N.C. Museum of History presents Cotton Mill Colic

In the early 20th century, Piedmont mill towns were incubators for innovative string bands and musical performers in an emerging genre known as country music. Mill workers sang of their hard fate, protesting living conditions, poor wages and workplace struggles. As tension increased between management and labor, the songs became a rallying cry in labor halls, on strike lines and at protest rallies.
At the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, musicians Gregg Kimball, Sheryl Warner and Jackie Frost will present Cotton Mill Colic: Songs of Labor from the North Carolina Piedmont, which will draw on commercial recordings by millworkers, such as Dave McCarn, the Dixon Brothers and Wilmer Watts as well as union strike songs—especially those sung by Ella Mae Wiggins, the voice of the 1929 Gastonia strike. This free performance takes place Sunday, March 4, at 2 p.m. in Daniels Auditorium. Parking is free on weekends.
With Kimball on guitar, banjo and fiddle, Warner and Frost will add their own distinctive vocal styles. Warner's rich, expressive voice has developed from more than 30 years of singing in the blues and folk traditions.
With two CDs to her credit, Frost’s music is grounded in early-American music traditions, ranging from early country to jazz to blues. She is especially adept at tight, soul-stirring harmonies.
Kimball is a historian and musician who has lectured and written extensively on the South’s musical traditions. He is Director of Public Services and Outreach at the Library of Virginia. He earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia.
Don’t miss this performance with an intriguing, historical twist on March 4 at the N.C. Museum of History.

About the N.C. Museum of History
The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St. in Raleigh, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Researcher details excavation of ancient port of Constantinople

A unique first-person report on the exploration of the archaeological site Byzantium, or Constantinople, is available to North Carolina residents this week.
Dr. Ufuk Kocabas, director of Istanbul University's Department of Marine Archaeology and Yenikapi Shipwrecks Project, will speak at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh on Thursday, March 1, the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort on Saturday, March 3, and the N.C. Maritime Museum in Southport on Sunday, March 4.
The lecture and question-and-answer session at each venue will review work and archaeological findings of the ancient harbor beneath the modern Yenikapi neighborhood in present day Istanbul, Turkey. In 2004, workers discovered the silted remains of the 4th century harbor during construction of the world's deepest tunnel for a rail and metro network designed to run under the Bosphorus Sea and link Europe and Asia.
The vast archeological site covers the equivalent of ten city blocks in Istanbul. Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of 36 Byzantine ships, cargo boats, gold coins, marble, 8,500 year old skeletons and more.
"This is unquestionably one of the most important archaeological finds in the last 100 years," said Joseph Schwarzer, director of the N.C. Maritime Museums. "This has changed and will continue to change, our understanding of history."
The two-week lecture tour is the first for Kocabas in the United States. The free presentations will be at the N.C. Museum of History, March 1 at 6:30 p.m.; the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort March 3 at 5;30 p.m.; and the N.C. Maritime Museum in Southport March 4 at 2 p.m.
The Division of State History Museums is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. For additional information call (919) 807-7389.

N.C. Museum of History offers March programs

Musicians Patrick and Cathy Sky will get you in the mood for Saint Patrick’s Day with Irish reels, jigs and hornpipes. This lively performance and more will take place in March at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. During a special presentation, watch a new Readers’ Theater work about the family life of Sojourner Truth, a 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights activist. A cast of four professional actors will present this play that suits all ages. Don’t miss Cotton Mill Colic, a music performance with an intriguing, historical twist: songs from Piedmont cotton mills in the early 20th century. Seasoned musicians Gregg Kimball, Sheryl Warner and Jackie Frost will draw on commercial recordings by mill workers and on accounts of union strike songs.
Enjoy all this and more in March at the museum. Admission is free unless otherwise noted. Parking is free on weekends.

First Friday Performance: Sojourner Truth and Her Children
When: Friday, March 2, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person; ages 12 and younger free. You can purchase tickets in advance at ncmuseumofhistory.org or the night of the event in the Museum Shop.
The local performance group Voices in Concert will dramatize the family life of 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth. This new Readers’ Theater work centers on Truth’s efforts to reunite her family as three of her enslaved children approach their freedom. She is challenged to inspire her children to dream of more for themselves as they await freedom. The play was written by Rudy Wallace, artistic director of Voices in Concert.

Cotton Mill Colic: Songs of Labor from the North Carolina Piedmont
When: Sunday, March 4, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Musician Gregg Kimball and singers Jackie Frost and Sheryl Warner will perform songs from Piedmont cotton mills. The trio will draw on commercial recordings by mill workers and on accounts of union strike songs. In the early 20th century, Piedmont mill towns were incubators for innovative string bands and musical performers in an emerging genre known as country music. With Kimball on guitar, banjo and fiddle, Frost and Warner will add their own distinctive vocal styles.

Time for Tots: Saint Patrick’s Day
When: Tuesday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 13, from 10 to 10:45 a.m.
Who: Ages 3 to 5 with an adult
Cost: $1 per person. To register, call (919) 807-7992.
Discover the history, foodways and traditions of Saint Patrick’s Day, a holiday observed by the Irish for 1,000 years. Then make a take-home craft to give you the luck of the Irish.

History Hunters: Greetings from North Carolina!
When: Wednesday, March 7, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Who: Ages 10 to 13
Cost: $1 per person. To register, call (919) 807-7992.
Before Facebook and Skype, how did you say, “Wish you were here!” when you vacationed? Learn about North Carolina holiday spots, get a bit of postcard history and make your own postcard.

Make It, Take It: Blimps
When: Saturday, March 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. (drop-in program)
Discover how blimps protected ships off the North Carolina coast during World War II and make a paper model to take home.

Music of the Carolinas: Patrick and Cathy Sky
When: Sunday, March 11, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Get ready for Saint Patrick’s Day with a program of Irish reels, jigs and hornpipes. The performance is presented with PineCone, with support from the N.C. Museum of History Associates, Williams Mullen, and WLHC-FM/WLQC.FM.

History à la Carte: Variety Vacationland
When: Wednesday, March 14, from 12:10 to 1 p.m.
Extras: Bring your lunch; beverages provided.
Presented by Sandy Webbere, associate curator.
What was a typical family vacation in North Carolina in decades past? Using historic postcards, maps and film, Webbere will identify early tourist destinations from the coast to the mountains and discuss how they have evolved.

Curator’s Choice Tour: The Story Behind The Story of North Carolina
When: Sunday, March 25, from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
How do you cover 14,000 years of history in one exhibit? Join curator RaeLana Poteat for this special tour and hear how staff worked to tell the state’s story through artifacts, multimedia presentations and hands-on interactives.

2012 Women’s History Month Celebration
When: Tuesday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m.
To register, call (919) 807-7992 by Friday, March 23.
Presented by Anita Brown-Graham, executive director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at N.C. State University.
Women compose more than half of the U.S. electorate and have influenced electoral outcomes for more than 40 years. Learn about their importance to the 2012 campaigns. The event is sponsored by the N.C. Council for Women.

About the N.C. Museum of History
The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St. in Raleigh, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The Burwell School opens a new exhibit

The Burwell School Historic Site, 319 N. Churton St., presents a new temporary exhibit entitled Around the Town: The Burwell’s Hillsborough. The exhibit highlights a view of Hillsborough in the year 1839, four years after the Burwell family moved to the town and two years after Mrs. Burwell opened her landmark school for young ladies.
Based on a map drawn by William H. Bailey, who himself married a Burwell School student, this unique exhibition shows the recognizable roads, landmarks, offices and residences of Hillsborough’s most prominent residents. In the 19th century, Hillsborough remained at the center of political activity, attracting lawyers, doctors, politicians and merchants, many of whom were friends of the Burwell family. The exhibit interprets the relationships between the Burwell family, the Burwell School students and the town residents. The exhibit features the original Bailey map, medical instrument case, jeweler’s tweezers and other key photographs, newspaper articles and artifacts from this critical time in Hillsborough’s history.
Join the Burwell School Historic Site for this exciting opportunity to see Hillsborough during the time of the Burwell family, their neighbors and friends who would become so prominent in North Carolina’s history.
Our business hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibit and free docent-led tours will be available during these hours, and you can find our special event calendar listed on our website, www.burwellschool.org or call (919) 732-7451 for more information.

N.C. Museum of History presents a new Readers' Theater work about Sojourner Truth

A new Readers’ Theater work about the family life of Sojourner Truth, a 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights activist, will be presented at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh on Friday, March 2, at 7 p.m. Four professional actors in the performance group Voices in Concert will present a play that suits all ages. Begin your weekend with a First Friday performance of Sojourner Truth and Her Children. Tickets cost $5 per person; ages 12 and younger are free. Purchase tickets in advance at ncmuseumofhistory.org or the night of the event in the Museum Shop.
Written by playwright Rudy Wallace, artistic director of Voices in Concert, the drama begins when Truth and her son, Peter—both of whom are free—visit a farm in upstate New York, where three of her children are enslaved. They will be freed in six months, and Truth is making every effort to reunite her family when they receive their freedom. However, the children have other plans, which are not worthy ones. Truth is challenged to inspire them to dream of more for themselves as they await their freedom.
What is Readers’ Theater?
Like storytelling, Readers’ Theater is a format that stimulates the imagination and often leads to a powerful experience for the audience. Minimal stage props free the performers and the audience from the physical limitations of conventional theater, and narration serves as the framework of the dramatic presentation.
Come learn more about the inspirational life of Sojourner Truth at the Museum of History on March 2.

The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St. in Raleigh, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Burning Coal Theatre Company presents 'Two Buildings/One Heart'

Burning Coal Theatre Company teams up with the First Baptist Churches of Salisbury and Wilmington Streets in downtown Raleigh to present a play, “Two Buildings/One Heart: 200 Years of the First Baptists Churches of Raleigh” from Friday through Sunday, March 2 through 4. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, and Sunday, March 4. The first two performances will begin at the First Baptist Church located at 99 North Salisbury St. and the final two performances will begin at the First Baptist Church located at 109 S. Wilmington St. All performances are $10, and tickets may be purchased by calling (919) 834-4001. For more information, visit the website at www.burningcoal.org.

About the show
Raleigh was only 20 years old when First Baptist Church was established in 1812 with 23 members: 14 African-American and nine white. Burning Coal Theatre will explore the history of the church and the two congregations it became after the Civil War in a play to be performed Friday through Sunday, March 2 through 4, in the sanctuaries of the two churches, both of which face Capitol Square.
“Two Buildings/One Heart: 200 Years of the First Baptist Churches of Raleigh,” written by Burning Coal Education Director Ian Finley—along with Jerome Davis and Rebecca Wyrick—will bring together Burning Coal actors and a choir of singers from both congregations to tell the story of the churches’ origin and key moments from their histories.
Jerome Davis, artistic director of Burning Coal Theatre Company, said “When the two churches approached us about this, my eyes lit up! I couldn’t think of a more inherently dramatic or worthwhile story to tell. Working with these two congregations has been terrific, and getting to know more about their past histories has been a truly rewarding experience for me.”
Playwright Ian Finley (2012 Piedmont Laureate) was similarly thrilled with the prospect: “The storied history of the churches, spanning 200 years, was a natural fit for dramatization, especially when framed in the actual church buildings themselves.”
Four performances are scheduled. On Friday evening at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., the play will start in the sanctuary at 99 North Salisbury St. The 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday performances will begin in the sanctuary at 109 S. Wilmington St. At each performance, the audience will move to the other church at intermission.
Tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling Burning Coal at (919) 834-4001.

Burning Coal Theatre Company is Raleigh's small, professional theater. Burning Coal is an incorporated, non-profit [501 (c) (3)] organization. Burning Coal's mission is to produce literate, visceral, affecting theater that is experienced, not simply seen. Burning Coal produces explosive reexaminations of overlooked classic and modern plays, as well as new plays, whose themes and issues are of immediate concern to our audience, using the best local, national and international artists available. We work toward a theater of high-energy performances and minimalist production values. The emphasis is on literate works that are felt and experienced viscerally, unlike more traditional linear plays, at which audiences are most often asked to observe without participating. Race and gender non-specific casting is an integral component of our perspective, as well as an international viewpoint.

Program focuses on people of color in the American Revolution

During Black History Month, the N.C. Museum of History and the Sons of the American Revolution will present the program Return to Tradition highlighting a lesser-known fact about the American Revolution: significant numbers of people of color fought for the Patriots during the war.
This free program on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon in Raleigh features keynote speaker Brig. Gen. James Gorham, the first African American general in the N.C. Army National Guard. His talk will focus on these soldiers who served in integrated troops during the war for independence.
“Though nearly lost to history, these Patriots of color served as equals in the typical regiment of Continental soldiers,” said Earl Ijames, Curator at the N.C. Museum of History.

First African American in North Carolina Will Be Inducted Into SAR
Another program highlight will center on Raleigh resident Chaz Moore, whose enslaved ancestor, Tobias “Toby” Gilmore, fought for the Patriots in the American Revolution. During a brief installation ceremony, Moore will be the first African American in North Carolina inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution. He is a firefighter with the Raleigh Fire Department.
Moore’s ancestor was born in coastal West Africa as Shibodee Turrey Wurry. At age 16, around 1758, this son of a chieftain was kidnapped by slave traders and sent to Rhode Island aboard the slave ship Dove. He was purchased by Capt. John Gilmore of Massachusetts and became known as Tobias Gilmore. He enlisted in the Continental Army and fought in several major battles.
Learn more about this lesser-known, yet important, part of our nation’s history during Return to Tradition on Feb. 25 at the Museum of History.

Call for nominations for AASLH Leadership History Awards

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is seeking nominations of North Carolinians or North Carolina historical organizations that have excelled in the collection, preservation or interpretation of state and local history. Nominees will be considered for the Leadership in HistoryAwards, offered each year by the American Association for State and Local History.
The association bestows these awards annually to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards recognize exemplary work by federal, state or local historical societies, museums, institutions or agencies, or specialized societies in the areas of oral history, genealogy, folklore, archaeology, business history or others. Privately owned museums or foundations, individuals, junior historical societies and related agencies also may apply.
Winning North Carolina organizations in 2011 included the Greensboro Historical Museum, the University Library at UNC-Chapel Hill, the State Archives in Raleigh, the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo and the N.C. Museum of History.
Nominees do not have to be members of AASLH, and self-nominations are encouraged. Visit AASLH awards to download a nomination form and to learn more about the award guidelines and the documentation that must accompany the forms. Send nomination forms and other required information by March 1 to: Laura Ketcham, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 4610 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4610.
The American Association for State and Local History is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history.

Bennett Place holds lecture on African Americans' newly won freedom experiences

Words of the formerly enslaved will be shared in a lecture at Bennett Place State Historic Site on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The presentation, "The First Year of Freedom in North Carolina: Pursuing Freedom with the Hoe and the Sword, the Book and the Lord," by Dr. Reginald Hildebrand of UNC-Chapel Hill, will offer first-hand accounts based on his research.
Among experiences documented are reports of black soldiers entering Wilmington who participated in the Union capture of Fort Fisher in February 1865, the first July 4th celebration by the newly independent former slaves and recollections of a watch night service to mark both the New Year and the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The program, hosted by the Durham Civil War Roundtable and the Bennett Place Support Fund, is free to members and has a $5 fee for visitors. The lecture is part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
This and other special events at Bennett Place are funded and sponsored by the Bennett Place Support Fund, Inc., a nonprofit which provides additional funding to this historic site. For information, visit Bennett Place.

Burwell School hosts Sally Greene

The Hillsborough Literary Association will hold its February meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Burwell School Historic Site, 319 N. Churton St.
Sally Greene, J.D., Ph.D., associate director of the UNC Center for the Study of the American South, will give a lecture titled, “Judge Thomas Ruffin and the Shadows of Southern History.”
Hillsborough's own Thomas Ruffin—who served as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1833 to 1852—is considered by many to have been the most brilliant, most distinguished jurist in the state's history. Among legal historians, Ruffin is much less kindly regarded for having written the coldest and starkest defense of the brutality of slavery ever to appear in an American judicial opinion: State v. Mann (1829).
In tracing the ways in which these two conflicting depictions of the man have come down to us, Sally Greene will explore contemporary questions of the nature and uses of historical memory.
Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited. For more information, contact the Burwell School Historic Site at (919) 732.7451 or director@burwellschool.org.

Basket weaving workshop at Aycock birthplace

If you have ever admired hand woven baskets at craft shows and wanted to learn how to make one, the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site has a class for you. At the Basket Weaving Workshop Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 .a.m. to 3 p.m., you can make your own basket.
Local artist Ingrid Quick will teach participants how to make a simple open weave napkin basket. Participants will work on baskets from 10.a.m to noon then break for lunch. Guests may bring lunch or visit a local restaurant. The weaving will resume at 1 p.m.
Space is limited, and registration is required. There is a fee of $10 to for materials, which must be prepaid by Feb. 13. Call (919) 242-5581 or email aycock@ncdcr.gov to register.
The Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, located at 264 Governor Aycock Road in Fremont, interprets the life of a rural 1870s farm family in eastern North Carolina. Born is 1859, Aycock was elected North Carolina's governor in 1900. He was dedicated to education and the site features a one room schoolhouse moved there in 1961. It is part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Author to speak on a slave escape from a Durham plantation

In 1848, Mary Walker fled slavery and the plantation that is now Historic Stagville in Durham, leaving behind her son and daughter. She spent 17 years trying to recover her family.
Dr. Syd Nathans, professor emeritus with Duke University, tells of Walker's remarkable ordeal in the book "To Free A Family: The Journey of Mary Walker" at Historic Stagville on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m., and at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, on Monday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m. The programs are free.
The tale of Mary Walker is representative of the secret labors of hundreds of women escaping bondage and trying to reclaim their families in the South. The story is also the basis for the Addy Walker doll in the American Girl doll collection.
Two extraordinary collections provide the basis for the story—the letters and diaries of Walker's former North Carolina slaveholders and those of the northern family who protected and employed her. In spite of her persistence and the assistance of black and white abolitionists, she was not reunited with her children until the end of the Civil War.
The programs are sponsored by the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, whose mission is to preserve, protect and promote North Carolina's African American history, arts and culture for all people. The AAHC is affiliated with the Department of Cultural Resources.
For additional information call Michelle Lanier at (919) 477-7103. The Division of
State Historic Sites and the Division of State History Museums are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Learn about Charles Darwin and his legacy at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Why do oystercatchers have long, sharp bills? Why are chili peppers spicy? Why do servals (a kind of African wild cat) have such long legs? Come explore the answers to these questions and more at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Darwin Day, Saturday, Feb. 11. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will span the first three floors of the museum as well as outside in the Bicentennial Plaza. Visitors will learn more about Charles Darwin and his research as well as the legacy that he has left behind.
On the plaza, staff from the Conservators’ Center of Mebane will show off a serval and discuss the advantages that the cat has gained through evolutionary adaptations. Inside the museum, on the first through third floors, museum and visiting educators will be available to explain more about Darwinism, natural selection and research that has stemmed from Darwin’s original theories.
At 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium on the first floor, don’t miss keynote speaker Dr. Roland Kays, the museum’s new biodiversity and earth observation research lab director, at the new Nature Research Center and Chef Josh DeCarolis, from Jujube in Chapel Hill, in their combination lecture and cooking demo. Kays will discuss the evolution of chili peppers while DeCarolis demonstrates cooking methods incorporating those chilies. There will be samples provided for visitors to taste.
Windows on the World on the third floor will host two more speakers. At 2 p.m., Dr. William Kimler will discuss the “Discovery of Evolution.” At 3:30 p.m., Ted Simons will present “Adapting to Dynamic Environments: American Oystercatchers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.”
There will also be several fun activities for kids, including arts and crafts, button making and interactive exhibits about Darwin. For more information about Darwin Day, contact Bonnie Eamick at (919) 733-7450, ext. 554, or by email at bonnie.eamick@ncdenr.gov.

‘Visual mythologist’ Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier brings exhibition to Stone Center gallery

From Feb. 9 to April 30, the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will feature the work of artist Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier in an exhibition titled “Dry Run: Defining Determination, Testing Reconstruction.”
On display in the center’s Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum, Marshall-Linnemeier’s latest work uses the Penn Center papers and photographs held in the Southern Historical Collection of UNC’s Wilson Library.
As with previous work, “Dry Run” is inspired by her travels to Mound Bayou, Miss., the largest predominantly African American town in the United States. The exhibition explores notions of experimentation, reconstruction and the idea of self-determination through images of the experimental plantations set up by the Union government at Davis Bend (where the founders of Mound Bayou were enslaved) and Port Royal, during the Civil War.
Marshall-Linnemeier was inspired by the unique history of both places and how and by whom self-determination was defined.
She re-imagines the experimental plantation space by manipulating archival photographs that include stereographic images. Her visual narratives explore myth, spirituality and memory through vivid paintings, collages and textile works. She focuses on toural communities—rural agricultural communities that rely on and/or are developing tourism—urban enclaves and indigenous communities observing culturally significant connections that are often overlooked.
An honors graduate of the Atlanta College of Art (Presidential Scholar), Marshall-Linnemeier received a Master of Arts degree in Southern studies in 2005 from the University of Mississippi. She has received numerous awards and her work is held in various collections including the High Museum of Art in Altlanta, Atlanta University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
An opening reception for the exhibition featuring a talk by Marshall-Linnemeier will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Stone Center. The reception is free and open to the public.
“Dry Run: Defining Determination, Testing Reconstruction” will be on display through April 30. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. or by appointment. For information on the exhibition, call (919) 962-9001 or visit the website.

Chapel Hill Transit employees to perform the Rosa Parks story

The Rosa Parks story comes to life in the one-act play "Why Should I Move?" scheduled to be performed by Chapel Hill Transit employees at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, on a central corridor stage at the University Mall.
The free and public performance is being held in conjunction with Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. Rosa Parks was a central figure in Black History, as her courageous act of refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus helped spark the Civil Rights movement.
The play is a reenactment of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. The play is narrated by "old Rosa" talking to the audience 56 years after the event. Chapel Hill Transit bus operator Michele Sykes plays "old Rosa," and Sheila Neville plays "young Rosa." Other Chapel Hill Transit employees reenact the event as Old Rosa tells the story. Key performers include the bus driver, the white passenger who demanded that Rosa move, and the police officer who arrested her.
In addition to the play, an acapella vocal group of Chapel Hill Transit employees will use song to interpret the mood of the events.
The play was performed initially to celebrate the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and their connection to the town's values of respect at an employee celebration held at Hargraves Community Center. The University Mall performance was planned jointly by Chapel Hill Transit and the Chapel Hill Public Library. Special thanks is paid to Kathy Williams of UNC-Chapel Hill Playmakers Theater, who assisted town employees in preparing their roles, and to the theater for providing the costumes.

The Burwell School Historic Site re-opens for 2012

The Burwell School Historic Site, 319 N. Churton St., will re-opened today—Wednesday, Feb. 1—for the 2012 season. Free docent-led and self-guided tours of the buildings and grounds will resume during business hours: Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
The site’s free docent-led tours highlight life at the Burwell School from 1837 to 1857 when it was home to the Burwell family, the enslaved members of the Burwell household and the students of the Burwell's landmark school for young women.
To learn more about tours, special events and programs offered at the Burwell School Historic Site, visit www.burwellschool.org or call (919)732-7451.

February programs at the N.C. Museum of History

February is Black History Month, and several programs at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will highlight the experiences of African Americans in North Carolina and beyond. From a children’s program about educator Charlotte Hawkins Brown to a lively performance by blues musician Boo Hanks, there is something for all ages.
During another February program, watch out when the notorious pirate Blackbeard and his crew take the stage. Don’t miss the wild pirate dance, sea chanteys and more in the participatory play A Rollicking Tale of Blackbeard, Pirate of the Carolina Coast.
Admission is free unless otherwise noted. Parking is free on weekends. Take advantage of February programs at the Museum of History.

History Corner: The Correct Thing
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Ages: 6 to 9 with an adult
Cost: $1 per person
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Educator Charlotte Hawkins Brown taught not only the basics—reading, writing and arithmetic—but also polite behavior. Learn how knowing the proper etiquette benefited her students. The program is presented with Cameron Village Regional Library.

History Hunters: The Whirligig Man
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Ages: 10-13
Cost: $1 per person
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Learn about Wilson County craftsman Vollis Simpson and the park that is being created to show off his giant whirligigs. Make a small whirligig of your own.

African American History Tour
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Explore the lives and accomplishments of African American North Carolinians from the antebellum period to the Civil Rights era. For example, in the exhibit Behind the Veneer: Thomas Day, Master Cabinetmaker. Learn about this free man of color who owned and operated one of North Carolina’s largest cabinet shops prior to the Civil War. See approximately 70 pieces of furniture crafted by this accomplished artisan and entrepreneur from Milton, Caswell County.

A Rollicking Tale of Blackbeard, Pirate of the Carolina Coast
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Presented by Raleigh Little Theatre’s Storytellers to Go!
Join the adventure with Blackbeard and his crew. A wild pirate dance, storytelling, a sea chantey and puppets will draw you into this participatory play that is appropriate for all ages. Help the notorious Blackbeard search for his hidden treasure and the crew of his flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge. Along the way, meet interesting people that he knew and learn about North Carolina’s 18th-century coastal history. Judy M. Dove created the play.

Time for Tots: Clay Creations
When: Tuesday, Feb. 7 or Feb. 14, from 10 to 10:45 a.m.
Ages: 3 to 5 with adult
Cost: $1 per person
To register, call 919-807-7992.
People have been making items out of clay for thousands of years. Find out about North Carolina’s pottery traditions and make your own clay creation.

History à la Carte: Operation Dixie
When: Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 12:10 to 1 p.m.
Bring your lunch; beverages provided.
James Wrenn, Phoenix Historical Society
Nearly 10 years before the Montgomery bus boycott, black workers in eastern North Carolina campaigned for civil rights in tobacco warehouses. Discover how thousands organized and secured union contracts in nearly 30 leaf houses.

Music of the Carolinas: Boo Hanks
When: Sunday, Feb. 12, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Drawing from a deep musical well, Hanks showcases his virtuosity in the delicate finger-style guitar of classic Piedmont blues. The performance is presented with PineCone, with support from the N.C. Museum of History Associates, Williams Mullen and WLHC-FM/WLQC-FM.

Blue Ridge Parkway history now online

The history of the Blue Ridge Parkway, America's most-visited national park system site, is now online.
The new collection, "Driving Through Time: The Digital Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina," was created through a collaborative project based at the library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"Driving Through Time," available online, presents photographs, maps, news articles, oral histories and essays documenting development and construction of the parkway's North Carolina segment.
The site invites users to explore parkway history chronologically, geographically or by dozens of topics from access roads and automobiles to wildlife and workmen. An interactive maps feature layers historical maps atop current road maps and satellite images. The comparisons provide insight into the parkway's development and its impact on pre-parkway towns, farms, roads and topography.
The 469-mile parkway radically altered the landscape of 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties when it was built between 1934 and 1987, and its construction sparked intense controversy, said Anne Mitchell Whisnant, adjunct associate professor of history at UNC and the project's scholarly adviser.
Whisnant, author of the parkway history "Super-Scenic Motorway" (UNC Press, 2006) and the children's book "When the Parkway Came" (Primary Source Publishers, 2010), was often frustrated as she combed archives and historic documents and tried to translate conflicts about routing and land rights into words.
"I found myself thinking, 'If only I could see and show what and where they're talking about, it would be so much easier to explain the arguments,' " she said. "'Driving Through Time' makes the park's history visible and accessible to historians, planners, local communities, landowners and anyone who wants to know more about this American landmark."
At the heart of the project are thousands of items from three institutions that collaborated to create the site: The Wilson Special Collections Library at UNC; the Blue Ridge Parkway headquarters (a division of the National Park Service, located in Asheville); and the North Carolina State Archives.
Materials in the online collection include:
• Historic photographs showing construction of the parkway and images of communities it passed through;
• Maps depicting private land parcels purchased for the parkway, proposed alternate routes, landscape planning and the completed parkway;
• Letters and documents pertaining to the community of Little Switzerland in McDowell and Mitchell counties, which sued the parkway;
• Oral histories from parkway designers and laborers;
• Images by the late N.C. photographer Hugh Morton, depicting the parkway as it passed Grandfather Mountain, which he owned.
Eleven essays share more insight into the building of the parkway and its impact. Whisnant and her students wrote about issues including competition between the tourism and logging industries, the parkway's impact on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and selection of the parkway route.
Also included are K-12 lesson plans that faculty from the School of Education developed to help students use the site's extensive primary source materials and interpretive essays.
"Driving Through Time" was made possible by a $150,000 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services under provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, as administered by the State Library of North Carolina.

N.C. Sports Hall of Fame announces 2012 inductees

The 2012 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame honorees chronicled sports; played high school, college and professional football; played and coached basketball in college and in the pros; coached and played baseball and basketball in college; officiated college football; water-skied; played basketball for a NCAA championship team; and coached high school football.
The eight new members are Wilt Browning, Wray Carlton, M. L. Carr, Sam Esposito, Dr. Jerry McGee, Kristi Overton Johnson, Lennie Rosenbluth and Henry Trevathan.
They will be enshrined at the 49th annual induction banquet on the evening of Thursday, May 10, in the main ballroom of the North Raleigh Hilton.
“The achievements of this year’s class of inductees enrich our state’s remarkable sports heritage, and they certainly earned the honor of joining the 281 men and women previously enshrined,” said Dr. Janie Brown, president of the hall.
Banquet ticket information is available at www.ncsportshalloffame.org or by calling (919) 845-3455.
The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1962. The permanent exhibit is located on the third floor of the North Carolina Museum of History on Jones Street in downtown Raleigh. The exhibit features significant artifacts donated by all the inductees. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

WILT BROWNING
Five times Browning was honored as Sportswriter of the Year in North Carolina (1982, 1985, 1988, 1990and 1993). He is a former sports editor and longtime sports columnist for the Greensboro News & Record. During his newspaper career, he was the first major league beat writer for the Atlanta Journal, covering the Atlanta Braves through the team’s first six seasons in the South. He wrote the first story in which Hank Aaron said that he had set his sights on the Babe Ruth home run record, thus sparking a nationwide watch that lasted for more than two years. He also spent five years as the public relations director for the Atlanta Falcons and one year in the same capacity for the Baltimore Colts before returning to the newspaper business in Greensboro. Browning ended his newspaper career as the sports editor and columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times. He is a member of the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame and the author of seven books.

WRAY CARLTON
Carlton made a name for himself as a high school star in Wallace, NC, before entering Duke University in 1955. As a running back at Duke, he shattered the legendary Ace Parker’s rushing and scoring records and set the ACC single-game scoring record of 26 points against Virginia — and he only played a half. He also scored all of Duke’s points against Rice, Clemson and Carolina while leading the Blue Devils into the Orange Bowl and a date with Oklahoma. As a high school star, Carlton turned down a chance to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates to play shortstop. He had scored 48 points in a basketball game and six touchdowns in a football game. As a pro, the two-time All-ACC performer also was a two-time All-AFL selection. As part of a rushing tandem with Cookie Gilchrist, Carlton played a key role in the Bills’ 1964 and 1965 AFL titles. As a pro, Carlton had 3,368 yards rushing, 1,329 yards receiving and scored 34 touchdowns.

M.L. CARR
At Wallace-Rose Hill High School, Carr ran track barefooted because he could afford only one pair of shoes — basketball shoes. Before his playing career ended, Carr had run to the top levels of the sport and, along the way, had played a key role in winning a storybook national championship for Guilford College. Carr became a pro star, playing a dozen years in the NBA and the ABA, and is best-known for his years with the Boston Celtics, the team he would later serve as general manager and, briefly, as coach. He was a key element in the Celtics’ 1980-81 and 1983-84 NBA championship teams. If one moment can capsulize a long career, for Carr that moment came in Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals, when he made a steal and cashed it in with a thundering dunk that sealed the victory for the Celtics and became the key to the title.

SAM ESPOSITO
Esposito played in the major leagues for 10 years with the Chicago White Sox including 1959 when the South Siders won the American League pennant and played in the World Series. In 1967, he was named baseball coach at N.C. State, where the team had won 20 games just one time since 1908. For 21 years under Esposito’s direction, the Wolfpack never suffered a losing season. His team won a program-record 513 games and he coached 69 All-ACC players and seven All-Americans. At N.C. State, he also coached 12 players who made it to the major leagues, including four who played in the big leagues for at least ten years. His 1968 team won the ACC championship and the NCAA District III title and finished third in the College World Series. His teams also took three straight league titles in 1973-1975. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1986.

Dr. JERRY McGEE
In a football officiating career that lasted more than 40 years, Dr. McGee ascended to the pinnacle of the college game. In fact, Jerry was the referee in the 2009 BCS championship game between Oklahoma and Florida, the last game at which he wore both the white hat and the striped shirt. When he retired after that game, Jerry had worked 405 games in his career and was awarded the “300 Games” plaque, the only such award ever presented by the Atlantic Coast Conference. More than 300 of his assignments came at the Division 1-A level, a number believed to be a record for NCAA referees. A former four-sport letterman at Rockingham High School (Class of 1961), Jerry began his officiating career at the high school level in 1967 and earned state playoff assignments every season before moving to the Carolinas Conference and the South Atlantic Conference. He worked 20 post-season bowl games including three with bearings on the national championship. He was a college baseball player at East Carolina University and was a golf and basketball coach at Richmond County Community College. Since 1992, he has been president of Wingate University. He has served on a number of national committees dealing with college athletics. He is a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON
The Greenville native has been a competitive water skier for more than 30 years. She began to compete at age 5 and captured state, regional and national records before turning pro at 13. As a pro, she has been the World Record Holder since 1992. In women’s slalom, she has 80 professional victories and has captured the No. 1 world ranking in the event, which is more than any other woman. Kristi won the U.S. Masters eight times and the U.S. Open four times. She traveled throughout the world setting records as a World Champion, World Cup Champion, Pan American and U.S. Pro Tour championships and also won the British, French, Italian, Australian and Austrian Masters titles. She was away from competitive skiing for five years while she underwent 10 major surgeries to repair a congenital hip deformity, and she stunned the skiing world by returning as a competitor in 2008 in the U.S. Masters.

LENNIE ROSENBLUTH
Rosenbluth now lives in Chapel Hill, where in the mid-1950s he and the University of North Carolina basketball team made history with an undefeated season and a national championship victory over Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain. The New York City native led the Tar Heels in scoring in his first varsity season and still holds the school record for points in a season (895) and scoring average in a single season (28.0). He averaged 28 points a game in the 1957 NCAA Tournament and got 20 against Chamberlain’s Jayhawks. He was named in 2002 to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary men’s team and was selected to the “All-Decade Final Four” team for the 1950s. Rosenbluth is a member of the Helms College Basketball Hall of Fame and is regarded by many as one of the 100 greatest college basketball players of all time. He is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

HENRY TREVATHAN
Trevathan coached Wilson Fike to three consecutive 4-A state football championships in 1967-69. He also was head coach at Rocky Mount High School and an assistant coach at N.C. State. He coached at every level of competition, including midget, junior high, junior varsity, varsity, college freshmen, college varsity and professional, and only missed one practice (for a family funeral) in more than a half century of work. He coached quarterbacks, offensive backs, defensive backs, wide receivers and special team members in 10 years on the staff at East Carolina University, then spent nine years on Dick Sheridan’s staff at N.C. State. There, as the special teams coach, Trevathan developed five All-ACC kickers and punters, two All-Americans and one Lou Groza Award winner, all of them originally walk-ons at N.C. State. In retirement, Henry became a valued volunteer assistant at Bridgewater College in Virginia and was the school’s first recipient of the Soaring Eagle Award. He is a three-time North Carolina Coach of the Year Award winner at the 4-A level.

For further details about the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, call (919) 845-3455 or go to www.ncsportshalloffame.org. For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or visit www.ncmuseumofhistory.org.
The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Lecture at the state capitol explores decorative arts of the Executive Mansion

On Saturday, Jan. 21, learn the stories behind some of the Executive Mansion's furniture and artifacts with Maria Shevzov, acting curator of decorative arts at the N.C. Museum of History and North Carolina's Executive Mansion. The free lecture takes place at 1 p.m. in the old House Chamber.
In this multimedia presentation, Shevzov will introduce several objects from the collection to discuss the medium, the use of the object and the private lives of the public families who used these items.
When the Executive Mansion was completed in 1891, high construction costs limited the amount of money that remained for the purchase of furnishings. Daniel Fowle, the first governor to inhabit the residence, brought his own furniture and thus set a precedent for future First Families until adequate furnishings could be acquired. Over the next 70 years, the mansion was furnished with a mix of personal pieces and furniture purchased by the state as funding allowed.
In 1965, First Lady Jeanelle C. Moore appointed an Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee to raise funds for Mansion furnishings. EMFAC is tasked with preserving and maintaining the mansion as a unique architectural treasure—a historic house and home. It also is responsible for acquiring historical and artistic objects for use in the mansion. It works with the First Family and the Secretary of Cultural Resources to ensure the continued use of this historic treasure by and for the people of North Carolina.
The State Capitol's mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and functions of the 1840 building and Union Square. The capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington Streets. For more information, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol or call (919) 733-4994.