Press Releases

RALEIGH, N.C. — Vonda Martin is the new division of parks and recreation grants and outreach manager, the division announced Friday. Martin succeeds Chris Schmidt, who has served as interim grants and outreach manager since 2018. The grants and outreach manager supervises the program and staff who administer the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and development of the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

Joe Shimel is the new east district superintendent of North Carolina state parks, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Shimel succeeds Sarah Kendrick, who served as acting superintendent beginning in 2020. Kendrick will return to her post as superintendent of Hammocks Beach State Park. A district superintendent is the chief of operations and administration of a park district with wide-ranging responsibilities for staffing, planning, law enforcement, and visitor services.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced today the appointment of Michelle Underhill as the new State Librarian of North Carolina. Underhill currently serves as Digital Services Supervisor with the State Library and was previously Director of the N.C. Government and Heritage Library.

Living history returns to Fort Dobbs with a June 25 event. In 1759, war suddenly broke out between British colonists and the indigenous Cherokee of western North Carolina. Fort Dobbs, in present-day Statesville, provided shelter to civilians seeking refuge from the violence.

Join the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites at two upcoming listening sessions designed to gather community input on the division’s work to tell the story of Golden and Ruth Frinks, their home, and their central role in the struggle for Civil Rights in North Carolina and across the South. Since 2019, the division has been working to preserve the Golden Frinks home in Edenton. 

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that one district boundary increase, two districts and five individual properties across the state have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following properties were reviewed by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee and subsequently nominated by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer and forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register for consideration for listing in the National Register.

Summer is almost here. Flowers and centuries-old trees are in full bloom. And cool breezes from Lake Phelps stave off the stifling heat. The 11th annual "Days Gone By" living history event at Somerset Place State Historic Site offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy this beautiful weather.

Join the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum on Saturday, June 11, to honor educator and activist Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown for her 139th birthday. Hourly guided tours of Canary Cottage, Dr. Brown’s home, will take place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tour prices are $2 for adults (13-64), and $1 for children (12 and under) and seniors (65 and over). The site’s new Little Lending Library will be unveiled at 2 p.m., followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Dr. Brown’s gravesite on the grounds at 2:30 p.m.

The State Library of North Carolina announces the 2022-2023 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awardees. This year's 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 37 awards, totaling $2,047,954, go to local library projects that:      • Strengthen Capacity      • Expand Access      • Engage Communities

In commemoration of Juneteenth, the North Carolina State Capitol will host an exhibit and Juneteenth themed tours Saturday, June 18. Juneteenth (a combination of 'June' and  'nineteenth') marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.