Press Releases

A lot can happen in half a century. For that matter, a lot can happen in a year. At the end of calendar year 2021, Fort Fisher State Historic Site achieved its goal of more than one million visitors annually, a first for Fort Fisher or any historic site within the NC Division of State Historic Sites. When the turnstiles stopped at year’s end, total onsite visitation for calendar year 2021 reached 1,052,270.

An act of civil disobedience soon will be recognized with a new North Carolina Highway Historical Marker in Roanoke Rapids. The marker commemorates the actions of Sarah Keys and the subsequent lawsuit in 1952 that shaped the federal prohibition of segregation during interstate travel.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced today that Will Summer has been named as the next director of the N.C. Division of Land and Water Stewardship and Executive Director of the N.C. Land and Water Fund (NCLWF). Summer served as the interim director for the past seven months and as deputy director since 2017.

In 2022, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will celebrate 50 years as a state cabinet-level agency with regional celebrations and online content planned throughout the year. Secretary D. Reid Wilson made the following statement on the anniversary:

 North Carolina’s strong literary tradition is celebrated by the 2021 North Carolina Book Awards, presented by the N.C. Literary and Historical Association. The annual awards recognize significant works by North Carolina writers. Since its founding in September 1900, the N.C. Literary and Historical Association has pledged to stimulate the production of literature and to collect and preserve historical material in North Carolina. The 2021 North Carolina Book Award winners are:

Stokes Early College High School (SECHS) in Walnut Cove, N.C. is the recipient of this year’s grant from Horne Creek Farm’s “Instructional Heirloom Apple Orchard for Schools” program. The school will receive four apple trees grafted from those in the Southern Heritage Apple Orchard (SHAO) to establish a min orchard at the school.

The North Carolina Land and Water Fund awarded grants in September and December totaling $60.4 million, providing funds for 83 projects that will protect North Carolina’s land and water from the mountains to the coast, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.

 Let the feeling of the holidays inspire you this year with a visit to a state historic site, museum, state park or aquarium. You can take a hike up Jockey's Ridge, enjoy a candlelight tour of Tryon Palace or a ride a Holiday Train at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. For more information visit https://www.ncdcr.gov/things-to-do/trips-travel-ideas/holidays.  East

The State Archives of North Carolina will host a virtual roundtable, “Holiday Flavors of the Past,” Tuesday, Dec. 14, 7-8:30 p.m. State Archives staff will share stories about holiday foods from the collection including the tradition of Old Christmas in Rodanthe and its foodways, holiday feasts on military bases, and 150-year-old recipes that can become DIY holiday gifts. Panelists will include Samantha Crisp, director of the Outer Banks History Center; Matthew Peek, Military Collection Archivist; and Callie Beatty, intern.

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum at the Palmer Memorial Institute State Historic Site is excited to announce its slate of holiday programs for the 2021 season. Starting the first week of December, the Visitor’s Center will be open to the public and staff will have children’s craft bags available along with a story walk featuring “The Nutcracker in Harlem” by T. E. McMorrow with illustrations by James Ransome. Staff will also be giving candlelit holiday-themed tours of the campus on Saturday, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.