Press Releases

Explore the crafts and harvest traditions of one of North Carolina’s largest plantations at the Historic Stagville Harvest Festival, Oct. 20, noon to 5 p.m.  Enjoy demonstrations by master craftsmen, hands-on activities for all ages, and music by artists from the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Admission is $5 per person, in support of the site’s programs and mission. Tickets are available at the door.

Writers delving into societal inequality and social unrest have taken top honors in the competitions for the 2018 North Carolina Book Award, to be presented Oct. 26 during the annual meeting of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association in Greenville. The struggle of women and African Americans seeking opportunity and equality resonate throughout the winning works.

Even 400 years after his death, Sir Walter Raleigh continues to intrigue. Raleigh sponsored three expeditions to Roanoke colony in the 1580s, the earliest British attempt to settle North America. In 1792, North Carolina’s legislature honored this feat by naming the state’s new capital city for the explorer, soldier, and writer.   

Visit Historic Stagville Friday, Oct. 19, for a full day of educational activities! Are you studying American history, African American history, colonial history, the Civil War, or the history of slavery? Stagville’s Fall Harvest Homeschool Day will offer students hands-on activities about life on a plantation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a fee of $4 per child. 

Although born into slavery in 1859, Peter Weddick Moore used education as a path to success and service. He likely attended a school founded by the Freedman’s Bureau and went on to become the principal of the new State Normal School for the Colored Race in 1891, which is now Elizabeth City State University. A N.C. Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated in his honor Oct. 20 in Elizabeth City at 11 a.m.

Take a ride on a wagon around the historic Harper House at Bentonville Battlefield’s annual fall festival Saturday, Oct. 20. The program will include demonstrations by costumed interpreters and a festival atmosphere that will offer wagon rides provided by End of the Drive Mule Farm, carnival games, vintage baseball, crafts, pumpkin hunt and more!  

Raleigh, N.C. – Secretary of the N.C. Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources Susi Hamilton will be volunteering at Scotts Hill Baptist Church Wednesday, Oct. 10 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The cooler weather, lower humidity and bright fall colors inspire many to decorate for the season. Pumpkins, dried corn and gourds become art objects. Bennett Place State Historic Site will host members of the North Carolina Gourd Society Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a one-day craft making event. The fee is $10 and reservations are required. 

The recent heavy rains from Hurricane Florence caused the roofs of two North Carolina museums to fail, threatening two very different but equally important collections of historical artifacts. 

The great jobs of today and tomorrow are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Yet people with disabilities remain underrepresented in these fields despite recent advances in the accessibility of information technology and other tools used by working professionals. To help turn that tide, the 6^th annual STEM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities will be held Tuesday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.