Press Releases

In anticipation of Thomas Wolfe’s 120th birthday in October, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial invites students and teachers to participate in the 2020 “Telling Our Tales” Student Writing Competition. In this competition, students will submit their own work of fiction inspired by reading part IV of “The Lost Boy.” 

The State Library of North Carolina proudly announces the SLNC CARES Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awardees. The 39 awards, totaling nearly $870,000, support local library projects across North Carolina that target high need communities to address digital inclusion, expand digital network access, purchase internet accessible devices, and provide related technical support in response to the coronavirus.

Thanks to a generous donation from the late Tom Rabe, his wife Jean and the Rabe family, a new 1,000 square foot observation deck is now open on top of Morrow Mountain. The donation was made to the park through the Friends of Morrow Mountain, the non-profit organization that also helped oversee the construction of the project. The observation deck faces east over the park, Lake Tillery and the Uwharrie National Forest.

“We will surrender, Sir, on condition that no one shall be injured; otherwise we will make the best defense we can…,” Temperance Alston’s words to David Fanning ended the fight between opposing militia forces. She bravely stepped onto the porch of her home, amid a hail of bullets, carrying a flag of truce, the scars of this personal and complicated war can still be seen on the Alston House. This year, the battle will be remembered through a digital event that will be hosted on the site’s social media pages. 

Historic Stagville State Historic Site, the site of one of the largest plantations in North Carolina, has been accepted to join the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a worldwide network of historic sites that connect the past to present struggles for human rights. A Site of Conscience is a place of memory – a museum, historic site, memorial or memory initiative– that confronts both the history of what happened there and its contemporary legacies. 

Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a program of the North Carolina Arts Council.  North Carolina’s statewide network of local arts councils is accepting applications for the new Artist Support Grants program. 

The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office has received a $50,000 grant from the Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS) funded through the Historic Preservation Fund African American Civil Rights grant program to study and document locations associated with the Civil Rights movement in northeastern North Carolina.

Today, archaeologists and conservators from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources opened a time capsule buried in 1894 beneath the cornerstone of the Confederate Soldiers Monument on Union Square in Raleigh. 

RALEIGH, N.C. — The State Library of North Carolina announces the 2020-2021 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awardees. This year's $4,788,098 federal allotment will be distributed on behalf of North Carolina's libraries through programs and services available under the North Carolina LSTA Five Year Plan. The 49 awards go to local library projects that:      • Strengthen Capacity      • Expand Access; and      • Engage Communities

In light of Governor Roy Cooper’s state of emergency declaration and guidance regarding canceling or postponing large gatherings in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, Mountain Gateway Museum’s 2020 Pioneer Day festival has been canceled.  Festival organizers had hoped to reschedule the event, usually held in late April, for July 4, but rescheduling has become impracticable.