Historic Sites Commemorate 140Th Anniversary of Joint Annual
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Carolina Comments Published Quarterly by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History Historic Sites Commemorate 140th Anniversary of VOLUME 54, NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2006 Joint Annual Meeting Highlighted by Papers on Zebulon Vance On Friday, November 18, members of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Asso- ciation (NCLHA) and the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies (FNCHS) held their annual joint meeting in Raleigh. Both the afternoon and evening sessions featured scholarly presentations on Gov. Zebulon B. Vance in the context of Civil War and Recon- struction history. The evening program culminated with the announcement of the North Carolina Book Awards for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and juvenile literature, and the award- ing of certificates to the year’s outstanding historical organizations. Kevin Cherry, chairman of the FNCHS, welcomed attendees to the auditorium of the Archives and History/State Library Building. The first order of business was the presenta- tion of the 2005 Student Publication Awards, presided over by John Batchelor of Greens- boro. First place in the high school division of the literary magazine competition went to Providence High School of Charlotte for its publication, Roars and Whispers, with second place going to W. G. Enloe High School of Raleigh for Stone Soup. Third place resulted in a tie Lindley Butler (right) was honored with the 2005 Christopher Crittenden Memorial Award at the joint annual meeting of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association and the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies on November 18. Jerry Cashion (left), chairman of the North Carolina Historical Commission, made the presentation. All images by the Office of Archives and History unless otherwise indicated. A Message from the Deputy Secretary Everyone knows that museums and historic sites are favorite destinations of teachers and schoolchildren as well as of cultural tourists. Indeed, the North Carolina Museum of History recently was named one of the top ten cultural tourism sites in the state. More than two million patrons visited the Department of Cultural Resources’ historic sites and museums last year. Often overlooked are the educational programs con- ducted throughout the Office of Archives and History. Most people are familiar with the numerous special events scheduled each month at historic sites and museums. Many programs, espe- cially living history demonstrations, are designed for schoolchildren. The Tar Heel Junior Historian program under the direction of Suzanne Mewborn of the North Carolina Museum of History boasts more than five thousand active students. Archives and History also organizes, sponsors, and hosts National History Day for sixth through twelfth graders. Jo Ann Williford, who serves as state coordinator of the event, is chair of the Executive Council of State Coordinators, a gratifying endorse- ment of Jo Ann’s and North Carolina’s leadership in that program. But adult education is also an important part of the mission of Archives and His- tory. Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens sponsors a decorative arts symposium every March. The North Carolina Museum of History holds teachers’ institutes each summer, and in recent years, with major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the museum has hosted national teachers’ workshops. The work- shops have focused on free black cabinetmaker Thomas Day and the interpretation of between Providence Day School of Charlotte for Pendragon and Northern Vance High School of Henderson for Crinkum-Crankum. LeRoy Martin Middle School of Raleigh was honored with first place in the middle school division for Illusions. Second place was awarded to first-time entrant Christ Covenant School of Winterville for Soli Deo Gloria, and third place went to Seventy-First Classical Middle School of Fayetteville for The Classical Quill. On behalf of the Historical Society of North Carolina, Joe A. Mobley presented the R. D. W. Connor Award in recognition of the best article to appear in the North Carolina Historical Review during the preceding year. The winner was Chris Myers Asch, affiliated with the Sunflower County Education Project in Sunflower, Mississippi, for “White Free- dom Schools: The White Academy Movement in Eastern North Carolina, 1954-1973,” which appeared in the October 2004 issue of the review. Winner of the 2005 Hugh T. Lefler Award for the best paper written by an undergraduate student was Brendan Mullen of the University of North Carolina at Asheville for “The Trials of Wilbur Hobby: ‘Everything I Did, I Did for the Union.’ ” The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Award for Juvenile Litera- ture, presented annually since 1953, went to Carole Boston Weatherford of Fayetteville for her book, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2004). The award was presented to Ms. Weatherford, winner of the prize in 2002, by Joanne Hill of Maysville, president of the North Carolina Chapter of the AAUW. 2 CAROLINA COMMENTS A Message from the Deputy Secretary (continued) African American history. Teachers from as far away as Hawaii have taken the lessons learned in North Carolina back to their students. The State Historic Preservation Office offers training to local historic preservation commissions as well as many other consultative services. These workshops help communities become Certified Local Governments, making them eligible for federal preservation grants. In November 2005, the Historic Preservation Office sponsored a two-day workshop in Halifax County on the preservation of historic Rosenwald schools. Recently, the State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB), with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, has held a series of workshops across the state. The sessions were aimed at local historical societies and libraries to introduce them to the acquisition, arrangement and description, care, and conservation of manuscripts, photographs, and non-textual records. Periodic assessments of the condition of documents throughout the state have revealed the persistent need for training in smaller institutions. Archival boot camps and interme- diate workshops provided introductory and more advanced training. The sessions were well received and well attended. The Society of North Carolina Archivists will continue to sponsor the archival boot camps, while the SHRAB hopes to extend its intermediate workshops into other areas such as disaster preparedness. The hard lessons learned in New Orleans and along the Gulf coast exposed the need for all cultural institutions to prepare for emergency conditions. The SHRAB is an extension of the professional services provided by the Archives and Records Section. The educational outreach provided by the Office of Archives and History serves all the citizens of North Carolina, from elementary school to retirement. Jeffrey J. Crow Jeffrey J. Crow, deputy secretary of the Office of Archives and History, presented an American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Award of Merit to the Levine Museum of the New South for the Courage Project. Accepting the award for the museum was Jennifer Gaisbauer. An AASLH Certificate of Commendation went to Betty Reed of Brevard for her book, The Brevard Rosenwald School: Black Education and Community Build- ing in a Southern Appalachian Town, 1920-1966. In the first of three afternoon presentations, Joe A. Mobley of Raleigh addressed “ ‘War Governor of the South’: Zeb Vance in the Confederacy.” After a break, Terrell A. Crow of North Carolina State University spoke about women during Recon- struction, highlighting the life and writings of Mary Bayard Clarke. Chris Myers Asch (left) receives the R. D. W. Connor Award for the best article to appear in the North Carolina Historical Review during 2004. Joe A. Mobley (right), former administrator of the Historical Publications Section, presents the award. VOLUME 54, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 2006 3 The final afternoon speaker was Gordon McKinney of Berea College, who dedicated his talk to the third gubernatorial term of Vance, extend- ing from 1877 to 1879. The lectures were followed by a brief business meet- ing of the NCLHA, presided over by association president James W. Clark of North Carolina State University. Later that evening, after a social hour and dinner, President Clark wel- comed the approximately eighty-five guests to the auditorium of the North Carolina Museum of History. Paul D. The Levine Museum of the New South was named Escott of Wake Forest University then the winner of an Award of Merit from the American delivered the third annual Keats and Association for State and Local History. On behalf of Elizabeth Sparrow Keynote Address. the Charlotte-based museum, Jennifer Gaisbauer (right) accepted the honor from Jeffrey J. Crow (left), deputy In his talk, titled “ ‘To Get Liberty, secretary of the Office of Archives and History. You Must First Lose It’: The Milita- rized Confederacy,” Escott argued that citizens in the Confederate States of America lived in the most militarized society in North American history, exemplified by conscription laws, seizure of goods, suspension of habeas corpus, and the contemplated take-over of the civilian government by the military. Award presentations resumed after the lecture, beginning with the announcement by Kevin Cherry of the Albert Ray Newsome Awards, bestowed annually by the FNCHS to the historical organizations in North Carolina judged to have conducted