Press Releases

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. Secretary Hamilton will be joining North Carolina Baptist Mission (NCBM) disaster relief volunteers assisting individuals in completing NCBM work request forms, prioritizing needs and distributing work orders to NCBM work teams.   DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 10 TIME: 11 a.m. – 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 6th 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.

To commemorate 100 years since the Armistice of World War I, a new exhibit in the State Capitol focuses on North Carolinians during the war. The exhibit features and is built around a personal journal on loan to the Capitol. The journal, written by college student Mabel Grant from 1918-1919, chronicles everyday life at East Carolina Teachers Training School – the predecessor to East Carolina University. While a student at the school, Mabel’s journal recounts details of her loved ones serving in the military, as well as her own efforts to help the war effort. 

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed October 2018 as Archives Month in North Carolina and the State Archives of North Carolina is cosponsoring an exhibit that displays both ordinary and extraordinary documents that record the history and culture of the state.