Published by the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites, a program of the Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
The division office is in the Dobbs Building at 430 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, N.C. (919-733-7862) Kay P. Williams, Director.
Volume XXI, No. 1
January 2005
In This Issue:
Living Naval History
at CSS Neuse
page 3
A Taste of Honey at
Alamance
page 4
Special Events Recall
End of Civil War
page 5
Remembering Ray
Wilkinson
page 7
Historic Bath’s Tri-Centennial Calendar
March 8, 2005-March 8, 2006
This year-long celebration will commemorate the 300th anniversary of
the incorporation of Bath as North Carolina’s first town. Beginning with an
opening ceremony on March 8, 2005, the year will feature events focusing on
the heritage of Bath and its role in North Carolina history.
The series is being coordinated through a partnership between the
Historic Bath Foundation, the Department of Cultural Resources, the Historic
Bath Commission, St. Thomas Church, and the Town of Bath. A steering
committee representative of all these entities was created in 2000 to plan and
carry out a fitting year of events to celebrate the 300-year-history of North
Carolina’s oldest town. Subcommittees are planning various aspects of the
celebration. These subcommittees are orchestrating the opening ceremony,
Maritime Weekend, an outdoor drama, products, Blackbeard’s Ball, St.
George’s Day, finance and fundraising, publicity, a veterans’ celebration, a
closing ceremony, a postage stamp cancellation, and a banner.
Besides events throughout the year, there will be a new publication
on the history of Bath, exhibits and lectures sponsored by the historic site,
and plans to display the Carolina Charter for the opening ceremony.
Tri-centennial Events
March 8, 2005 Opening Ceremony
April 17 Bath Fun Day
April 22-24 St. George’s Day
Celebration at St.
Thomas Episcopal
Church with the for-mer
Archbishop of
Canterbury. April 22,
Evensong. April 23,
Morning Prayer.
April 24, Morning
Service.
April 30 Bath Garden Club
House and Garden
Tour in Bath. 10 am
to 5 pm
May 15 Historic Bath Open House
June 4 Blackbeard’s Ball
Check Our Website:
nchistoricsites.org
(Cont. on p. 2)
January 2005 2
More Tri-centennial Events at Bath
June 30-Aug 13 Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag
Outdoor drama (Thurs, Fri., Sat. evenings)
September 22-25 Maritime Weekend
Sept. 22-23, School and public programs with the Elizabeth II
Sept. 24, Public programs with Elizabeth II, Buccaneer Bash, Out-of-
water Boat Show
Sept. 25, Blessing of the Fleet
November 11-13 Veterans’ Celebration: Military Through the Ages
Military Reenactments
December 4 Bath Christmas Parade
December 11 Historic Bath Open House
March 8, 2006 Closing Ceremony
(Patricia Samford)
(Cont. from p. 1)
NCTM Volunteers and Staff Wrap up
Southern Christmas Show
The N.C. Transportation Museum had a
chance to introduce itself to about 150,000 people
in November at Charlotte’s popular 2004 Southern
Christmas Show, an event in which the museum
has previously participated (but in much smaller
ways).
This year the museum had its own booth at
the extravaganza, which ran for over a week. A
Christmas tree decorated by NCTM Foundation
staff members Ginny Leonard and Vickie Peacock
was a focal point for the museum’s booth at the
Southern Christmas Show. The outside of the
booth, built by Southern Shows, was a replica of
Barber Junction, and the inside, decorated by mu-seum
and foundation staff, was made to look like a
train depot.
Thanks to numerous volunteers and staff members, the museum was able to
put brochures and Santa Train fliers in the hands of many show visitors.
Special thanks to volunteers David Crabtree, Jack Hodges, Diane Johnson,
Elmer Lam, Tip McCachren, Marcus Neubacher, Jack and Marilyn Nicolay, George
Patterson, Bill Speer, and Gary Watkins.
(Misty Ebel)
January 2005 3
CSS Neuse Hosts Successful Living History
On November 20 and 21, 2004, the CSS
Neuse hosted its most successful living history pro-gram
in recent years. The annual Civil War naval
living history event attracted approximately 700 visi-tors.
Sixty-seven reenactors participated in the two-day
offering, which featured displays on navigation,
rope making, naval life in the mid-
19th century, and blacksmithing. Ar-tillery
demonstrations, including a
Saturday evening firing, were con-ducted
throughout both days by re-enactors
with six artillery pieces.
Participating reenactment
units include the Ship’s Company of
the Roanoke; North Carolina Naval
Squadron; Confederate States Ma-rines,
Wilmington detachment;
Reilly’s Battery; Latham’s Battery; Edenton Bell Battery; 1st Virginia Provost; and Old
South Blacksmiths.
Special thanks go to John Haywood Bass, father of site employee Morris Bass,
for cooking the Saturday evening meal for reenactors and staff. Thanks also to the fol-lowing
DCR staff for their help with the program: Leland Smith, Jann Brown, Howard
Draper, and Jim Greathouse. Other appreciated volunteers include Lori Duppstadt
(Onslow County Museum) and Jake Jennette (Fort Macon State Park).
(Andrew Duppstadt)
Preservation Project Underway in Edenton
The James Iredell Association and the Edenton Historical Commission are pre-serving
the historic 1827 smokehouse from Bandon Plantation.
Bandon Plantation (circa 1828), north of Edenton on the Chowan River, at one
time was home to author Inglis Fletcher, who wrote twelve historical novels about the
Albemarle region. She purchased the property in 1944 and was living there when the
house burned in 1963. Mrs. Fletcher helped preserve the James Iredell House
(1800/1827) and donated two Bandon dependencies, a schoolhouse/office and a dairy,
which are at the Iredell House.
In mid 2004 the smokehouse was moved to a temporary site for craftsmen to
restore it. When the work is complete, the structure will be placed at the Iredell House.
Ownership will pass to the state from the association and the commission.
Grants from the Edenton Historical Foundation and the James Iredell Founda-tion,
as well as donations from the public, made the smokehouse project a reality.
(Kathy Busby)
January 2005 4
A Taste of Honey at Alamance
A Taste of Honey, the title of a vintage album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana
Brass, best describes what visitors had an opportunity to experience during Alamance
Battleground’s A Honey of a Christmas at the historic John Allen House on Sunday,
December 12. Some of the best weather ever seen for one of our Christmas events
created conditions conducive to a successful event. Although modestly attended, we
ended up with a turnout of about seventy-five people.
Our scheduled activities included a chance for visitors to
work with or just appreciate handmade and natural decorations
inside and outside the Allen House. The afternoon guests dis-covered
interesting facts about honey from a unique program
that the staff assembled. Samples of honey-based food prod-ucts
and hot, spiced cider proved quite popular. The samples
included such delectable choices as honey-apple cake, honey
oatmeal cookies, honey cornbread, honey sauce, and honey-applesauce
dressing. Guests especially interested in recipes
could find them in our handout for future use. Visitors also en-joyed
making their own beeswax candles (using the hand-dipping
method) and taking their products home.
Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves throughout the afternoon. We
were extremely pleased to see regular friends who have always made the effort of at-tending
our Christmas events year after year. The staff appreciated all of the positive
comments made by the folks. I want to end by thanking Dr. Rick Knapp for his assis-tance.
(Bryan Dalton)
Fort Dobbs: Gifts from Children and a New Website
When fifth graders at Scotts Elementary School in Statesville heard a Veteran’s
Day presentation about Fort Dobbs, the youngsters decided to help raise funds to save
the historic site. They built a miniature replica of the fort, which was constructed in
1756 on the western frontier of the colony during the French and Indian War, and
placed it in their school library as the collection point for donations. In December the
students presented $49.61 to Fort Dobbs site manager Beth Carter at the school. The
money will be used to start a special fund for reconstruction of the fort.
Now the students are calling all other schools in the Iredell County-Statesville
school system to raise more money for the fort. “We felt it was important to do this so
that others in our community can learn about our history,” said Mary Wooten, one of
the fifth graders who spearheaded the initiative. Statesville mayor John Marshall
praised the students’ efforts, saying he hoped the school-wide initiative would become
a statewide effort.
Meanwhile Fort Dobbs has launched an attractive new website,
www.fortdobbs.org. The site and fort are using the theme, “Fort Dobbs: North Caro-lina’s
Frontier is here.”
(Beth Carter)
January 2005 5
2005 Special Events for the 140th Anniversary
of the End of the Civil War
Jan. 15-16, 2005, Fort Fisher.
Battle of Fort Fisher Anniversary Program. Recreates the attack on River Road
by the Union Army and capture of the fort. About 200 battle reenactors. Battle Satur-day
afternoon, vignettes and artillery firing after dark. Sunday demonstrations of
camp and artillery weapons.
Feb. 19-20, Fort Anderson.
The Final Hours. Reenactment of the final fight at Fort Anderson that led to the
fall of Wilmington. Saturday afternoon battle. Artillery and infantry weapons demon-strations,
civilian demonstrations, and fashion shows both days. Guest speakers: Dr.
Max Williams, Western Carolina University, and Dr. Chris Fonvielle, UNC–
Wilmington. Sunday church service at St. Phillips Church.
March 12, CSS Neuse.
Naval program. Commemoration of scuttling of CSS Neuse on March 12, 1865,
highlighting the crew and their experiences in the Confederate Navy. Living history
encampment with displays of nautical equipment and skills, crew duties, and ship-board
life. Reading of ship’s roster and naval artillery salute over Neuse River during
ceremony at day’s end.
March 19-20, Bentonville Battlefield.
Large-scale battle reenactments by infantry, artillery, and cavalry. Talks at
Harper House about battles and domestic life. Sunday talks, drills, and church ser-vice
on-site. Expect about 3,500 reenactors and more than 15,000 spectators. Activi-ties
at visitor center, Harper House, and camps free. Fee to attend battles.
April 16-17, State Capitol.
Program on occupied Raleigh in 1865, when Union troops took control of the
Capitol.
April 23-24, Bennett Place.
Reenactment of surrender of Gen. Joseph Johnston (CSA) to Maj. Gen. William
Sherman (USA) at Bennett Place, ending the war in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Flor-ida,
the Civil War’s largest troop surrender. Surrender repeated several times each
day. Reenactors camp at site during the weekend. Free, but ticketed.
May 14-15, Aycock Birthplace.
From Soldier to Peacekeeper: The Occupation of the Goldsboro Area, May
1865. Reenactment of occupation of Goldsboro by African American troops after war
ended, with narrative of what young Charles Aycock and his family would have
thought. Perspectives of African American troops and returning Confederate troops.
January 2005 6
Festival Park Activities in Winter
At Roanoke Island Festival Park, as at most sites, winter
is a time when things slow down a bit from hectic summer
schedules. The replica sixteenth-century sailing vessel Eliza-beth
II was in the Christmas spirit but also undergoing annual
repairs. The Elizabeth II is remaining at Wanchese Seafood In-dustrial
Park into the New Year. Repairs, which are going well,
will be complete by March 1.
Roy Underhill of Colonial Wil-liamsburg
(a few mossbacks will re-member
when he did blacksmithing at
Historic Stagville before becoming famous), popular host of
the PBS television series The Woodwright’s Shop for twenty
years, was the guest speaker at the annual dinner of Festival
Park’s employees and volunteers. He addressed the group on
communications skills used in engaging audiences.
(Tanya Young)
NCTM Foundation Gets $25,000 State Grant
A $25,000 allocation from the N.C. General Assembly will
likely go toward needed repairs to track and coach railcar win-dows.
N.C. Rep. Lorene Coates presented the grant to NCTM
Foundation president Sturges Bryan and the foundation at the
board’s December meeting. Coates is a board member.
State lawmakers haven’t done enough for the museum,
which contributes much to the economy of Rowan County,
Coates told the Salisbury Post. “It was time we stood up to the plate,” she said.
The foundation’s finance committee will have to approve using the funds for
track and window repairs at its next meeting. The only stipulation for the funds was that
they be used for cultural resources, Coates said.
(Misty Ebel)
PBS Slavery Documentary to Air in February and Feature Edenton
New York’s WNET Channel 13, an award-winning PBS station, says its four-part
documentary, Slavery and the Making of America, will debut on February 9 and 16.
The series visualizes slavery from the perspective of the enslaved population.
WNET filmed several segments in Edenton, and local residents took part in the
filming. The Old Chowan County Jail, where slaves were imprisoned in 1831 after Nat
Turner’s rebellion, is in the film. Students from the College of the Albemarle appear as
slaves and jailers.
Harriet Jacobs is also featured in the series. Born a slave in 1813, she escaped
at the age of 29 and published her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
An Edenton student portrays young Jacobs in Edenton. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,
attended by free blacks and slaves (including Jacobs’s family), is also in the series.
(Kathy Busby)
January 2005 7
Remembering Ray Wilkinson
Historic Halifax suffered a great loss when Ray Wilkinson, our Historical Halifax Resto-ration
Association chairman of fifty years, died December 4 after a lengthy illness. Many peo-ple
remember him as the WRAL-TV5 farm news broadcaster. For years, his was the face you
saw on the news at noon. Some remember his always
amusing Cecil and Leonard jokes. To Halifax staff, he was
simply “Uncle Ray,” admired and loved.
Born in Illinois, Uncle Ray came to our state as a
young man to work in Rocky Mount as a farm news broad-caster.
In the 1950s he came to Halifax, met Miss Nannie
and Emily Gary, and listened raptly to their stories about
Halifax. Immediately infatuated, he helped organize the res-toration
association, remaining its chairman for fifty years!
Through his dedication, the group has since had many ac-complishments!
In 1954 the group’s first acquisition was the 1838
Jail. As Ray would say, as soon as it had a new roof, Hurri-cane
Hazel came along and took it off.
At the first Halifax Day celebration in April 1955,
Gov. Luther Hodges and Dr. Christopher Crittenden spoke
in front of the Jail and promised it would be completely re-stored
by the state. The exterior was eventually restored,
but Ray never saw the interior completed. After fifty years,
the group recently received a grant from Cultural Resources
to hire an architect for the project.
Many wonderful things happened under Uncle Ray’s leadership. Buildings and land
were purchased and given to the state in the l960s. Buildings were restored and painted. His-toric
Sites meetings were underwritten. Maintenance equipment was bought when the state’s
budget was slim; our pressure washer for buildings was one of these needed items. Uncle Ray
was dedicated to restoration efforts at Historic Halifax and elsewhere.
Here, the 1760 Owens House was the first house restored. The 1808 Sally-Billy House
is a fine example of a member’s dedication to having the house donated and moved to the his-toric
district as well as acquiring furnishings. With Ray’s help the 1790 Eagle Tavern, owned by
the Gary family, was donated. The Gary estate funded its furnishing as a tavern museum.
The 1790 Tap Room was restored and furnished with grants, which Ray acquired from
the A.J. Fletcher Foundation and the state. Ray felt reproduction furnishings would allow
hands-on activities and foster interest in tavern life at Halifax. He was right! The Tap Room is
our main attraction among restored buildings.
Ray saw a need to protect historic land not only at the site but nearby. Land was ac-quired
at the area known as the Grove, which played a role in the Revolutionary War.
In recent years the Eagle Tavern was furnished with funds from the Gary estate. The
cemetery, in deplorable condition for years, was restored. Envisioning future restoration of the
Davie House, land was purchased for parking there and landscaped.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church in Halifax was purchased with plans of restor-ing
it, but Hurricane Floyd shortly destroyed the church. The land now has a monument bear-ing
the church’s picture and history. A Halifax Resolves plaque was placed in the State Capitol
in Raleigh. There have been many other accomplishments, but the things above give an idea
of how important Ray was to our site as a leader.
Ray left us with a legacy; we will always be grateful he was so interested and suppor-tive
of Halifax. Let’s hope we can make all his Halifax dreams become reality.
(Monica Moody)
January 2005 8
Repairs in Progress at Transportation Museum
Repair work on the turntable is under way and expected to be completed in
mid-January. This $45,000 project is being funded through grants from the Hillsdale
Fund, Central Carolina Bank, and Rowan County.
Bids for rebuilding the diesel engine of Southern locomotive No. 6133 and for
work on the No. 604 steam locomotive have been received and are being reviewed.
The $21,500 needed for the No. 6133 was raised through various donations.
Norfolk-Southern is contributing $100,000 of the estimated $350,000 need to overhaul
No. 604. A foundation committee is leading a campaign to raise the remaining funds.
(Misty Ebel)
N.C. Transportation Hall of Fame Gets First Inductees
The brainchild of David Robinson and Bob Martin of Raleigh, the new N.C.
Transportation Hall of Fame (NCTHF) celebrates businesses and people who played
roles in our state’s rich transportation history.
The N.C. Transportation Museum participated in the first induction ceremony for
the NCTHF in November at High Point. Museum historian Walter Turner introduced the
family of inductee Harriet M. Berry, a highway advocate in the early 1900s.
Other inductees were Wilbur and Orville Wright; visionary early legislator Archi-bald
De Bow Murphey; Willis Hackney, who built coaches and wagons, founding a
business that now produces ambulances, school buses and refrigerated trucks; Wal-lace
Carl Riddick, an engineer, educator, and administrator at what is now N.C. State
University; Perley A. Thomas, founder of streetcar manufacturer Thomas Car Works,
and Cleve C. Mangum, an early twentieth-century contractor.
Groups inducted were Native Americans, for clearing trails and navigation and
crossing of waterways in locations used by today’s highways and railroads; transporta-tion
laborers, who helped build and maintain transportation systems and facilities; and
transportation operators, who helped move the state’s people and products.
A proposal is in the works for a partnership between the NCTHF and the mu-seum,
which would feature information on inductees at the museum, perhaps with a
more permanent exhibit in the future.
For more about the Hall of Fame, visit www.ncthf.org.
(Elizabeth Smith)
Tryon Palace Updates Website
Tryon Palace has launched a new website with educational activities, virtual
tours, and much more. See what’s new by visiting www.tryonpalace.org. Nancy Mans-field,
head of public services for Tryon Palace, said, "Our website is the most important
tool that we have for getting our message to the public. A really good website is essen-tial
to attracting new audiences and to reconnecting with those that we may have lost.”
This website also is important for outreach as Tryon Palace Historic Sites &
Gardens prepares to build a high-tech History Education Center. By using the best and
latest technology, the palace can do an even better job of engaging audiences with the
past.
(Fay Henderson)