.
Following the opening of Canary Cottage, Black History Month proceeded apace at
the museum. On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month, graduate student Kevin
Bailey of North Carolina Central University presented programs on African American
inventors for area students. Each Saturday museum staff member Barbara Wiley and for-mer
manager Jeanne Rudd offered etiquette workshops to teach refined manners in the
style of Dr. Brown. The instructors emulated Dr. Brown’s own style of teaching her stu-dents
with the book Brown herself wrote in 1941, The Correct Thing to Do, to Say, to Wear,
which was of course required reading for all Palmer students.
On February 10 the museum repeated a very popular program from 2001 on the
famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, who not only proved that black men could fly
aircraft competently but also established a superb record in the European theater of com-bat.
After receiving racially segregated training at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, more
than 925 pilots earned their wings, and 450 went to Europe to fly fighter planes and suc-cessfully
escort Allied bombers. Of more than 300 Tuskegee Airmen still alive, about two
dozen live in North Carolina, and a number of them appeared at the program to address
hundreds of spectators. On the evening of February 13, Dr. Freddie L. Parker, chairman
of the history department at North Carolina Central University, author of Running for Free-dom:
Slave Runaways in North Carolina, 1775-1840, and current member of the North
Carolina Historical Commission, delivered a public lecture titled “Slavery and the Law”
for interested guests at the museum.
On February 16 African American genealogist and retired archivist Minnie Peebles
and Historic Sites Section curator of education Edward Morris presented a well-received
workshop on African American genealogy. They reviewed such standard family history
sources in the North Carolina State Archives as wills, deeds, and marriage and census
records but also emphasized special resources to aid African American genealogy. They
likewise discussed Web sites for black family history, cohabitation records of former slaves
made in 1868 and 1869, and the special challenges inherent in locating specific informa-tion
on slaves as compared to material on free blacks.
Special activities continued throughout February and into March. On February 23
the Brown Memorial Singers performed a concert of Negro spirituals at Bethany Church,
across from the museum. The group, which has re-created a musical team first established
by Dr. Brown before 1920, includes about a dozen male and female vocalists from the
Sedalia area. Two days later the museum, in collaboration with Alamance Battleground
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 23
This room is one of several
second-story bedrooms at
Canary Cottage furnished
with historically accurate
items in preparation for the
February reopening of the
cottage as a house museum.
State Historic Site, sponsored a regional history bowl quiz competition for eighth-grade
students. Teams from eight middle schools competed in the contest. During March a
series of special programs for Women’s History Month took place at the museum.
The major event in March, however, was a conference at the downtown Marriott
Hotel in Greensboro, March 21-23, that marked the principal scholarly commemoration
of the centennial of Brown’s educational work. The conclave, titled “Origins of Excel-lence:
African American Education in North Carolina: Past, Perspectives, and Prospects,”
featured speakers and information about not only Palmer Memorial Institute but also the
other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) located throughout North
Carolina. Those institutions include Barber-Scotia College in Concord, Bennett College
in Greensboro, Elizabeth City State University, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte,
Livingstone College in Salisbury, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina Central University in Dur-ham,
Shaw University in Raleigh, St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, and Winston-Salem
State University. On the first evening of the conference, Dr. Dorothy Yancey, president of
Johnson C. Smith, delivered the keynote lecture.
The following day began with an illustrated paper by Charles Wadelington and Dr.
Richard F. Knapp, both of the Historic Sites Section, Office of Archives and History, and
authors of Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute (1999). Then several
Palmer experts, including alumnus Representative Michaux and Ruth Totton, who taught
and worked at the institute for many years, answered questions and recounted their per-sonal
experiences at the school. Admissions officers from a variety of the state’s HBCUs
offered short profiles of each of the schools. Ernest Suggs of the Atlanta Constitution (and
formerly with the Durham Herald-Sun) and author of a newspaper series on HBCUs, dis-cussed
the colleges and universities, their heritage, and the challenges they may encounter
in coming years. A session on politics and social movements at the HBCUs, which had a
substantial impact on the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, featured the contributions
of Dr. Jarvis Hall, chairman of the political science department at North Carolina Central;
Alex Rivera, retired professional photographer and southeastern correspondent for the
Pittsburgh Courier (1946-1974), who took numerous photographs at Palmer; William Bar-ber,
a Goldsboro pastor; and Dr. Freddie L. Parker. The day ended with a discussion of
athletics at the HBCUs led by Clarence “Big House” Gaines, retired head basketball coach
at Winston-Salem State, whose teams won 828 games (the third-highest record in the
National Collegiate Athletics Association) in forty-seven years.
The final day of the centennial conference began with a round-table discussion of the
challenges facing the HBCUs by their chancellors, and in some cases presidents. A session
on archives at the HBCUs included Dr. Benjamin Speller, dean of the School of Library
and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central, Catherine J. Morris, state archivist of
North Carolina; Edward Morris of Historic Sites and formerly an archivist; Linda
Simmons-Henry of St. Augustine’s College; and Edward Southern, chief records manage-ment
analyst for the North Carolina State Archives. Dr. Donna Benson, associate
vice-president for academic affairs, Office of the President, University of North Carolina,
and Dr. Beverly Washington Jones, dean of the university college at North Carolina Cen-tral,
led a discussion of women’s leadership in education. Numerous current college stu-dents
read papers on student life at the HBCUs. A late-afternoon tour of the Charlotte
Hawkins Brown Museum and its grounds preceded a closing banquet at the hotel.
The centennial festivities will not end with the conference. Readers are invited to
attend various coming events, including a Palmer alumni weekend and golf tournament
(June 7-9) and the concurrent African American Heritage Festival at the museum (June 8).
Upcoming special events include a 1940s-theme dance (September); “It’s About Time,” a
program primarily for school students (October), and a Founder’s Day celebration (likewise
in October). Please telephone the museum at (336) 449-4846 or go to its Web site
(www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/chb/chb.htm) for additional information.
24 CAROLINA COMMENTS
A&H Site Manager Appears as Guest on Network TV Special
Dorothy Spruill “Dot” Redford, manager of Somerset Place State Historic Site, situated
adjacent to Lake Phelps in eastern North Carolina, was featured as a major guest and inter-viewee
on the January 18, 2002, NBC television special “Roots: Celebrating 25 Years.” The
program dealt with the powerful and lingering impact of the miniseries Roots, televised for
eight consecutive nights in January 1977. The series, based on Alex Haley’s 1976 Pulitzer
Prize-winning historical novel of the same name, dramatized the saga of his own black
family during seven generations from Africa through slavery to freedom. Roots won nine
Emmy awards and attracted a phenomenal 130 million viewers, the largest audience for a
show to that time. The series also fostered an immense interest in genealogy, particularly
among African Americans.
Dot Redford was one of many people who began their own study of family history at
about that time. Ms. Redford, then a successful social worker in Portsmouth, Virginia, and
her daughter Deborah (now with the North Carolina Museum of Art) watched Roots and,
like millions of others, discussed the program for weeks. Deeply moved by the series, Ms.
Redford returned to her birthplace in Columbia, North Carolina, and began asking her
parents about the little-discussed family heritage. She soon learned that four generations
of her ancestors had been slaves on the enormous Somerset plantation nearby, along with
more than eight hundred other people enslaved over about eighty years. For ten years she
traced the lives of Somerset slaves and their descendants through interviews, fieldwork,
and archival inquiry. When she visited Somerset Place State Historic Site, she initially
found virtually no mention of the hundreds of enslaved blacks connected with the planta-tion
for so many years. Retiring from her social-work career, she joined the small staff at
Somerset and today is the manager of the site at which four generations of her family were
enslaved. Today, under her leadership, the black presence at the site is increasingly
remembered. For instance, a reconstructed small slave cabin stands at the plantation, and
contractors currently are at work reconstructing a large former slave quarter known as Old
Sucky’s house, and a historic slave hospital. Both innovative buildings are expected to be
completed during the summer.
As director at Somerset, Redford planned the enormously successful 1986 home-coming
of slave descendants, which attracted international media attention and the pres-ence
of Alex Haley himself. Her own popular book, Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost
Heritage, was published in 1988 by Doubleday in New York and reprinted in 2000 by the
University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill. Haley called her book “the best, most
beautifully researched, thoroughly presented black family history that I know of.” The
fourth and most recent homecoming, held in August 2001, as well as Ms. Redford’s
appearance on the recent NBC special, again drew substantial attention.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 25
In mid-January, Dorothy Spruill “Dot” Redford appeared as a featured
guest and interviewee on an NBC television special titled “Roots:
Celebrating 25 Years.” Ms. Redford, a successful social worker in
Portsmouth, Virginia, when the 1977 miniseries was first televised, was
so inspired by the program that she embarked on a study of her own
family history, ultimately discovering that she herself was the
descendant of slaves who labored at Somerset plantation in Washington
County. She eventually joined the staff at Somerset Place State Historic
Site and is presently manager of the site, at which four generations of her
family were enslaved.
“Roots: Celebrating 25 Years” featured thoughtful reflections by Ms. Redford and oth-ers
on the enormous impact of the groundbreaking series and the continuity and change
that have marked the black experience in America since the programs first aired. Among a
host of other people who appeared on the anniversary program (which included clips
from the original episodes) were poet Maya Angelou of Winston-Salem and actors who
had been cast in the 1977 series, among them LeVar Burton (who starred as Kunta Kinte)
and Ed Asner.
State Historic Preservation Office Hosts Regional Meeting
In late September 2001 the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO), with the assistance
of the Office of State Archaeology (OSA), hosted the annual meeting of Southeastern State
Historic Preservation Officers (SESHPO) and staffs. Statesville and Iredell County served
as the site of the meeting, which was held in conjunction with the annual statewide confer-ence
of Preservation North Carolina (PNC). Through coordination with PNC, the HPO
was able to offer those in attendance a program that was both affordable and beneficial in
terms of content, sessions, and events.
HPO and OSA staff coordinated six sessions exclusively for SESHPO registrants,
including a plenary session. Additional sessions were devoted to review and compliance,
preservation tax credits, design review and enforcement, and issues connected with the
National Register of Historic Places. Many of the gatherings were held in historic build-ings
such as the Greek Revival-style main building of Mitchell College and the 1892
Statesville City Hall. SESHPO registrants continued their exchange of information infor-mally
at an evening tour of and dinner at historic Davidson College.
Despite tight budgets throughout the Southeast, forty-four people (from as far away
as Maryland and Louisiana) attended the meeting. Among the participants were Nancy
Miller Schamu, executive director of the National Conference of State Historic Preserva-tion
Officers, and Julie Fix, director of programs for the Civil War Trust. Both women
have offices in Washington, D.C. Just over three hundred people attended the entire PNC
conference, which as in past years afforded HPO staff an opportunity to help plan and par-ticipate
in PNC sessions and to answer numerous questions. The PNC annual meeting for
2002 is tentatively scheduled for September 12-14 in Fayetteville.
26 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Last September the State Historic Preservation Office, with the assistance of the Office of State Archaeology,
hosted the annual meeting of the Southeastern State Historic Preservation Officers (SESHPO) and their staffs.
Those who attended the meeting posed for this photograph in front of the historic Statesville City Hall.
A&H Staff Participate in Environmental Event
On October 24, 2001, employees of the Office of Archives and History (A&H) who are
members of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources’ (DCR) Project Green
Task Force joined with representatives of additional state government agencies to partici-pate
in the NC Green 2001 Exposition, which took place on the Halifax Mall in the state
government complex in Raleigh. In an effort to educate visitors at the event, the A&H staff
fielded three major displays: one on the recycling of historic buildings, mounted by the
State Historic Preservation Office (HPO); another on wetlands restoration, created by the
North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort; and a third on wetlands restoration and
storm-water management, produced by Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens in New
Bern. Departmental colleagues Katherine Reynolds of the North Carolina Arts Council
and Wanda Pierce of the DCR budget office joined A&H employees David Christenbury
of the HPO and Donna E. Kelly, administrator of the Historical Publications Section, in
serving as volunteer guides and on-site hosts for the event. David Brook, administrator of
the HPO, chairs the DCR task force, and Ms. Kelly represents the DCR on the NC Project
Green Advisory Team, which coordinated the celebration.
In conjunction with the Green Expo gala, Ms. Kelly edited and posted on the World
Wide Web (at www.SustainableNC.org/) DCR’s Year 2001 Sustainability Report. The report
addresses (1) tax credit programs for the rehabilitation and reuse of historic structures,
(2) electronic scheduling of visitors, (3) the development of a department-wide envi-ronmentally
based landscape management policy and plan, (4) wetland restoration
projects at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens and the North Carolina Maritime
Museum, (5) trails and open spaces at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and (6) the
recycling of exhibit materials at the North Carolina Museum of History.
Coe Foundation Assists Development of OSA Research Center
On November 6, 2001, Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, deputy secretary of the North Carolina
Department of Cultural Resources (DCR); David J. Olson, Director of the Office of
Archives and History’s Division of Historical Resources; and Stephen R. Claggett, state
archaeologist, met with Patricia S. Rose and Robert A. Schwager of the Coe Foundation
for Archaeological Research (CFAR) to discuss archaeological issues and accept from
CFAR a contribution in the amount of one thousand dollars to be used in conjunction
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 27
Some of the staff members of the North
Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
(DCR) who participated in the NC Green
2001 Exposition are pictured here. Shown
left to right are Priscilla Speed Hunter of
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens;
Keith Giamportone, AIA, consultant to
Tryon Palace; Donna E. Kelly, Historical
Publications Section; Heyward McKinney,
North Carolina Museum of Art; David
Brook, State Historic Preservation Office
(HPO) and DCR Project Green chairman;
David Christenbury of the HPO; Scott
Kucera, North Carolina Maritime Museum;
and Al Honeycutt Jr. and Tim E. Simmons,
both of the HPO.
with the new Office of State Archaeology (OSA) Research Center. Since its creation in
1988, CFAR has contributed financial and developmental support for numerous profes-sional,
private, and governmental archaeological programs in North Carolina. The organi-zation,
formerly known as the North Carolina Center for Archaeological Research, was
renamed in 1999 to honor the late Joffre Lanning Coe, professor emeritus, Department
of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During CFAR’s formative
years Dr. Coe, widely regarded as “the father of North Carolina archaeology,” served as a
technical adviser to the organization.
Financial contributions in support of DCR programs are always appreciated; but at a
time when budget shortfalls have greatly reduced state funding, public contributions make
critical differences in the department’s ability to serve the people of North Carolina. For
many years the contributions of the Coe Foundation have enhanced state archaeological
programs, professional and student research, and educational initiatives. The founda-tion’s
support for North Carolina archaeology programs takes many forms but is gener-ally
directed toward increasing support for archaeological research and public
education programs. For thirteen years the foundation has made donations of money
and equipment to the OSA, and CFAR volunteers have individually contributed labor
and equipment as well. Moreover, the foundation has donated computers to the Queen
Anne’s Revenge project, given more than a dozen framed artworks to the new OSA
Research Center, contributed funds to support North Carolina Archaeology Month and
additional archaeology-related forums and projects, and funded graduate student
research projects in many parts of the state. For additional information on the activities
of the Coe Foundation, visit its Web site, www.coe-foundation.org; telephone (919)
715-5496, ext. 17; or write to CFAR, P.O. Box 25311, Raleigh, NC 27611.
Recent Changes in North Carolina NRAC Membership
On July 1, 2001, N. Jim Crawford retired from the North Carolina National Register
Advisory Committee (NRAC) upon completion of three consecutive two-year terms, as
dictated by the body’s bylaws. Mr. Crawford, a former seven-term state legislator from
28 CAROLINA COMMENTS
On November 6, 2001, representatives of the Coe Foundation for Archaeological Research (CFAR) met
with North Carolina’s state archaeologist and other leaders of the Office of Archives and History (A&H) to
make a contribution in the amount of one thousand dollars to be used in conjunction with the new Office of
State Archaeology Research Center. Pictured left to right are Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, deputy secretary of A&H;
David J. Olson, director of the Division of Historical Resources, A&H; Robert A. Schwager and Patricia S.
Rose of CFAR; and Stephen R. Claggett, state archaeologist.
Buncombe County and a devoted historic preservationist, served on the committee as a
representative of the North Carolina Historical Commission. David Brook, deputy state
historic preservation officer, and staff of the State Historic Preservation Office recognized
Mr. Crawford’s service in a brief ceremony during the June 14, 2001, NRAC meeting in
Raleigh. In addition, Jeffrey J. Crow, state historic preservation officer, presented Mr.
Crawford with a certificate of distinguished service on the NRAC. Dr. Crow filled the
vacancy left by Mr. Crawford’s retirement with the appointment of Richard L. Mattson to
a two-year term that commenced July 1, 2001. With M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in geogra-phy
from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Dr. Mattson has worked in North Carolina
and other states throughout the nation as a historic preservation consultant since the late
1970s. Among dozens of North Carolina projects, he conducted an extensive architectural
survey of Nash County and wrote The History and Architecture of Nash County, North Carolina,
published in 1987. Since 1991 he has been a principal in the firm of Mattson, Alexander
and Associates of Charlotte.
In January 2002 Dr. Max R. Williams resigned from the NRAC. Dr. Williams, who like
Mr. Crawford served as a representative of the North Carolina Historical Commission, is
retired from Western Carolina University, at which he was a professor of history for many
years and presently serves as an adjunct professor. Dr. Williams has an abiding interest in
William A. Graham, North Carolina’s governor from 1845 to 1849, and has written exten-sively
on Graham and other topics in North Carolina history. Dr. Crow appointed Millie M.
Barbee to complete Dr. Williams’s term on the committee. Ms. Barbee is president and
chief executive officer of the Hickory Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and a longtime
member of the North Carolina Historical Commission. She previously served several terms
on the NRAC and has served on the boards of Preservation North Carolina and the Federa-tion
of North Carolina Historical Societies. As executive director of the Historic Burke
Foundation from 1982 to 1991, Ms. Barbee was instrumental in the restoration of the Old
Burke County Courthouse and was coauthor of Historic Burke: An Architectural Sites Inventory of
Burke County.
The NRAC is a twelve-member body comprised of historians, architectural histori-ans,
architects, archaeologists, and citizen members who have demonstrated competence,
interest, or knowledge in historic preservation. It reviews North Carolina applications to
the National Register of Historic Places and advises the state historic preservation officer
on whether or not properties should be nominated to the register. The National Register
is maintained by the National Park Service.
NCSU Libraries to Create New Resource on History of Forestry
The NCSU Libraries, the Biltmore Estate Company of Asheville, and the Forest History
Society of Durham have received a North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage
Online) grant in the amount of $48,100 to fund a major Web-based resource for research
on the forestry history of North Carolina. The Carl Alwin Schenck Collection, housed in
the Special Collections Department of the NCSU Libraries, forms the foundation of for-estry
history resources among the three institutions. It chronicles the development of
America’s first school of forestry, the Biltmore Forestry School, founded by Schenck. It
also documents the beginnings of North Carolina’s lumber and forestry industries. As part
of the project, primary research materials from the collection—including photographs,
diaries, correspondence, artifacts, and printed materials—will be digitized and made
freely accessible via the Internet. The Web site is expected to be available for viewing by
the summer of 2002.
The NCSU Libraries Special Collections Department plans to digitize more than one
thousand photographs dating from 1889 to 1951 that detail life at the Biltmore Forestry
School, forest-study tours in America and Europe, and forestry training programs. Of
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 29
special interest are photographs of George Vanderbilt and the Biltmore estate in Asheville.
Text-based documents scheduled for digitization include Schenck’s diaries, journals, and
letters dating from 1890 to 1954. Those materials include information concerning his
experiences at school, his years as a forester, and his life in Germany. Also included are
turn-of-the-twentieth-century biographical sketches of students at the forestry school,
often supplemented by photographic portraits. The text collection likewise contains
works by other authors, such as Romeyn B. Hough’s The American Woods: Exhibited by Actual
Specimens and with Copious Explanatory Text (1888, 1910), a rare fourteen-volume set of indi-vidual
wood samples (350 plates in all). The entire set will be processed, scanned, and dig-itized
as part of the overall project.
NEH Challenge Grants Are Special Initiative for Local History
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced a special initiative
to help small institutions improve humanities resources in local history. The initiative’s
goals are: (1) to build opportunities for research, education, and public programs in
local history, especially in communities underserved by humanities activities; (2) to
establish long-term partnerships among educational and cultural organizations in com-munities;
(3) to help organizations with strategic planning; and (4) to build bases of finan-cial
support for long-term programming. Awards ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 will
require recipients to raise an equal amount from non-federal sources. Except for the
one-to-one matching ratio (NEH challenge grants normally require a match of either
three- or four-to-one), guidelines for the challenge grants program govern the initiative
and should be used to prepare applications. The guidelines are available from the NEH
Web site: http://www.neh.gov. Construction and renovation support is not offered under
the special initiative. Any U.S. nonprofit organization that has not previously held an NEH
challenge grant is eligible to apply. Check challenge grants guidelines for complete eligibil-ity
requirements. Preference will be given to institutions with annual budgets of less than
$100,000 and to institutions setting up new endowments for humanities programs.
Examples of activities include a permanent lecture series, a continuing exhibition series,
ongoing seminar programs for adults, archival research projects, improved care of collec-tions,
electronic field trips, community walking tours, neighborhood documentation pro-jects
for students K-12, and continuing teacher workshops using local history resources.
Spending from an endowment is restricted to humanities activities, but many types of
expenses are allowed. Funds can be used to pay fees and honoraria for speakers and con-sultants,
to acquire and preserve humanities materials, to pay publicity costs, to defray
rental costs for facilities, to support standing advisory boards, and to provide salary sup-plements
for staff who work on programming. Funds can be used to defray costs of equip-ment
and technological improvements necessary for the activities. Information on how to
apply is available at the NEH Web site.
Obituary
Sammie Lee Shine, a longtime employee of the North Carolina Department of Cultural
Resources, died in Raleigh on January 16, 2002, at the age of fifty-eight. He was born on
December 5, 1943, in Byromville, Georgia, and graduated from high school in Tampa,
Florida. After attending Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, he began his career with the
department. At the time of his death he was minority outreach coordinator for the agency,
having previously served as a newspaper and later microfilm archivist and Governor’s
Papers archivist with the Archives and Records Section, Division of Historical Resources,
Office of Archives and History. As a result of his thirty-five years of dedicated service to
the department and to state government, he received the John R. Larkins Award in 2000.
30 CAROLINA COMMENTS
News from Historical Resources
Archives and Records Section
Work on improving the arrangement, description, and preservation of materials in the
State Archives relating to Black Mountain College is progressing well. This project, funded
in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), has sparked national and
international interest not only because of the avant-garde theories of education that were
put into practice at the college but because of the well-known artists, writers, musicians,
dancers, photographers, designers, and others who attended the institution or taught
there. The college remained open from 1933 to 1956 near the town of Black Mountain,
North Carolina. This current project to preserve information about the college began in
the fall of 2000 with the employment of Joshua M. Dillon as a part-time clerk. Dillon has
since completed his master’s degree in the Public History program at North Carolina
State University and continues to work on the project. In March 2001 Ashley A. Yandle
came from the South Carolina Historical Society to work as the grant-funded project
archivist. Barbara T. Cain is the project supervisor, and J. R. Lankford is the project
director.
Work on the North Carolina Museum of Art’s Black Mountain College Research Pro-ject,
1971-1974 (ca. 44 cubic feet) has been completed except for the ongoing preserva-tion
copying and identification of some four thousand slides and about ninety interview
tapes. Arrangement and description has likewise been completed for the Martin
Duberman Collection (P.C. 1678), which contains the materials Duberman gathered in
researching his book on the college (ca. 27 cu. ft.). The original finding aid to the 75 cubic
feet of Black Mountain College Records has been entered into the Archives’ MARS elec-tronic
finding aid indexed to the folder level and enhanced in description to facilitate
access. The poor quality of paper used for many of the college records and correspon-dence
has necessitated the deacidification of about three thousand pages thus far. Before
the project ends in August, finding aids for the sixteen other private collections relating to
faculty or students at the college will be reviewed and enhanced where necessary, and all
the finding aids will become available on the Web, as well as in MARS.
This spring the improved Web site for the Archives and Records Section will include a
gallery of images from Black Mountain College, along with additional information on the
college and the State Archives’ college-related holdings. In addition, Archives staff will
digitize the minutes (1933-1956) of meetings both of the school’s Board of Fellows and
its faculty. The digitization project will greatly aid researchers interested in individuals
connected with the college or in the general history of the college and its influence on art,
literature, and education in the twentieth century.
On February 3 the Outer Banks History Center (OBHC) in Manteo held two free
one-hour community heritage workshops to introduce the public to the types of records
useful in researching family history. Karen L. Spiers presented a program titled “Caring
for Your Family Treasures,” which covered the basics of proper handling and storage of
photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, textiles, and other memorabilia as a means of
helping to assure their preservation, and Lou Overman offered a presentation titled
“Genealogy 101: What You Need to Know to Start Researching Your Family History.”
OBHC personnel, especially Brian D. Edwards, helped prepare an exhibit honoring the
legacy of Capt. Warren O’Neal of Manteo, whose innovative hull design heavily influenced
the Roanoke Island boat-building industry. The exhibit opened February 4 at Roanoke
Island Festival Park in Manteo. The OBHC replaced its popular gallery exhibit Pirates’ Jam-boree
Revisited with a special display of Civil War drawings rendered by Edwin Graves
Champney, a Union soldier stationed on Hatteras Island in 1863. This exhibit remained
on display during the second half of February.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 31
The Friends of the Archives, Inc. held its annual staff appreciation luncheon on Feb-ruary
18. The luncheon is a long-standing tradition by the Friends to support and recog-nize
the Archives and Records staff for its work in managing, preserving, and providing
access to North Carolina’s public records.
Historical Publications Section
The Historical Publications Section has issued a second printing (two thousand copies) of
the revised edition of Society in Colonial North Carolina, by Alan D. Watson. The original edi-tion
of the title appeared in 1975 and was reprinted in 1982. It sold out in 1989 and
remained out of print until 1996, when the revised edition was produced. The volume
(147 pages, bound in paper; illustrations; index) describes day-to-day life in North
Carolina before the American Revolution. It focuses on such topics as education, health,
recreation, religion, transportation, town life, marriage, death, servitude, and slavery.
Copies of Society are available at $10.00 each, plus $4.00 for shipping. Residents of North
Carolina must add 65 cents for state sales tax. Order from: Historical Publications Sec-tion,
Office of Archives and History, 4622 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4622.
The section displayed its publications at the annual meeting of the Southern Histori-cal
Association (SHA) in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 17-19, 2001. Donna E.
Kelly, administrator of the Historical Publications Section, and Frances W. Kunstling, the
section’s marketing specialist, hosted the book exhibit and attended sessions. More than
twelve hundred historians who study and teach about the South attended the SHA’s
annual meeting.
Michael Hill, editor of the ninth revised edition of Guide to North Carolina Highway His-torical
Markers, spoke about the state’s highway marker program at Quail Ridge Books in
Raleigh on January 16. Following his talk, Hill signed copies of the new highway marker
guide, which the Office of Archives and History published in November 2001. Approxi-mately
forty-five people attended the program and book signing. Enormous newspaper
publicity has spurred sales of this popular title. Through an arrangement with the State
Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), members of that organization may purchase the book
at a discount. As a result of both the media coverage and the SECU agreement, 4,500 cop-ies
of the publication have been sold in three months.
32 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Michael Hill, editor of the ninth revised edition of the Guide to North Carolina Highway Historical Markers,
discussed the state’s highway marker program during an appearance at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on
January 16. At the conclusion of his remarks, Hill (seated) signed copies of the new highway marker guide for
purchasers of the volume.
On January 25 Donna Kelly and Frances Kunstling journeyed to Asheville to attend a
meeting of the Appalachian Consortium, where they explored joint publication options. On
January 26 and 27 they attended the Winter Conclave of the Publishers’ Association of the
South, held at Asheville’s Renaissance Hotel. Publishers from all over the South gathered
there to discuss better ways of marketing publications via the Internet and electronic mail.
News from State Historic Sites
Historic Sites Section
Work has begun on shaping the emerging Division of State Historic Sites as a major com-ponent
of the new Office of Archives and History within the North Carolina Department of
Cultural Resources. The division, which places all departmental historic sites under one
organization directed by Kay P. Williams, includes 27 historical attractions with 258 per-manent
employees, 304 temporary employees, and a state budget of about $12 million.
Many of the attractions were opened to the public thirty or forty years ago. At present they
offer historical programming to a new audience that is more diverse than ever before, gen-erally
computer literate, accustomed to being entertained, and expectant of high-quality
living history programs and interactive opportunities. Moreover, the sites face greater
competition from other historical and alternative attractions. Hurricane Floyd, the state
budget crisis, September 11, and the national recession have altered the division’s finan-cial
stability. More than ever, change is needed to meet the challenge of providing exciting
and enjoyable historical programs to a very different audience.
In January about sixty people from the new division and its support groups met for an
all-day organizational design meeting. Ms. Williams’s guidelines called for an organiza-tional
design (with more decentralized operations and sections roughly equal in size and
resources) to enhance the ability of state historic sites to develop and expand pub-lic-
private partnerships; share resources; tell an integrated, layered, and diverse story;
increase earned income; and grow in operating efficiency and the employment of
technology. Support groups generously funded the costs of the important work session.
Participants in the meeting embodied considerable diversity in terms of geography, eth-nicity,
gender, and longevity. They divided into work teams, which prepared recommen-dations
for a new divisional organizational scheme and selected a member of a resolution
team to review all design concepts. At the conclusion of a two-week comment period, the
team began working with divisional director Kay Williams and departmental deputy sec-retary
Jeffrey J. Crow to determine the best design concept to recommend to Secretary of
Cultural Resources Lisbeth C. Evans. Implementation of a new divisional structure is ex-pected
to occur at some point in the future.
It’s All About Attitude, a traveling exhibit from the North Carolina Museum of History
that celebrates the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, has been on display at
Town Creek Indian Mound. The exhibit highlights the worldwide competition that
brought nearly 7,000 athletes from 150 countries to North Carolina, marking the largest
international sporting event ever held in the state and the largest such event in the world
that year. The exhibit recalled the Special Olympics movement, athletes and volunteers,
the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics, the host town program, and
other aspects of the games. It’s All About Attitude left Town Creek in January to continue its
journey across the state.
Alamance Battleground State Historic Site hosted its twenty-second Colonial Living
Week in October. With assistance from volunteers and sectional employees, a total of
2,063 visitors (including 1,240 students from eight counties) enjoyed various living his-tory
demonstrations. Visitors learned about open-fire cooking, cider-making, meat pres-ervation,
surveying, flintlock weapons, militia camp life, artillery, toys, and making paper.
Tours of the John Allen House offered another look at colonial life. There in December
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 33
34 CAROLINA COMMENTS
guests enjoyed a Christmas pudding event, which introduced them to various puddings,
several with early origins, and the traditions behind them. Recipes for the featured pud-dings
(Quaking, Marlborough, Quince, Figgy, Plum, and Saucy Snow Camp Molasses)
were provided in an attractive handout accompanied by historical background informa-tion.
The event proved very popular with the public.
In October 2001 Historic Edenton marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of
James Iredell with a variety of activities from hands-on instruction for students to a special
reception during a week-long celebration that attracted about seven hundred visitors. On
display in the visitor center were posters created by Chowan County fourth-graders that
depicted important events in Iredell’s life. Staff members researched and sewed new bed
hangings and rearranged furnishings to display the bed chamber in the Iredell House as if
in preparation for the birth of a child in the mid-eighteenth century. Colonial Living His-tory
Days, a concurrent three-day event, enabled more than six hundred students to enjoy
hands-on activities, house tours, and games. A reception at the visitor center included
proclamation of James Iredell Day in Edenton, presentation of a paper on Iredell, and
remarks about the key role of the Daughters of the American Revolution in preserving the
Iredell House.
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens conservator David Taylor later consulted with
and assisted Historic Edenton in mounting and hanging valuable artifacts recently
acquired by the James Iredell Association. He was at the site for the arrival of the artifacts
from Charleston, South Carolina. Working under less than ideal conditions (including a
deadline, lighting problems, and staff and volunteers busily decorating and cleaning the
Iredell House for Christmas events set to begin the next day), Taylor and the site staff
mounted two handsome Regency gilt mirrors and hung a ca. 1780 ceramic water cistern.
More than one thousand visitors toured the Iredell House during the two-day holiday
event, enjoying period decorations and special musical performances and sampling cook-ies,
eggnog, and hot cider.
During Alamance Battleground State Historic Site’s twenty-second Colonial Living Week, held last
October, site interpreter Jewel Clark (right), in costume, demonstrated colonial-era food-preparation
techniques for visitors. The annual event attracted more than two thousand visitors.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 35
In November the North Carolina Transportation Museum (NCTM) and the Rowan
County Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted simultaneous week-long national conven-tions
of the Association of Railway Museums (ARM) and Tourist Railroad Association
Incorporated (TRAIN). Some 325 delegates came from as far away as Australia and
England. The occasion was both entertaining and educational and included trips to the
Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Tweetsie Railroad, an operating Charlotte trolley, and
the Carolinas Aviation Museum. At the NCTM, participants took part in seminars, toured
the shops, and rode the train. Seminars included discussions about collections manage-ment,
volunteer recruitment, special events, disaster management, and train operations.
NCTM interpretive volunteer Jack Nicolay has secured a grant in the amount of
$1,000 from IBM to be used in making one of the museum’s rail coaches more accessible
for handicapped visitors. A local Civitan club likewise contributed to the project. IBM
offers grants of up to $1,000 cash or selected IBM personal computer equipment for spe-cific
projects involving education, assistance to handicapped citizens, or specific commu-nity
benefit.
The NCTM gift shop has sold more than one hundred custom HO-scale boxcars in a
year. As many as fifteen cars have been sold in a single week. The oxide-red Accurail cars
feature the NCTM logo, full reporting marks, and Kadee-type couplers. Volunteer Vince
Librizzi hand builds the cars and introduced the idea of selling them in the gift shop. Pub-lic
response to the boxcars has led to the creation of a similar HO-scale model of the
museum’s steam locomotive No. 604. Mr. Librizzi arranged for production of such a
model, which is now offered for sale at the gift shop.
Throughout the winter, repairs and maintenance were under way on various build-ings
and locomotives at the NCTM, among them the Back Shop, the Flue Shop, Barber
Junction, and locomotive No. 604. The Back Shop abatement process to remove lead
paint has been completed by LVI Services, with a walk-through inspection in late Novem-ber
followed by final corrections. Ramsey, Burgin, Smith Architects has prepared draw-ings
for the next phase of Back Shop work, which includes repairs to masonry, roof, and
windows, as well as replacement of skylights. In the Flue Shop exhibit area, Wagner Con-struction
Company finished a new concrete stamped floor, identical to the one in the
roundhouse. Museum staff installed a second ventilation fan and extra electrical outlets
and painted the exhibit facades. The Flue Shop reopened to the public in January. At Bar-ber
Junction, Wagner Construction jacked up the roof to level it and installed new bracing
rafters, shingles, and eyebrow dormers. Workers also completed interior rehabilitation.
David Taylor (right), conservator at Tryon Palace Historic
Sites & Gardens, assists Haywood Lee (left) of Historic
Edenton in hanging a Regency gilt mirror at the James
Iredell House in Edenton. The mirror is one of several
valuable objects recently acquired for the house by the
James Iredell Association.
Work continues to prepare locomotive No. 604 for its fifteen-year inspection by the
Federal Railway Administration. Hardworking museum mechanical volunteers are work-ing
diligently on the effort, the first time the engine has been stripped down to the boiler
shell since it was rebuilt in the early 1990s. Volunteers removed the appliances, controls,
and sheet-metal jacket to expose the boiler shell. Then they carefully cleaned the surface
so that precise measurements can be made using ultrasonic testing equipment. A contrac-tor
will remove and replace the 302 boiler tubes, sandblast the interior, and inspect it.
After that work is finished, the museum’s steam locomotive repair team will determine
whether additional repairs are needed. They will look for cracks, deterioration, and metal
that is beginning to wear. The aim of the repairs and inspection is to make No. 604 road-worthy,
capable, safe, and reliable for the museum to operate for the next fifteen years.
The locomotive is likely to be out of service until 2003 inasmuch as professional contrac-tors
to do the sort of work needed are in short supply.
In February, Historic Bath observed the 250th anniversary of the Palmer-Marsh
House (ca. 1751) with a symposium. Among speakers at the event were Dr. Jerry L. Cross,
formerly a researcher with the Office of Archives and History, who reviewed the early his-tory
of the house and its inhabitants; Dr. Linda Carnes-McNaughton, who summarized
archaeological work conducted at the house; and William J. McCrea, former restoration
specialist in the Historic Sites Section, who discussed restoration efforts carried out in
response to a 1989 fire, as well as resulting discoveries made about the house. Free tours
of the house in Bath preceded the symposium.
Fort Fisher has added to its gift shop The Life and Times of Colonel William Lamb,
1835-1909, by Lamb’s grandson and namesake, William Lamb, who graciously allowed
the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee to reprint the biography. The 195-page paper-back
volume sells for $19.95. Colonel Lamb, scion of one of Norfolk’s oldest families,
enjoyed wealth and in 1855 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and
Mary with a degree in law. Shortly thereafter, his family fled north to escape a yellow fever
epidemic, and he met Sarah Anne “Daisy” Chaffee. They wed in 1857. After Virginia
seceded from the Union, Lamb joined the Confederate army. In July 1862 he assumed
command of Fort Fisher. By May 1863, Daisy and two of their children had joined him.
36 CAROLINA COMMENTS
A number of buildings and locomotives at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer
underwent repairs and renovations during the winter months. A contractor made extensive repairs to the
roof of Barber Junction, shown here, and also conducted interior rehabilitation of the massive structure.
The Lambs hosted politicians, officers, blockade-runners, and spies. After the war Colo-nel
Lamb served as mayor of Norfolk (as his father and grandfather had done), initiated
harbor and railroad improvements, supported reforms in education and the operations of
orphanages, and was instrumental in securing reparations for the College of William and
Mary. The book contains stories by Colonel Lamb, such as the following account of a visit
to Fort Fisher by Gov. Zebulon B. Vance:
We sometimes had our fun in camp. Zeb. Vance visited us not long after his election as
Governor. . . . He wore a black, stove-pipe hat on the side of his head . . . the first appearance of a
beaver in the garrison. He had not gone far, before from behind the barracks came the command,
“Come out of that hat! I see your legs! Come out of that hat!” and presently concealed voices in
different directions caught up the cry, “Come out of that hat! I see your legs! Come out of that hat!”
Good-natured Zeb. rather enjoyed the joke, but it was not the reception I desired to give the
Governor . . . . and I had the . . . battalion formed for review, which effectually squelched the fun.
Next evening . . . an order was read threatening any soldier with punishment who should call out to
a visitor to “come out of his hat.” Everything remained serene . . . until one morning I espied a
bowlegged blockade running captain . . . with a great shade hat on his head. . . . He was about
opposite one of the barracks when a sepulchral voice growled out, “Stay in that hat!” “Against
orders to come out of that hat!” “I see your legs!” “Stay in that hat!”, which was repeated along the
line. . . . I never issued another order on the hat question.
The section cordially invites readers and friends to attend any or all of the following
special events scheduled for the historic sites in April and May:
April-May AYCOCK BIRTHPLACE. Living History Wednesday. Demonstrations of
nineteenth-century farm and domestic skills. Every Wednesday.
April 12 HISTORIC HALIFAX. Halifax Day. Annual commemoration of the adoption
of the Halifax Resolves, the first call for independence in 1776. Halifax
Restoration Association awards ceremony, dedication of Eagle Tavern
museum, and tours of historic buildings. 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
April 13 JAMES K. POLK MEMORIAL. Mexican War Encampment. Living history
program with 1840s uniforms and equipment, weapons demonstrations,
and reenactors depicting camp life. Visitors will welcome North Carolina
troops back from the war with Mexico. Also a “mustering out” ceremony
with politicians’ speeches and talks on North Carolina’s role in the Mexican
War (1846-1848). 9:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M.
April 20 NORTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM. Studebaker Car Show.
April 20-21 FORT DOBBS. Militia Encampment. Eighteenth-century militia camp with
artillery and small-arms demonstrations. Domestic demonstrations such as
spinning and cooking. Picnic facilities available. Saturday, 1:00-5:00 P.M.;
Sunday, 1:00-4:00 P.M.
TOWN CREEK INDIAN MOUND. Eastern Woodlands Skills Weekend.
Open-hearth cooking, meat-drying, native pottery techniques, spear- and
arrow-making, flint-knapping, and storytelling. Representatives from
Uwharrie National Forest, Morrow Mountain State Park, Pee Dee Wildlife
Refuge, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission will have displays about
their agencies and discuss wildlife/natural resource management and
outdoor recreation opportunities. Saturday, 10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.; Sunday,
1:00-4:00 P.M.
April 21 VANCE BIRTHPLACE. Spring Pioneer Living Day. Demonstrations of
domestic skills typical of an 1830s mountain farmstead. 1:00-4:30 P.M.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 37
April 21 HISTORIC BATH. Bath Fun Day. An afternoon of music, crafts, and food in
support of the town. Historic Bath offers open house at historic buildings.
April 23-24 REED GOLD MINE. Heritage Days. Up to two thousand fourth-graders and
teachers from surrounding counties view eighteenth- through twentieth-century
life-style, crafts, and historical demonstrations. Designed to aid
teachers and students with comprehension of state history and resources.
Space limited and reservations required for panning and underground tours.
Fee for panning. Local schools should contact Susan Smith at (704) 721-4653.
9:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.
April 27 BENNETT PLACE. Surrender Commemoration (not a reenactment).
April 27-28 NORTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM. Rail Days. Celebration of
North Carolina’s railroad history through train rides, other activities. Fee.
April 28 HOUSE IN THE HORSESHOE. Spring Living History Day. Noon-5:00 P.M.
May THOMASWOLFEMEMORIAL. Restoration of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.
Held in conjunction with Preservation Week. Presentations on the
restoration project at the Wolfe Memorial. Telephone (828) 253-8304 for
information. Date to be announced.
May 4 BENTONVILLE BATTLEGROUND. Confederate Memorial Day. A memorial
service will be held near the Confederate mass grave. Cosponsor: Harper
House-Bentonville Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy. 11:00 A.M.-
noon.
FORT FISHER. Opening of permanent exhibits. Major new exhibits will be
dedicated and officially opened to the public. Program will feature a
ceremony with dignitaries and special speakers.
May 9 HISTORIC BATH. National Tourism Week Open House. Free tours of
Palmer-Marsh and Bonner Houses and refreshments for all visitors.
May 10 FORT FISHER. Confederate Memorial Day. Annual program to honor
Confederate soldiers who fought and died at Fort Fisher.
May 11 HORNE CREEK LIVING HISTORICAL FARM. Sheep to Shawl. Activities
include hand-shearing sheep, cleaning and spinning wool, dyeing yarn,
quilting, and sewing. Displays of antique and reproduction clothing and
quilts also included. 11:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
May 16 ALAMANCE BATTLEGROUND. 231st anniversary of the Battle of Alamance.
A commemoration featuring a wreath-laying ceremony, covered-dish picnic,
and program. 6:00-9:00 P.M.
May 18-19 ALAMANCE BATTLEGROUND. Eighteenth-Century Live-in and Militia
Muster. Costumed interpretation of colonial domestic and military life.
Saturday, 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.; Sunday, 1:00-5:00 P.M.
State Capitol/Visitor Services
On May 18 and 19 the State Capitol will launch a new Civil War living history program titled
“Secession Experiences, 1861.” The dramatic performance will transport visitors back in
time to Raleigh in 1860 and 1861. Tour groups will meet several costumed characters who
will shed light on the differing opinions held by North Carolinians about secession and the
evolution of those opinions during the seven-month period from November 1860 to June
1861. Characters will include William Webster, the principal doorkeeper of the North
Carolina House of Commons in 1860; William W. Holden, editor of the Raleigh North
38 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Carolina Standard, who represented Wake County as a delegate to the May 1861 Secession
Convention; Bartholomew F. Moore, a Raleigh lawyer who was one of the state’s most
ardent Unionists; Cyrus Q. Lemmonds, a Democrat who served in the House of Commons;
Graham Daves, private secretary to Gov. John W. Ellis; and Caroline Smith, a mother of two
soldiers, who resided in southern Wake County. Tour groups, accompanied by a guide, will
enter the Capitol each hour from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Saturday and from 12:30 to
4:30 P.M. on Sunday. In addition to the drama, there will be a Confederate encampment and
Civil War displays on Union (Capitol) Square. The performances are free of charge, but res-ervations
are recommended. Telephone (919) 733-4994 to make reservations.
On Friday, May 24, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., the State Capitol will sponsor a sym-posium
in honor of the fifteenth anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans’
Memorial. Lectures and displays will provide a look at the social and political effects of the
Vietnam War on life in North Carolina. The program will be free to the public. Please
telephone (919) 733-4994 for additional information. A Memorial Day commemorative
event will take place on Union (Capitol) Square on Saturday, May 25, from 10:00 A.M. to
3:00 P.M. An encampment highlighting the military history of America will feature dis-plays
of uniforms and memorabilia from the wars in which North Carolina has participated.
The College Foundation of North Carolina has generously partnered with the State
Capitol Foundation to donate the printing of 500,000 Capitol brochures and bookmarks
and 5,000 portfolios for distribution to visitors and schoolchildren. The materials contain
the State Capitol’s new Internet Web address, www.ncstatecapitol.com, which is linked to the
State Capitol/Visitor Services site, as well as the Foundation’s logo and Web address. The
bookmarks will be given free of charge to each schoolchild who visits the Capitol.
Spring tours of the Executive Mansion begin March 12 and continue through July 25.
Tours are offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00 P.M. All
tours are guided and include the six public rooms on the first floor. In addition to fine
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century furnishings, a collection of paintings by North Caro-lina
artists is displayed in these rooms. This year the Executive Mansion garden tours will
take place from March 21 to June 13 on Thursday mornings at 9:30 and 10:30 A.M. Tours
include the Rose Garden, the Southern Victorian Garden, the Shade Garden, the Kitchen
Garden, and the Vegetable Garden.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 39
On May 24 the State Capitol will sponsor a symposium in honor of the fifteenth anniversary of the
dedication of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, which stands in the northeast quadrant of Union (Capitol)
Square. This photograph was made on May 23, 1987, the date the monument was formally dedicated.
In recent years the Rose Garden has sustained numerous setbacks, including the loss
of many of the original plantings. Unfortunately, budget cutbacks have not allowed resto-ration
of the garden. This spring the twenty-six Executive Mansion garden docents are
spearheading the redesign and replanting of the garden. Docent Grayson Tucker, a master
gardener, drew the plans for the restored Rose Garden, and the Executive Mansion docents
are generously donating the funds for the purchase of plant materials.
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
During the past year, the Palace basement at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens has
been reinterpreted to provide a more accurate representation of its use in the eighteenth
century. Guided by a 1783 written description of Tryon Palace and its gardens by Palace
architect John Hawks that came to light in 1991 (see lead story in Carolina Comments,
March 1992), a team of carpenters, painters, and historians led by curator Nancy Richards
has renovated a “cellering” or storage room and “apartments” for a butler and house-keeper.
A large center room in the basement was the first to be modified. It now illustrates
the routine activities of the senior household managers—the butler and the housekeeper.
Tryon Palace carpenters created two locked wooden storage “cages,” which were designed
by architectural historian Peter Sandbeck and based on an eighteenth-century Craven
County prototype. The butler’s primary responsibilities were the decanting and serving of
wines and spirits and the maintenance of the flatware and plates. His “cage” contains bot-tled
wines and spirits and the glassware necessary for the table and the tools for cleaning
and sharpening the flatware. The housekeeper’s cage contains expensive foodstuffs such as
tea and exotic spices, as well as such daily necessities as candles that she dispensed.
Modifications to the space that became the butler’s chamber included downsizing the
fireplace opening and mantel to proportions more appropriate for living quarters.
Because surviving traces of eighteenth-century plaster on the original foundation con-firmed
that the room had been plastered throughout, the walls were re-plastered (with the
exception of a portion that exposes the original foundation) and given a coat of white
40 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Among the primary responsibilities of the butler at Tryon Palace were the decanting and serving of wines
and spirits. Accordingly, the recently installed butler’s “cage” at Tryon Palace, designed by architectural
historian Peter Sandbeck and based on an eighteenth-century Craven County prototype, contains an array
of bottled wines and glassware useful for table service.
paint, simulating whitewash. The trim was painted yellow ochre. The choice of furnish-ings
for this room and the housekeeper’s chamber was guided by a 1773 inventory of
losses suffered by Governor Tryon following a fire at his Fort George, New York, resi-dence.
In addition to a field bedstead (complete with mattress, feather bed bolster and
pillows, a set of red-and-white-checked linen curtains, linen sheets, and a blanket), the
butler’s chamber is furnished with a dressing table with washbowl and bottle, a small look-ing
glass for grooming, several chairs, and a trunk and a small chest of drawers for storage.
The renovated housekeeper’s chamber opened to the public for Tryon Palace’s 2001
holiday season. Although evidence of original plaster was not found on its surviving foun-dation,
the room was plastered to correspond to the wall treatment of the butler’s cham-ber.
Other modifications included reducing the fireplace opening, building a new wall in
front of the 1950s fireplace, and installing shallow storage closets on either side of the new
opening. The prototype for the closets is found in the Coor-Gaston House, another Tryon
Palace property associated with John Hawks. With the Fort George inventory as a guide,
the housekeeper’s chamber has been furnished with a high-post bedstead hung with ��old
chintz” curtains, a dressing table with a floor-length white dressing cloth, a writing table,
and a chest of drawers for storage. Because the inventory revealed that the bedchamber
occupied by the housekeeper at Fort George was used to store seasonal or infrequently
used household items, the Palace housekeeper’s chamber includes extra curtains for the
first-floor public rooms, household and table linens, some fine china, and incidental
chairs and tables neatly protected by dust covers in the corner. The year-long remodeling
and refurnishing project offers visitors to Tryon Palace a more complete and realistic pic-ture
of eighteenth-century life “below stairs” during Governor Tryon’s time.
Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens cordially invites readers and friends to attend
the following special events scheduled for the months of April and May:
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 41
The newly completed butler’s chamber at the
Palace, pictured here, contains a field
bedstead complete with mattress, feather bed,
bolster and pillows, a set of red-and-white
checked linen curtains, linen sheets, a
blanket, and a few items of furniture.
April 5-7 Gardeners Weekend. The Tryon Palace Gardens are open free to the
public. More than thirty thousand spring flowers will fill the gardens with
dazzling colors and fragrant smells. A special free garden lecture (see below)
and the Annual Heritage Plant Sale (April 5 and 6) are part of Gardeners
Weekend. The sale features heritage plants grown in the gardens at the
Palace, plants native to the Coastal Plain region, and a variety of unusual and
hard-to-find plants. Tryon Palace Auditorium, 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
April 6 Garden lecture: “Big, Bold and Bodacious.” Designer Edith Eddleman will
offer tips on how to think big in the garden, regardless of the amount of
space available. Ms. Eddleman has designed perennial gardens for public
and private gardens throughout North Carolina and the nation, including the
J. C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, Duke Gardens in Durham, Maryland’s
Brookside Gardens, and the Denver Botanic Gardens. Tryon Palace
Auditorium, 10:00 A.M. Free.
May 11 Garden lecture: “Beautiful Lawns for Coastal Carolina.” Turf-grass expert
Greg Goudeau will share tips on how to improve the appearance of lawns.
Tryon Palace Auditorium, 10:00 A.M. Admission fee.
News from State History Museums
North Carolina Museum of History
The museum has received from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation of Winston-Salem a
grant in the amount of ten thousand dollars to develop and present the 2002 Civil Rights
Symposium, a daylong event that will examine key aspects of the Civil Rights movement in
North Carolina. The symposium, tentatively scheduled for the month of October, will be
the first in a series of annual programs that will highlight different aspects of the state’s
civil rights history. This year’s gathering will focus on school desegregation in North
Carolina. Noted historians will deliver lectures that examine the many changes that have
taken place in the state’s public education system. Students, teachers, parents, and com-munity
leaders who experienced those changes will share their stories as part of a panel
discussion. A specific date for the conclave will be announced later.
Staff Notes
Rachel Perkinson has begun work as an interpreter I at Duke Homestead State Historic
Site in Durham. At the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, Dr. Joseph C. Por-ter
has been named chief curator, Dr. Sally Peterson has resigned the position of curator
of folklife, and Timothy Callicutt has resigned the position of adult and special programs
coordinator. Howard Draper has joined the staff of the Museum of the Albemarle in Eliza-beth
City as a museum specialist. At the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex in
Fayetteville, Katie Jenifer has resigned the position of coordinator for the 1897 Poe
House.
An Important Message to Our Readers
Beginning immediately, Carolina Comments will be available in its present form via the
Internet. Readers interested in accessing the newsletter on the World Wide Web should go
to the following address: www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp/comments/default.htm. The January
2002 issue of the publication, as well as all forthcoming issues, will likewise be available
online.
42 CAROLINA COMMENTS
Colleges and Universities
Campbell University
Lloyd Johnson presented a paper titled “Welsh Ethnicity in Colonial South Carolina” at
the Biennial Phi Alpha Theta Conference, which took place in San Antonio, Texas, in
December 2001. Rorin Platt joined the history faculty at Campbell in August 2001, and
Jaclyn Stanke completed her doctoral dissertation at Emory University that same month.
L. T. Easley, adjunct professor of history, died on September 22, 2001.
Duke University
William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins, and Robert Korstad are joint editors of Remembering
Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South (New York: New Press,
2001). The publication is an outgrowth of the “Behind the Veil” Project of the Duke Uni-versity
Center for Documentary Studies.
High Point University
On October 26, 2001, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Peng Deng addressed the Fourth
Convention of the Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United
States. His topic was “Cultural Disorientation and Cultural Reconstruction in China.”
Philip N. Mulder is the author of A Controversial Spirit: Evangelical Awakenings in the South
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2002); the volume is part of the series Religion in
America. Frederick Schneid has recently published Napoleon’s Italian Campaigns:
1805-1815 (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2002). Richard B. McCaslin’s article “In the
Shadow of Washington: Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy” appeared in North and South
4 (April 2001); the article was based on Dr. McCaslin’s volume Lee in the Shadow of Wash-ington
(Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001).
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Kathleen Hilton recently published two entries in Miriam Forman-Brunell, ed., Girlhood
in America: An Encyclopedia, 2 vols. (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC Clio, 2001).
State, County, and Local Groups
Chapel Hill Historical Society
Ken Zogry, author of The University’s Living Room: A History of the Carolina Inn, as well as
numerous articles on topics of history, architecture, and material culture, was guest
speaker at the society’s December 21 meeting. He discussed the history of the famous
hostelry. Chuck Stone, Walter Spearman Professor of Journalism and Mass Communica-tion,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, addressed the society on January 21. He
titled his remarks “Reclaiming the Beauty, the Love, and the Power of [Dr. Martin Luther]
King’s Lost Legacy.” On February 10 Wesley W. Egan Jr., career diplomat and former
ambassador to Jordan and assistant ambassador to Egypt, discussed his experiences in the
Middle East and offered his view of current affairs in that region. The society sponsored
the presentation.
New Bern Historical Society
The society will host its spring Historic Homes and Gardens Tour on Friday and Saturday,
April 5 and 6, from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. The annual event, cosponsored with the New
Bern Preservation Foundation, features a variety of private residences, private gardens,
and public buildings open to public tours. For additional information, telephone Joann
Ashton at (252) 638-8558 or Barbara Howlett at (252) 633-6448 or direct an e-mail to
nbhistoricalsoc@coastalnet.com.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 2, MARCH 2002 43
CAROLINA COMMENTS
(ISSN 0576-808X)
Published in January, March, May, July, September, and November by the Office of Archives and History,
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, North Carolina
Jeffrey J. Crow, Editor in Chief
Robert M. Topkins, Editor
Historical Publications Section
Office of Archives and History
4622 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4622
Telephone (919) 733-7442
Fax (919) 733-1439
www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp
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