Summer Nights Sippin’ On Sweet Tea
at the 1897 Poe House
801 Arsenal Avenue
P.O. Box 53693
Fayetteville, NC
28305
Phone: 910-486-1330
Fax: 910-486-1585
Summer 2014
Edition
Megan Maxwell, Editor
In This Issue
Sweet Tea Shake-speare
Shakes up
Summer
Intern Shout Out
The Key to Col-lections
and
More
Join the MCFHC
Foundation
Summer Camp
Recap
Upcoming
Events
News from the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex
CONTINUED PAGE 2
A local theater group is shaking things up at the 1897 Poe House this summer
with outdoor performances of some of Shakespeare’s classics. Sweet Tea Shake-speare
is a project of Fayetteville State University. These talented actors perform
Shakespeare and other classic plays “in beautiful environments with family-style
flare by providing simple, elemental, magical theatre experiences with a nod to the
diversity and heritage of southeastern North Carolina.” That description from their
website perfectly fits the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. So, when
members of Sweet Tea Shakespeare asked museum staff about the possibility of per-forming
here, the answer was an immediate "yes."
In an outdoor theater production the natural scenery often becomes another
character in the story. The backyard of the Poe House with its majestic magnolia
trees, brick patio area, and summer flowers is an ideal location for performing thea-ter.
The grounds are beautiful, having been cared for by different garden clubs over
the years. Most recently the Dig & Dream Garden Club spruced up the yard by add-ing
gorgeous knock out roses and other plants to create a welcoming atmosphere for
the garden production.
Sweet Tea Shakespeare conducted a test run in early May with encore perfor-mances
of Much Ado About Nothing, which had previously been performed at the
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Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex
Sweet Tea Shakespeare
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
Cape Fear Botanical Gardens. Results were so positive with museum staff and the Sweet Tea Shakespeare
cast and crew that plans were made to perform two more productions at the Poe House over the summer.
First up was Love’s Labour’s Lost in June, which will be followed by The Taming of the Shrew July 16-20.
Performances of the show are at 7 p.m. nightly. This is preceded by half an hour of live music and preshow
entertainment, so audience members are encouraged to come early. Food and drink is available for purchase
from R Burger. Alcohol is not allowed. Audiences should bring their own seating and bug spray.
Performances are rain or shine. In case of rain, performances will move to Holy Trinity Church, 1601
Raeford Road.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $10 senior citizens/military; $7.50 students; $5 children 6-12 years; free
under 5 years; $5 FSU students. Purchase tickets online: www.sweetteashakespeare.com or call (910) 670-
1724; tickets may also be purchased at the door.
We hope you will come enjoy The Taming of the Shrew in the beautiful 1897 Poe House back yard! Stay
tuned to our website, check your email, and follow us on Facebook for information on upcoming shows from
Sweet Tea Shakespeare at the 1897 Poe House.
Cast and Crew for Taming of the Shrew
Christopher Sly :: Sean Hanlin Vincentio, Servant :: Brandon Bryan
Gremio, Tailor :: Chris Brown Hortensio, Servant :: James Merkle
Hostess, Servant, Curtis, Pedant :: Amy Cox Bianca, Servant :: Kylie Mask
Biondello, Lord :: Joey Narvaez Katherine :: Robyne Parrish
Baptista, Haberdasher, Page :: Marie Lowe Petrucchio :: Matthew Overturf
Lucentio, Huntsman :: Tyler Pow Director :: Greg Fiebig
Tranio, Huntsman :: Greg Griffin Stage Manager :: Jamie Porter
Grumio :: Ruth Crews Stage Manager :: Heidi Morel
Page 3
Summer 2014
Interns Gain Insight and Experience at the MCFHC
BY MEGAN MAXWELL
The Museum of the Cape Fear is lucky to have a great bunch of
interns this summer! The museum is pleased to take part in the
Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office State Government Intern-ship
Program. Through this program, we are able to select a paid
intern each summer to assist with major museum projects or pro-grams.
This year’s intern is Lisa Withers. Lisa is a graduate student
in UNC-Greensboro’s Public History program. Learn more about
Lisa’s project and her experience at the Museum of the Cape Fear
by reading her article on page 4.
After a very competitive selection process, three high school stu-dents
were chosen to provide guided tours of the 1897 Poe House
and Arsenal Park during their summer break. Two students were
selected as Poe House docents: Abby Mullis has volunteered with
the museum during special events in the past. She is a rising senior
at Fayetteville Christian School and a member of the local Lafayette
Society with a passion for history. Abby plans to pursue a history
degree in college. Our second Poe House docent is Kennedy Wash-ington.
Kennedy is a rising junior at Massey Hill Classical, member
of Future Business Leaders of America, and has an interest in
learning more about local history. Abby and Kennedy have also
been assisting the education staff with projects in between sched-uled
tours.
You may have seen an article in the Fayetteville Observer featur-ing
our own intern, Ben Herndon. Ben is a rising senior at Liberty
Christian Academy, and a veteran of our Summer History Camp
program. Ben’s extensive knowledge of political and military histo-ry
made him the perfect candidate to provide guided tours of Arse-nal
Park. Arsenal Park tours take place at 2:00 pm on Fridays this
summer, and Ben is on hand in the Civil War gallery on Fridays
beginning at 1:00 pm to give an overview of Arsenal history prior to
each tour. All tours are free! Please stop by and say hello to these
wonderful student volunteers.
Clockwise from Top: Intern Kennedy
Washington poses with the Poe House
sign; Intern Abby Mullis on a trip to Colo-nial
Williamsburg; Intern Ben Herndon
giving a tour of Arsenal Park (photo cour-tesy
of the Fayetteville Observer).
Page 4
Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex
The Key to Collections and More…
BY LISA WITHERS
Have you ever wondered where the ob-jects
in a historic house come from? What
factors go into the decision making process to
use certain objects to help bring a house to
life? This summer, I had the opportunity to
work with the 1897 E.A. Poe House Collection
to learn the answers to these questions and
more during my 10-week internship at the
Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex.
As the collections intern, my job was to
identify objects within the E.A. Poe Collection
previously kept in off-site storage. With each
box, I unpacked the items, compared the ob-ject
to an inventory list, created a description
of the object, took measurements, and photo-graphed
the object to create a database for the
collection. I especially enjoyed researching
various items to determine the man-ufacturer,
year, and location the item
was made. Based on the database
and corresponding research, the mu-seum
staff will be able to assess ob-jects
currently used in the Poe House
and decide which items should be
removed or added to ensure the Poe
House and family are interpreted as
accurately as possible.
Along with working with the col-lections,
my internship also included
serving as a group leader during the
museum’s annual summer camp. I
really enjoyed learning not only how
to plan and manage a youth summer
camp but also learning about bag
pipes, Marines in the Civil War, and
how to play colonial games along
with the students! Overall, I had an
amazing experience during my sum-mer
internship at the Museum of the
Cape Fear Historical Complex. I look
forward to carrying the skills,
knowledge, and ideas gained from
this internship along with me as I
begin my career as a public histori-an.
Above: Intern Lisa Withers enters artifact information into a database. The artifacts to the right were pho-tographed
by Lisa and show the diversity of the Poe House Collection.
MCFHC Wins Survey Challenge for 2nd Year in a Row!
For a second consecutive year, the Museum of the Cape Fear has won the “Survey Challenge,” a
contest sponsored by the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (FACVB). The surveys
are completed by people visiting the area and show what attractions they are visiting while in
town. Thanks to staff and volunteers asking visitors to fill out the small survey we submitted 407
completed surveys from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The museum also won the prize for the
tourist attraction that submitted the most in one month—that occurred in Oct. when we turned in
59 surveys. By winning the challenge we will be rewarded with a Mellow Mushroom pizza party,
courtesy of the FACVB. For winning the most surveys in one month challenge, we get free frozen
yogurt from Sweet Frog. Congratulations on a job well done to our volunteers and staff.
Page 5
Summer 2014
Two for the Price of One!
By supporting this program you become a member of the Museum of the
Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation AND
the North Carolina Civil War History Center! Join us today!
www.nccivilwarcenter.org
Page 6
Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex
2014 Summer History Camp Highlights
Page 7
Summer 2014
The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex is part of the NC
Department of Cultural Resources/Division of State History Museums.
The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex consists of a NC
southeast regional history museum, the 1897 Poe House, and Arsenal
Park. Two floors of exhibits present the rich history of southeastern
North Carolina, from the Paleo-Indian period to the first decades of the
1900s in the Museum of the Cape Fear. The fully restored and furnished
1897 Poe House, home of E.A. Poe, a Fayetteville brick maker, offers a
glimpse of early twentieth-century life and the changes that defined this
era. Finally, Arsenal Park marks the site commissioned in 1838 by the
federal government to manufacture and store arms. The arsenal was
used by the Confederacy during the Civil War, and it was destroyed by
Union troops under the command of General William T. Sherman in
March of 1865. Admission to the Museum Complex is free.
Museum Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10-5
Sunday 1-5
1897 Poe House Tours
Tues-Fri 11:00, 1:00, 3:00
Saturday 10-5 on the hour
Sunday 1-5 on the hour
801 Arsenal Avenue
P.O. Box 53693
Fayetteville, NC 28305
Phone: 910-486-1330
Fax: 910-486-1585
Visit us on the web at:
museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov
Museum Staff
David Reid
Administrator
Leisa Greathouse
Curator of Education
Megan Maxwell
1897 Poe House
Education Coordinator
Karen Wallace
Administrative
Assistant
Jim Frederickson
Carpenter
Weekend Staff
Louise White
Ruth Aldridge
Caitlyn Fisher
And more than 50
volunteers
September 6,
2014
Festival of
Yesteryear: A
Celebration of
Early America
10:00-5:00 pm
Focusing on the Coloni-al
and Revolutionary War periods, this program
features re-enactors demonstrating various as-pects
of daily life including blacksmithing,
woodworking, music, toys and games, and mili-tia
drills. Living history groups include Camp
Flintlock, the North Carolina Highland Regi-ment,
and Captain Dry’s Militia Company. Be
sure to visit Apprentice Alley, where children
can participate and learn a variety of trades
through hands on crafts and activities. This
event is held annually the Saturday after Labor
Day and in partnership with Fayetteville’s Lafa-yette
Birthday Celebration honoring Revolu-tionary
War hero marquis de Lafayette. For
more on Lafayette’s Birthday Celebration visit
www.lafayettesociety.org FREE
October 17-18, 24-25
Hallowe’en Revels: Night
Tours of the 1897 Poe House
6:00-9:00 pm
Actors with the Gilbert Theater portray mem-bers
of the Poe household and family friends as
they prepare for a night of Hallowe’en revels.
These evening tours give visitors a chance to
encounter Halloween customs and traditions
from the past. Tours will run every 20 minutes
and are limited to 20 people per tour. Intermis-sion
from 7:40-8:00 pm each night. Tickets
must be purchased at the door, no advance
sales.
**Halloween décor will be up all month
long and can be viewed daily during reg-ularly
scheduled Poe House tours.
October 25, 2014
Poe House Trick-or-Treat
11:00-4:00 pm
The annual Poe House Trick or Treat features a
costume contest ($1 entry fee), scavenger hunt,
and traditional Halloween carnival games for
the kids. Listen to a ghost story then look for
Poe’s ravens in the 1897 Poe House. Don’t forget
to visit the museum, the exhibits just may come
to life! FREE
November 25-Jan 4, 2015
Christmas at the 1897 Poe House
The Poe House Christmas décor can be viewed
daily during regularly scheduled tours.
December 14, 2014
Holiday Jubilee
1:00-5:00 pm
Held annually in December, Holiday Jubilee
encompasses the traditions of holidays past
including music and cooking on the 1902 stove.
Enjoy a Victorian caroling concert on the Poe
House front porch and view the elaborate
Christmas décor during this open house event.
Summer 2014 Page 8