Topics Related to Historic Preservation

The grounds and visitors center at Vance Birthplace State Historic Site will reopen to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 10, more than two months after the site was closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The site will resume regular operating hours, which are Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The site is closed Sundays, Mondays, and most major holidays.

The North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites has been awarded $114,500 to acquire five acres of land adjacent to the Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. This funding, provided by the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, will support the site's continued preservation and enhance its ability to offer an authentic representation of frontier life during the years 1754-1763.

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site will reopen to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 10, more than two months after the site was forced to close in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.A 120-year-old silver maple tree fell against the “Old Kentucky Home” during the storm, causing minor damage to the structure and cracking plaster inside the house. Once the tree was removed from the historic home, officials with State Historic Sites assessed the damage and made repairs. The house is now safe for visitors and has been cleared to reopen for tours.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that three historic districts and twelve 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.

The life and accomplishments of Governor Richard Caswell, North Carolina’s first state governor, will be commemorated Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Governor Richard Caswell Memorial in Kinston, N.C.

The North Carolina Museum of History is excited to announce

A little more than two years after construction began and local flooding delayed the opening, the new visitor center at Fort Fisher State Historic Site will open to the public Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.The new two-story visitor center, which has been in planning since 2010, cost approximately $25.5 million and is expected to serve more than 1 million visitors annually. At 20,000 square feet, it is approximately three times the size of its 1965 predecessor.

Before it was a pirate ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge was known by another name.The ship, La Concorde, was a slave-trading vessel that became the infamous pirate Blackbeard’s flagship.Archaeological Conservators and Researchers with the N.C. Office of State Archaeology will explain the history of the ship Nov. 2 during their “Saturday at the QAR Lab” tours of the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab in Greenville.

The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office has received an African American Civil Rights (AACR) Grant from the National Park Service to undertake an architectural survey of resources associated with the Civil Rights movement in northeastern North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) is excited to announce a new oral history project, supported by a $141,264 Public Engagement with Historical Records Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.“Oral histories are an integral part of our traditions,” said Kerry Bird, Director of the North American Indian Heritage Commission. “This grant will allow us to expand our efforts to collect these stories while our elders are alive to tell them.”