The five national parks on North Carolina’s coast saw a total direct visitor spending in 2022 of nearly $724, yielding an economic output of around $964 million.
culture and history
The trouble at the Woodville convict labor camp
Historian David Cecelski shares an excerpt about a brief strike in April 1935 at a convict labor camp in Perquimans County from Dr. Susan Thomas’ dissertation that examines the history of the largely African American chain gangs that built public roads in the early 20th century.
Meeting rescheduled for Hammocks Beach history project
The town hall meeting rescheduled for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 14 in Swansboro will begin with an hourlong open house followed by a presentation on the Office of State Archaeology project to survey Hammocks Beach State Park.
Gullah Geechee-inspired art exhibit on display until Aug. 30
Part of the Victoria Smalls Gullah Geechee Art Collection “Da Wada Brought Us and Kept Us,” will be on display through Aug. 30 at the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site
Oral histories hold key to recording environmental change
A rising junior at UNC Chapel Hill, Tara Hinton has spent her summer listening to oral histories and researching how Down East Carteret County residents are responding to changes in the environment.
National Aviation Day Aug. 19 at Wright Brothers Memorial
Enjoy free admission, ranger-led programs and an outdoor movie on National Aviation Day, Aug. 19 at Wright Brothers National Memorial.
The migrants in potato fields during the Great Depression
Historian David Cecelski discovers a chapter in eastern NC’s history about the migrant farm workers that harvested crops in the 1930s and ’40s while exploring Farm Security Administration photographs at the Library of Congress.
17 acres along Chowan River in Bertie County now protected
The 16.86-acre property known as Point Comfort that features 85- to 90-foot bluffs overlooking the Chowan River in Bertie County will be managed as a nature preserve.
The sand waves of Hatteras: ‘on a mission of death’
After adventurous New York journalist John Randolph Spears undertook to visit Cape Hatteras in spring 1890, he wrote of miles and miles of deadly sand waves that threatened to swallow islanders and their homes.
Ghost forest education focal point of public science project
A public science project at Cape Lookout National Seashore is part of a bigger communication effort to have a conversation about what ghost forests represent.
Details emerge on plans for Fort Raleigh’s interpretive trail
The seven exhibits along the Freedom Trail will interpret various aspects of the Black experience on Roanoke Island.
At the Boundary between Land and Sea: Coastal life in 1909
Historian David Cecelski examines the story behind a July 1909 image of men loading watermelons onto a freight boat from the Bogue Sound shore.
Gov. Cooper appoints new board, commission members
Among the dozens of appointments to state boards and commissions Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced Monday, several of the appointees are coastal residents or will serve on boards that affect the coast.
Core Sound shrimp fry July 8 to thank community leaders
All active military, veterans, healthcare workers, teachers and school staff, first responders and line workers can register online now for their complimentary shrimp plate.
State to honor Jockey’s Ridge advocate with marker
The late Carolista Fletcher Baum will be recognized for her role in preserving Jockey’s Ridge with a North Carolina Historical Marker that will be dedicated during a ceremony July 7 in Nags Head.
Coastal historic, cultural sites ready for Fourth of July
Numerous N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources sites on the coast have special events planned to commemorate Independence Day.
