For many doughboys, World War I did not end when they returned home. Their lingering memories of the horrors endured in the trenches became known as “shell shock.” Today we know it as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site will host a daylong symposium, “A Lingering Shadow: From Battlefield Trauma in World War I to a Modern Perspective on PTSD,” Saturday, Aug. 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will shine a light on what can be a very dark experience. The symposium coincides with the opening of the traveling exhibition, “North Carolina and the Great War.”
Tobacco built and shaped the Durham that we know today thanks largely to the Duke family that started their manufacturing tobacco business in Durham. Duke Homestead will share two free programs in August focused on the history and culture of tobacco. An examination of tobacco myths Saturday, Aug. 18, and a celebration of harvest Saturday, Aug. 25, will offer a well-rounded picture of raising tobacco in North Carolina.
The sounds of artillery and musket fire will once again ring out at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site. The annual summer artillery living history program will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It’s a medium that’s as old as dirt and lots of fun. “Play in the Clay Day” at Town Creek speaks to the inner child of every age. See how the Pee Dee culture took advantage of the area’s abundant supply of clay Saturday, Aug. 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at a free program.
The remnants of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse sit in a climate-controlled facility in downtown Kinston, a far cry from the bottom of the Neuse River. How it got there is explained in a new exhibit at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center designed by East Carolina University graduate student Samantha Bernard. She is enrolled in the maritime studies program through the history department at ECU, and the exhibit explains the process and purpose of underwater archaeology.
Who needs TVs or tablets? Unplug at Duke Homestead’s “Family Day: Historic Games.” This free event takes place Saturday, July 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is perfect for kids aged two to 10.
Morrow Mountain State Park added 45 acres of land south of Mountain Creek to its holdings this summer. The new property includes more than 3,000 linear feet of frontage on Mountain Creek, a pristine stream home to rare mussels.
Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry and Yadkin counties will celebrate its 50th anniversary this month with a day full of events at the park. The area near the big and little pinnacles in the Sauratown Mountains became a state park in 1968. The park now consists of more than 3,800 acres and includes a section along the Yadkin River.