Press Releases

RALEIGH, N.C. – Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed September 2020 as International Underground Railroad Month in North Carolina. Read the proclamation here.  Often called the nation’s first Civil Rights movement, the Underground Railroad included many prominent abolitionists, such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, John Brown, William Still and many others. 

A new study reveals that 65 plant species have gone extinct in the continental United States and Canada since European settlement, more extinctions than any previous scientific study has ever documented. 

The North Carolina Historical Commission will meet via conference call Thur., Sept. 3 at 1 p.m.  

Please note: As of 1/1/23 the shuttle at Pilot Mountain State Park is no longer in service.Pilot Mountain State Park will begin shuttle service to the upper parking lot beginning Saturday, Aug. 22. The shuttle will allow more access to the popular mountain, reduce traffic in and around the park, and reduce waiting times for people visiting the mountain section. 

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.

“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. 

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.

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.