Joan Collins, director of outreach and education with the Pea Island Preservation Society Inc., relates how she happened to meet Johnnie Van Willis of Marshallberg and the discovery of what their two families have in common.
Our Coast
First document to declare independence celebrated in Halifax
The first official action taken toward Independence by any colony was commemorated this past weekend with numerous dignitaries and more than 300 turning out for “Halifax Resolves Days.”
Ocracoke decoy festival to highlight Eddie O’Neal’s carvings
Lifelong waterman and islander Eddie O’Neal is the featured carver for this year’s Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival Friday and Saturday in the Ocracoke School gym.
Dare’s A250 Faire to honor ‘Liberty, Legacy and Lift-Off’
Dare County’s A250 Committee has planned two celebrations for Saturday in Manteo as part of its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The day Mrs. N.F. Harper sang ‘Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior’
Historian David Cecelski reflects on the interviews from the oral history project, “Preserving the African American Experience in Pamlico County, North Carolina,” which he calls “an invaluable historical record of life on the North Carolina coast throughout the 20th century.”
‘Black Church Crawl’ to be immersive, historic experience
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridors’ North Carolina Summit is offering an immersive tour highlighting the history of Black churches in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
Halifax to mark colonies’ first big step toward independence
Historic Halifax State Historic Site is commemorating Friday through Sunday the 250-year anniversary of North Carolina taking the first official action of any colony to call for independence of British rule.
Our Coast: At the Whales, Whaling Symposium in Beaufort
Historian and author David Cecelski writes about the talk he gave earlier this month on bottlenose dolphin fishery at Hatteras Island during the annual Whale and Whaling Symposium in Beaufort.
Tea parties too: Edenton, Wilmington women protested tax
Through boycotts and burning, women in Wilmington and Edenton took a stand in 1774 against England’s taxation without representation by forming their own tea party protests, the earliest-known political actions organized by women in the American colonies.
1,000 pounds of flounder, deep roots grew ‘epic’ family legacy
For the Rose sisters in Beaufort, the “calling” of the family fish house and seafood restaurant means long hours, scars on their hands and a defiant refusal to let the commercial fishing way of life slip away.
Rainy remembrance marks Revolution’s first decisive win
The commemoration of the first notable patriot victory of the Revolutionary War held recently at Moores Creek National Battlefield in Pender County featured reenactors, a ribbon-cutting for two exhibits, and special guest, Diana Gabaldon, creator of “Outlander.”
Historian reflects on 1898 to 1900 white supremacy movement
Historian and author David Cecelski writes about giving a lecture at Duke Law School on the history of the white supremacy movement of 1898 to 1900 and how it shaped our political system, our society, and our legal system here in North Carolina.
Saved from demolition, Rosenwald School still needs help
The National Register of Historic Places-listed structure was described in 2016 as the only graded public school that, from the 1920s-1950s, served both local African American and Native American students in the Pleasant Plains community.
Beaufort Maritime Museum reopens after yearlong closure
While the museum was closed to the public, staff revamped the inside and added new exhibits that highlight the state’s role in the Revolutionary War and recreation on the coast.
Moses Grandy’s eventual freedom came at great cost
Second of two parts: Moses Grandy, born enslaved in Camden County, made three attempts to purchase his freedom, and he secured his family’s freedom, too.
Enslaved in Camden County, Moses Grandy knew its cruelty
A highway marker erected last fall honors Moses Grandy of Camden County, whose life story helped elevate understanding of the institution’s brutality and increase calls for its abolition.
