Press Releases

African American history in North Carolina involves the pursuit of freedom, equality and excellence. The following programs from venues of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources celebrate the lives and contributions of African Americans to the state.

This evening’s planned exhibit opening at the North Carolina State Capitol for “The Mountains Are Calling: At Home in Western North Carolina,” has been postponed due to inclement weather. The Capitol is closed to visitors today.

North Carolina State Parks experienced a record number of visitors in 2017.

Confederate forces were well in control of the fight during the early days of the Civil War, until the arrival of Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside at the Outer Banks. Author Michael Zatarga will speak on his title, “The Battle of Roanoke Island: Burnside and the Fight for North Carolina,” Feb. 10, 11 a.m. at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. This is a free event.

The North Carolina Historical Commission has named five of its members to serve on a committee that will study the issue of relocating three Confederate monuments located on State Capitol grounds. The committee will conduct its first meeting via conference call Monday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. 

Recalling the Scots-Irish settlers in the region, a special fundraising concert featuring the Scottish fiddle/cello duo of Tim MacDonald and Jeremy Ward is being presented by the Friends of Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. The Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m. concert at Southern Distilling, north of Statesville, celebrates the release of the duo’s new album, “The Wilds,” and also raises funds for Fort Dobbs.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and its support group the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association will sponsor a weekend-long cruise May 10-13 to demonstrate the potential for a small boat cruise industry in the Albemarle region.

Are you interested in learning about your family’s past, but don’t know where to start? Plan a visit to the Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site in Fremont Saturday, Jan. 20, 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. for a beginning genealogy workshop, the first in a series of three.

The North Carolina Arts Council’s 2018 grant guidelines for nonprofit arts organizations are now available at www.NCArts.org. The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday, March 1.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has selected William J. McCrea, a veteran department employee, as the new executive director of Tryon Palace in New Bern. McCrea has been serving as interim director of Tryon Palace since March of this year.