The long, challenging restoration of one of the oldest African American buildings in southeastern North Carolina is finally complete, albeit after the death of one who spent the last 15 years of his life fighting to preserve it.
culture and history
AME Zion leader Cartwright left mark on Albemarle area
Born in Elizabeth City in the early 1830s, Andrew Cartwright established African American churches in northeastern North Carolina, was an agent of the American Colonization Society and the first missionary to Liberia.
Lockwood Folly has a name as unique as its history
Wake Tech Community College history instructor Eric Medlin dives into the possibilities of how the river and inlet in Brunswick County earned its name.
Freedom Trail tells of Roanoke’s formerly enslaved people
Kip Tabb, an Outer Banks resident who reports for Coastal Review and other area publications, documents his walk along the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site’s Freedom Trail, which is lined with interpretive signs that illustrate the history of the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island.
African Americans in seafood industry heart of new exhibit
The exhibit debuting March 9 on Harkers Island features the ongoing NC Catch initiative that highlights African Americans in the state seafood industry.
Lace up for the April 5 Core Sound Run on Harkers Island
The annual 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run usually bring together more than 400 participants of all ages and speeds.
WWII all-Black women’s unit focus of Feb. 20 program
The legacy of the all-Black World War II Women’s Army Corps unit, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, will be highlighted during a Feb. 20 New Hanover County Black History Month recognition program.
Late civil rights attorney James Walker Jr. to be honored
A North Carolina Highway Historical Marker is to be erected in recognition of civil rights attorney, the late James Walker Jr., in his hometown of Ahoskie.
‘Words matter’: Accepted ‘pocosin’ definition unsupported
Duke University researcher Dr. Ryan Emanuel has found no documented evidence behind the long-used English translation of the Eastern Algonquian as a “swamp on a hill.”
Bertie native, NCCU dean: Coastal identity a cultural blend
Dr. Arwin Smallwood of North Carolina Central University says in the eastern part of the state particularly, Native, African and European cultures are blended into a shared identity “forged over hundreds of years.”
Working Lives: The Herring Fisheries at Plymouth 1939
Using photos taken in 1939, historian David Cecelski illustrates the final days of two of the oldest herring seine fisheries on the North Carolina coast.
Fort Raleigh reschedules shoreline stabilization meeting
Like the meeting originally planned for Jan. 23, which was postponed because of winter weather conditions, the Feb. 12 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in Fort Raleigh’s visitor center in Manteo, National Park Service officials announced Wednesday.
Ocean City Community Beach talk, lunch set for Feb. 13
The Historical Society of Topsail Island has invited Kenneth Chestnut to speak Feb. 13 about “Ocean City Community Beach, NC Past and Present” at its next Luncheon and Lecture program.
Fort Anderson to mark anniversary of capture by US forces
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site in Winnabow is offering a day of living history at no charge and a ticketed nighttime reenactment of the 1865 bombardment and evacuation of the fort.
El’s Drive-In rebuilds, reopens, rekindling fond memories
It’s back, and if you didn’t realize it was gone, well, you must be among the few ’round these parts unacquainted with the tiny Morehead City burger joint that’s been a favorite for locals and visitors alike for 69 years.
Pea Island groups seeks feedback, lifesaving station stories
The Pea Island Preservation Society is hosting a special program next month to receive feedback and collect more stories about the Pea Island Lifesaving Service station.

















