Press Releases

Due to expected impacts of Hurricane Helene, Gorges State Park and Mount Mitchell State Park will be closed Thursday and Friday, Sept. 26-27.The Mountain Monarch Festival at Gorges, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, has been cancelled.The Blue Ridge Parkway expects to be closed for the next several days. Mount Mitchell State Park will reopen when the Parkway reopens.

Meet the team behind "Connecting the Docs," the State Archives of North Carolina’s podcast.A Zoom teleconference scheduled for Monday, Oct. 7, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., will introduce and summarize how the archival collections are used to create historical narratives. The program also will share information about improving your research skills.Oral historians John Horan and Annabeth Poe will provide an overview of "Connecting the Docs," including audience statistics and how one letter from our private collections inspired an entire podcast episode of content.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) is excited to announce a new oral history project, supported by a $141,264 Public Engagement with Historical Records Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.“Oral histories are an integral part of our traditions,” said Kerry Bird, Director of the North American Indian Heritage Commission. “This grant will allow us to expand our efforts to collect these stories while our elders are alive to tell them.”

America250, the official nonpartisan entity charged by Congress with planning the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Semiquincentennial, in collaboration with BNY and America 250 NC, kicked off the second installment of “America’s Field Trip” — a nationwide scholastic contest where students have the opportunity to earn a special behind-the-scenes experience at an iconic American historical and cultural site.

An American Indian tribe that settled in northeastern North Carolina soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

Veterans with service-related disabilities are now eligible to apply to receive a free Annual Pass to N.C. State Parks, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Those who want to redeem their free pass can submit a request form along with a copy of their Summary of Benefits Letter from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites have postponed the public opening of Fort Fisher State Historic Site’s new visitor center, earthworks, and underwater archaeology lab due to damage and flooding associated with Tropical Cyclone 13.Originally set for Sept. 27, the public opening of the site has been postponed. The event will be rescheduled for a future date to be announced.

WHAT: Greenville Community GatheringWHEN: Thursday, Oct. 3, 6–7:30 p.m.WHERE: 215 East Arlington Boulevard Suite E, Greenville, NC 27858

The Museum of the Albemarle will host History for Lunch Wednesday, Oct. 16, at noon in the Gaither Auditorium. Take a stroll down memory lane through Edward Fearing’s collection of photographs of “old” Elizabeth City dating back to the turn of the century.  Enjoy exploring Elizabeth City’s growth over the last 125 years.The Museum will offer the History for Lunch program in-person and through Zoom. Registration is not required to attend the lecture in person.The virtual program is supported by Friends of the Museum of the Albemarle.

WHAT: Wilmington Community GatheringWHEN: Thursday, Oct. 3, 6–7:30 p.m.WHERE: 1125 North 4th Street, Wilmington, NC 28401DETAILS: The North Carolina Museum of History invites community members in the Wilmington area to participate in an open discussion to help shape the future of the museum’s exhibits. This is an opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on how the state’s layered history should be presented to future visitors.