Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies
Federation Bulletin
December 201 3
Volume 33, no. 4
The Federation of North
Carolina Historical Societies
is a non-profit organization
whose mission is to promote
the pursuit of local history
in North Carolina through
existing and future local
and regional historical
organizations, societies, and
commissions; to foster
cooperation between such
organizations, societies,
and commissions and the
Office of Archives and
History to the mutual benefit
of all; and to promote and
support history education
through sponsorship of the
National History Day
program and other appro¬
priate activities.
The Federation Bulletin is
published quarterly. Submis¬
sions for the Bulletin should
be sent to the address at the
bottom of this page and should
be received by February
1, May 1, August 1, and
November 1.
Inside this issue:
Federation News
2
Member News
6
Grant Opportunities
II
History Help
13
Calendar of Events
14
Exhibits
24
Workshops and
Conferences
26
New Publications
28
Wake County Historical Society Wins 2013
Newsome Award
The Wake County Historical Society
has won the 2013 Albert Ray
Newsome Award, which is presented
each year by the Federation to recognize
noteworthy achievements in the
preservation of local history. The
award was given to the historical society
during the Federation’s annual meeting
on November 22, in recognition of the
society’s work restoring the tombstone
of Rachel Bauer in historic Oakwood
Cemetery in Raleigh. Ray Hinnant,
president of the Wake County Historical
Society, accepted the certificate and
$250 award on behalf of the historical
society.
Rachel Bauer was the wife of Adolphus
Bauer, a well-known architect in Raleigh
in the 1880s and 1890s who worked on
such projects as the Governor’s Mansion,
Swain Memorial Hall at UNC-Chapel
Hill, the original buildings of Meredith
College, and more. After Rachel’s death
in 1897, Adolphus Bauer designed a
monument in her memory at the
cemetery, featuring a small Classical
temple and a portrait of Rachel on a
porcelain tile. In 1898, depressed by
the loss of his wife and by injuries he
had sustained a few years earlier in a
railroad accident, Adolphus Bauer
committed suicide.
Over time, the tragic love story behind
the Bauer’s brief marriage and the
beautiful design of Rachel’s memorial
made her tombstone one of the most
requested sites of visitors to Oakwood
Cemetery. But in the more than 100
years since Rachel Bauer’s death, the
“The award was given to the
historical society during the
Federation’s annual meeting
on November 22, in
recognition of the society’s
work restoring the tombstone
of Rachel Bauer in historic
Oakwood Cemetery in
Raleigh.”
portrait of her had deteriorated, with
significant parts of the image broken
and worn away.
Members of the historical society
conducted research at the State Archives
in hopes of finding a photograph of
Rachel Bauer that could be used in
restoring the portrait. Unable to find a
photograph, society members located a
great-granddaughter of Rachel and
were excited to learn she had a copy of
the photograph that had been used in
the original portrait. The society
obtained a cop}' of the picture and
worked with a local monument company
to have a metal plate created with that
image; this plate was then slid in front
of the original tile, restoring the monu¬
ment to its original look and preserving
the original tile behind it.
The Federation congratulates the
Wake County Historical Society for
winning the 2013 Newsome Award.
Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies, 4610 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4610, (919) 807-7280
Web page: www.fnchs.org Editor’s email: Laura. Ketcham@ncdcr.gov
