Summer is almost here. Flowers and centuries-old trees are in full bloom. And cool breezes from Lake Phelps stave off the stifling heat. The 11th annual "Days Gone By" living history event at Somerset Place State Historic Site offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy this beautiful weather.
The community is invited to learn about plantation life on Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through historic trades and crafts, living history, hands-on historic activities with costumed interpreters, and tours of the plantation. A suggested donation of $5 for adults and $3 for children is welcomed for admission, and fees will be applicable for guided tours.
Watch as period artisans and craftspeople, including an authentic shingle maker, demonstrate their trades. A Civil War historian will demonstrate wartime medicine in a field hospital.
Learn about Native American life on the shores of Lake Phelps. Children of all ages can join in hands-on activities to make sedge brooms, corn husk dolls and rope. Washington County Health Department will provide a general health information booth with giveaways. Discover Somerset’s diverse history on a guided tour of the historic plantation or enjoy a horse-driven ride on the historic carriage trails. Engage in presentations by the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum, Newbold-White House and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site to learn about North Carolina’s coastal history. Listen as Possum Hollar Old Time String Band demonstrates 19th century instruments and provides an interactive music experience.
Somerset Place is a representative state historic site offering a comprehensive view of 19th-century life on a large North Carolina plantation. The plantation once encompassed more than 100,000 acres. Over its 80-year history, more than 861 enslaved African Americans lived and worked at Somerset.
For additional information, please call (252) 379-6020. Somerset Place is located at 2572 Lake Shore Road, Creswell. It is administered by the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.
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