Carolina Comments VOLUME 61, NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2013 Perdue Makes Donation to the History Museum On December 31, 2012, North Carolina Museum of History staff carefully wrapped Governor Beverly Perdue’s heavily carved desk, placed it on a rolling table, and pushed it across Union Square and Edenton Street to the museum where it will join that institution’s permanent collection. The desk is part of a group of items she recently gave to the museum. The State Capitol Historic Site, the N.C. Museum of Art, and the N.C. Museum of History— all part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources—help preserve and maintain the official state furnishings used by the governors in the Capitol and the Executive Mansion. Each incoming governor selects items from special collections maintained by these institutions and combines them with items of their own to furnish his or her office in the State Capitol and the living areas of the Executive Mansion. Upon departing office, each governor donates items that help document his or her time in office to these collections. Some of these items—including Governor Perdue’s veto stamp—are on view as part of the Leading the State exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History. A general article about the exhibit appears later in this issue. Above: The desk pre-move in the governor’s office. Right: Protecting the desk for a safe move. For the Record Transitions The Office of Archives and History has been particu- larly busy these last few weeks helping with the transition from one gubernatorial administration to the next. Historic Sites staff, led by Division Director Keith Hardison, have spearheaded these efforts. The State Capi- tol Historic Site staff and Site Manager Deanna Mitchell have helped elected officials and advisers move out of their stately home and new leaders move in. They also helped plan the ceremonies surrounding the swearing in of the governor’s cabinet, the Council of State, and the governor. They even made sure that there was a stand-by sound man and plumber in the Capitol for these important public events. A range of units from various sites and commissions took part in the Department of Cul- tural Resources contingent in the Inaugural Parade (Tryon Palace’s Fife and Drum and Jonkonnu units, Fort Dobbs’s militia, a cannon and militia unit from Alamance Battleground, an antique fire truck and Highway Patrol car from the North Carolina Transportation Museum, the War of 1812 Honor Guard from various sites, and Roanoke Island Festival Park’s Silver Chalice boat and crew, among others). Tryon Palace staff, led by Acting Director Philippe Lafargue, hosted Governor McCrory’s eastern regional visit that was held between the private swearing-in and public inauguration. The Division of State Archives and Records, led by State Archivist Sarah Koonts, has made sure that records of departing officials have been appropriately transferred. Her staff provided reference and research services to various planning committees—including coming in during the holidays to provide copies of films from previous inaugurations. Archives staff also helped select the historic Bibles that were used in the oath taking, and, as caretaker of the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina (which resides in the governor’s office), State Archivist Koonts took part in the private, “Transfer of the Seal Ceremony,” which is held just before the governor takes the Oath of Office. Archives’ photographers were on hand to document these and other transition activities. The Division of Historical Resources, led by Dr. David Brook, provided research reports on previous inaugurations and the state seal to the inaugural committee. And the North Carolina Museum of History, led by Ken Howard, mounted its always popular Governor’s Exhibit, which is updated and re-opened every four years to coincide with gubernatorial inaugurations. This year’s exhibit Leading the State: North Carolina’s Governors will run through April 28, 2013. Filled with artifacts that include personal items, clothing, and portraits, Leading the State highlights the changes in the office of governor and the role of first spouses. The exhibit also focuses on how governors have campaigned and been elected. In addition to this exhibit, the Museum of History also accessioned a number of gifts from Governor Perdue to help document her time in office and has worked with Governor McCrory’s staff to decorate and equip the Executive Mansion living quarters and office in the State Capitol. These activities are just a few of the ways, we, as the office of the state’s memory, have helped support that crucial mechanism of democracy and all-too-rare occurrence in the history of human- kind: the peaceful transfer of power. The ceremonies, receptions, parade, and even the switching of furniture and decorative items in official spaces symbolize and celebrate the people’s ability to select their own leaders. Sometimes it is too easy to take self-government for granted. Sometimes it is too easy to simply chalk up these transitions to just a bunch of bunting and fifes and few recited words along the way to another Monday, another day behind the desk or counter. But those of us in charge of maintaining the records of history--the speeches and argumentative letters of political leaders, the artifacts of slaves and soldiers, the sites where those political leaders were formed, those slaves toiled, and those soldiers fought—we know how tenuous the birth of self-government was, and we know the steep cost of preserving it. That’s something worth moving a few antiques for, not to mention finding a stand-by plumber for a weekend event. A Transition for Carolina Comments, as well With this, the issue that covers the close of 2012, we bid a fond farewell to a format that has served Carolina Comments well for decades. A few years ago, this publication ceased to be dis- tributed in paper form due to the cost of printing and shipping, but we continued to design the publication as a print document so that, once printed by those who wished to do so, it would still be compatible with earlier editions. This has meant that we have created a print document and used electronic means to share it. Many publications have moved through this “middle-ground” between fully print and fully electronic documents during the last few years. It is now time for Carolina Comments to take full advantage of digital media. In the next few months, we will be revising the the Office of Archives and History newsletter, which has done so much to communi- cate office-wide information to our supporters, while also creating a record of the Office’s many activities. With a more social media-based version of Carolina Comments, we hope to better inform our current supporters while reaching new audiences with a Web-based production that will enjoy new capabilities such as the occasional incorporation of audio and video. All of us at the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources’ Office of Archives and History are looking forward to the next chapter in the life of our old friend, Carolina Comments. Archived issues will remain avail- able at the Historical Publications website. Kevin Cherry Lower Cape Fear in the War of 1812 Symposium On Saturday, October 20, 2012, at the Community Center, Southport, N.C., state and local scholars presented information about North Carolina’s Lower Cape Fear region in the War of 1812. The content was relevant to academics, historians, archaeologists, re-enactors, genealogists, and the general public. After a welcome by Keith Hardison, director, Division of State Historic Sites and Properties, five seminars were presented in the center: “Fort Johnston in the War of 1812,” Jim McKee, his- toric interpreter, BrunswickTown/Fort Anderson State Historic Site; “North Carolina Gunboats,” Jim Greathouse, historic interpreter, Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum; “Life in the Lower Cape Fear Region in the Age of Fashion, Romance, and War,” Becky Sawyer, historic interpreter III, Fort Fisher State Historic Site; “Captain Johnston Blakely,” Andrew Dupp- stadt, assistant curator of education, Division of State Historic Sites; and “N.C. Soldiers in the War of 1812,” Jeff Bockert, East Region supervisor, Division of State Historic Sites. After the program, Jeff Bockert and historic re-enactors conducted a memorial service on the garrison lawn for Fort Johnston War of 1812 soldiers. In addition, living history demonstrations took place throughout the day on the grounds of his- toric Fort Johnston. Historic interpreters represented American soldiers and sailors, British soldiers, civilians, and performed musket demonstrations, camp life, children’s games, camp crafts, and more. The program and combined events, attended by approximately 150 individuals, were sponsored by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (DCR) War of 1812 Bicentennial Planning Com- mittee, N.C. Division of State Historic Sites, the N.C. Society of the United States Daughters of 1812, N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport, City of Southport, and the Lower Cape Fear in the War of 1812 Committee—chaired by Jeff Bockert. Among the symposium participants and attendees were (left to right): Jeff Bockert; Becky Sawyer; Kathleen Stickel, volunteer re-enactor; and David Brook, co-chair of the DCR War of 1812 Bicentennial Planning Committee. Photograph courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Asheville Meeting of North Carolina Literary and Historical Association On Friday, November 18, members of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association (NCLHA) convened in Asheville for their annual meeting. The session culminated the two-day “New Voyages to Carolina” conference at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, cospon- sored by that institution, by Western Carolina University, and by the Office of Archives and History.