The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program recently established a partnership with the non-profit North Carolina Literary and Historical Association for a historical marker maintenance endowment fund.
For more than 85 years, the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program has erected markers along the state’s roads to mark locations of events and people of statewide historical significance. When markers are damaged by collisions or severe weather, the cost to repair them can be high. In fact, in recent years the marker program spends on average one-third to one-half of its available annual budget on these kinds of maintenance needs.
The maintenance endowment campaign allows members of the public to make financial contributions of any amount to support the maintenance or repair of existing highway historical markers. These donations will not support or influence the selection of new highway markers. Donations are made directly to the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, which will hold the maintenance endowment fund.
The first fundraising effort was a targeted giving campaign that wrapped up in July 2021 with significant support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Funds raised allowed the program to restore three markers: ELLA BAKER (Halifax Co.), TORHUNTA (Wayne Co.), and SQUIRE & SARAH BOONE (Davie Co.).
This month the program launches its second targeted giving campaign with another slate of three markers:
• AVA GARDNER (Johnston Co.)
• ROSE BUTLER BROWNE (Durham Co.)
• JIMMIE RODGERS (Buncombe Co.)
The total needed for the three markers is $4,920. Any donations collected over $4,920 will be deposited into the general maintenance endowment to help with needs for other damaged or missing markers.
Donations may be made via Paypal at: https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/nc-literary-and-historical-association/historical-marker-maintenance-endowment-fund
Payment by check is also an option, with checks made payable to N.C. Literary and Historical Association and sent to:
N.C. Literary and Historical Association
4610 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4610
For more information, contact Ansley Wegner at ansley.wegner@ncdcr.gov with any questions.