Historic Stagville State Historic Site, the site of one of the largest plantations in North Carolina, has been accepted to join the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a worldwide network of historic sites that connect the past to present struggles for human rights. A Site of Conscience is a place of memory – a museum, historic site, memorial or memory initiative– that confronts both the history of what happened there and its contemporary legacies.
Stagville State Historic Site is the first site in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to join the Coalition, and only the fifth site in North Carolina. Stagville stands as one of only a handful of historic plantation sites in the United States to join.
“This recognition highlights Stagville’s deep commitment to interpreting the full histories of slavery and white supremacy, through education, dialogue, and reflection,” said Michelle Lanier, director of the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites.
The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is the only worldwide network dedicated to transforming places that preserve the past into spaces that promote civic action. With more than 275 Sites of Conscience in 65 countries, the Coalition engage tens of millions of people every year in using the lessons of history to take action on challenges to democracy and human rights today. Through powerful participatory programs, the Coalition advocates for every community’s right to preserve places where struggles for human rights and democracy have occurred, to talk openly about what happened there, and to harness the strengths of memory, heritage, arts and culture to build ethical societies that envision and shape a more just and humane future.
About Historic Stagville
Historic Stagville is a state historic site that interprets the lives, culture, and labors of enslaved people on one of the largest plantations in North Carolina. By 1859, over 900 people were enslaved across 30,000 acres of the Bennehan-Cameron plantations. Today, Stagville preserves 165 acres of land, four original slave dwellings (c. 1851), a massive barn (c. 1860), and a Bennehan family house (c. 1787-1799). The historic site is dedicated to research, teaching, and reflection on the history of enslaved people and their descendants. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Stagville is in the North Carolina Division of Historic Sites, part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.