On Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m., Bennett Place State Historic Site will host a free lecture with local historian Ernest Dollar entitled “Jublio: Moments of Freedom, 1865.”
Dollar, who serves as director of the Museums Section for the City of Raleigh, will highlight how enslaved people found and claimed freedom for themselves in the final days of the Civil War in North Carolina. This program will explore perspectives of African American men and women’s first moments of freedom as part of the site’s Black History Month programming.
Bennett Place interprets the largest troop surrender of the Civil War in April 1865 and how it contributed to ending slavery.
Now through April 16, visitors are invited to commemorate emancipation by creating community luminaries. A self-guided station at the Visitor Center will provide instructions for making the luminaries, which will be used during an April 25 program marking the 160th anniversary of a new chapter of freedom for more than 331,000 formerly enslaved North Carolinians. Visitors can also learn more about the connection between Bennett Place and emancipation. The Community Luminary table is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.