Durham’s Fascinating Civil War Stories

April 2015 marks 150^th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. In light of such a historic time, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) has relaunched civilwardurham.com to highlight the intriguing events that took place in Durham during that era, many of which were of great importance for both the region and the country.

There are three State Historic Sites in Durham, and each of them has a unique tie to the Civil War. Stagville was one of the largest plantations in the South, reaching its peak just before the war started. Such a large plantation was a rarity in this part of North Carolina, and the trials the enslaved population faced are an important indicator of what happened to African-American families after slavery ended.

Bennett Place was just a small farmhouse at the time, but through historical accident it was also the site where two of the war’s most famed generals, Confederate Joseph Johnston and Unionist William T. Sherman, sat down after years of fighting one another to negotiate a peace. The machinations of their attempts show the political struggles the country faced, and the surrender they agreed upon was the largest of the war, marking the effective end of hostilities.

Finally, Duke Homestead was the home Washington Duke returned to after his time as a solider and prisoner of war. It is where he began his tobacco company that would later become one of the largest in the world, ushering Durham into the industrial age.

Combined, these tales make clear Durham’s national importance in the Civil War. More information about these stories, their legacy, and visiting the three historic sites today can all be found at online.

A Source for Durham’s African-American Heritage

Durham has a long and proud African-American history, from the African Americans living and working here today to the leaders of Hayti and Black Wall Street, as well as many, many more. The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) pays homage to that legacy with its African-American Heritage Guide. An updated version of the guide was recently release, along with an online portal with additional content.

The guide itself provides locals and visitors alike with maps and descriptions of historic sites, relevant exhibits, and more so interested parties can learn more about the contributions Durham’s African Americans made to the city, state, and country. The guide includes Pauli Murray’s childhood home, the Hayti Heritage Center, the site of important sit-ins, and more.

The online portal includes additional content, including more in-depth articles about Carolina Theatre’s civil rights exhibit and the role Historic Stagville has played in helping some African-American families shed light on their past. Additional content will be added throughout the year to reflect upcoming events.

Visit durhamblackhistory.com to view the portal. You can also browse the African-American Heritage Guide online.

Inside Historic Stagville

Durham's rich history is best explored in person and there's no better way to do that then at one of Durham's three State Historic Sites. One of thoses sites, Historic Stagville is a former plantation located about 15 minutes north of Downtown Durham. We interviewed site manager Stephanie Hardy about her job, the site, and the unique role that it plays for many of Durham’s African-American families.

Michael Twitty Presents Living History Dinner at Historic Stagville

At the beginning of September, Durham's Historic Stagville will team up with a world-renowned food expert for a dinner of historic proportions.

Lauded in the culinary world as expert food historian, Michael Twitty is often quoted and referenced in articles about southern food, culture and culinary traditions as he authentically shares the stories of the history of the South. On September 7, Michael Twitty will be creating an historic dinner to celebrate the true roots of Southern Food at Historic Stagville in Durham NC.

Historic Stagville is a major part of Durham and Orange county history. Now a state run historic site, a 501c3 non-profit foundation that oversees educational programs, events for the Triangle and Piedmont community as well as the surrounding communities; many of whom are descendants of the over 900 enslaved people who worked across the plantation's 30,000 acres.

In order to raise donations for the upkeep and uplift of the site and build community connections,  Michael Twitty will be preparing a 19th century meal drawn from the slave narratives of North Carolina. Michael will be joined in the kitchen by Chef Hugh Acheson, most of the cooking will be done on open firewood pits and the highlight will be a sapling barbecue pit where the chefs will slowly cook chicken and pork overnight using several antebellum methods dictated by enslaved people themselves.

Seating for the dinner is for  65 guests.  90% of the food will be  sourced from NC with as much as is possible being provided by NC's farmers of color.  The meal will be presented by seasoned living history interpreters long experienced in interpreting African American foodways creating a long overdue moment in the history of Southern food that will connect the history of Stagville with the stories of those who carry on that legacy today.  

More information about this event is available online. Learn more about Durham here.

Celebrate at 'Day in Durham' June 8

A day of free family fun on June 8 will celebrate all things Durham; the cavalry to the rescue, and an early Juneteenth commemoration, in the first of three 2nd Saturdays programs organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources this summer.  Unique programs of arts, history, food, and fun will be found on June 8, July 13 and Aug. 10 at the 27 state historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, and a history center this summer.

Duke Homestead will offer "Bull Fest" to celebrate the Bull City's roots with local artists, businesses, live musicians and a mini food truck rodeo. The Little River Cloggers; Durham Bulls mascot Wool-E-Bull; and local artisans and craft makers selling their wares are among attractions. Demonstrations of making bags and labels for the first W. Duke and Sons pipe tobacco, cooking on a wood stove and period toys and games are just a few of the activities that will delight all from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bennett Place invites you to "Join the Cavalry" in an examination of the unique role of the cavalry throughout U.S. military history. Interpreters portraying Union and Confederate soldiers on horseback will demonstrate tactics, drills and weaponry from the Civil War era. The program is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Historic Stagville will celebrate the emancipation of the enslaved after the Civil War on June 19, 1865, when the last slaves learned they were free. Blues musician John Dee Holman, storyteller Priscilla Best, children's author Carole Boston Weatherford, and the Golden Genies dance troop are among performers. An African Drum Circle will provide a lively beat, and children's toys and games will be offered, all 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special repeat performance of slave narratives, "Let Them Be Heard" by Bare Theatre will be presented at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available online and at the site.

For more information call (919) 807-7389 or visit www.2ndSaturdaysnc.com.

Durham is home to many historic and cultural events. Find out more at the Durham Event Calendar.

Juneteenth Comes Early to Historic Stagville on June 8

Historic Stagville is getting an early start on Juneteenth celebrations, for the June 19, 1865, date cited as when the last of the enslaved learned they were free -- months after the Civil War ended. A day full of family activities and riveting slave narrative performances at night will create a well-rounded observance at Stagville. This is the first of 2nd Saturdays programs arranged by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources at museums and historic sites statewide on June 8, July 13 and Aug. 10.

The day’s activities include a joyous drumming circle of commemoration, craft making including cowrie shell necklaces and cardstock Thomas Day benches. North Carolina Award winning children’s book author Carole Boston Weatherford will read “Juneteenth Jamboree.”

Also celebrate the blues, with North Carolina Folk Heritage Award winner John Dee Holman in performance. The Golden Genies from the Durham Center for Senior Living will dance and prove that you’re never too old to keep on stepping. Storyteller Priscilla Best will entertain young and old, and the period games of “Graces” and “Mancala” also will delight the kids. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be for sale.

Spellbinding performances of “Let Them Be Heard” will be presented by Bare Theatre productions starting at 7 p.m., and on the half hour.  Actors bring to life the words of slave narratives performed in cabins that were constructed and lived in by the enslaved.  This is a return from last year by popular demand.  Tickets are $10 and are on sale for the powerful performances on June 7 and June 8, and also on June 14 and 15. Tickets may be purchased at online or in person at the site.

For additional information call (919) 620-0120. Historic Stagville is within the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.      

Another Juneteenth celebration, produced by Spectacular Magazine, will be held in Durham on June 15th at CCB Plaza.  Learn more about that event here.

To learn more about history in Durham, visit online.

Scavenger Hunt for History Fun on May 18 at Durham Historic Sites

Kids love the game Hide and Go Seek, so it's only natural that they would also love scavenger hunts.  In Durham, kids can get connected to history as they search for clues about famous residents, locations and more.

Durham’s three state historic sites will offer kids free fun with a scavenger hunt for history on Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Historic Stagville, Duke Homestead and Bennett Place State Historic Sites are partnering for this family friendly event.  A booklet with clues for the scavenger hunt will be available at each site, and answers will be discovered at all sites.

A clue at Historic Stagville might be:  The Bennehan House was built in two sections.  The original section was built in ______.  The second story was added in _______.

At Bennett Place the clue might be:  The two generals who met at Bennett Place were _____ and _____.

Duke Homestead will take visitors on a tour of the site and museum from the perspective of Washington Duke, and allow youth to meet the Duke family and solve clues as well.

Young and old can practice the skills of a sleuth and have a fun adventure while learning about great families and events in North Carolina, and win buttons representing the sites as prizes.

Bennett Place, Duke Homestead and Historic Stagville are within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission to enrich lives and communities creates opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art; NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and economic stimulus engines for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state; developing and supporting access to traditional and online collections such as genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit online.

Learn more about Durham history online.

Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War at Durham Historic Sites

Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War is underway, a war in which Durham had a significant involvement - it effectively ended at Bennett Place.  Three state historic sites operate today at places that constitute an deep inventory of history allowing visitors to step back in time.

Historic Stagville gives visitors insight into a pre-war Durham where white subsistence farmers lived alongside skilled freed blacks next to one of the largest plantations in the South. Stagville, a plantation of 30,000 acres and home to nearly 900 slaves, lay at the center of the Benehan-Cameron family estate. North Carolina was emblematic of the dichotomies that shaped the state and the union before and after the war. Durham reflected both the unionist, peace movement, anti-slavery attitudes prevalent to the west, combined with the plantation pro-slavery and secessionist tendencies to the east.

North Carolina was the last state to secede from the Union but provided the most troops for the Confederacy. In the end, North Carolina troops suffered the most casualties with Durham residents serving in companies that saw the bloodiest battles of the war. The last picket battles in North Carolina were in Durham leading to the truce between Generals Johnston and Sherman. At the Durham farmhouse of James and Nancy Bennitt, now commemorated as Bennett Place, the two generals drafted a document outlining the terms of the largest Confederate troop surrender of the Civil War.

After the end of the war veterans returned home and again worked alongside blacks to forge enterprises launching North Carolina into the industrial revolution and beyond. Duke Homestead is the site where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. Duke's tobacco empire, among others, paved the way for Durham tobacco factories, textile factories and hydroelectric technology. Much of Duke's profits were invested in land and industries but others were used for humanitarian causes, including Duke University.

Each of Durham's Historic Sites offer programming in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. For more information, visit NC Historic Sites. Additionally, Civil War Durham offers additional information and resources about Durham's celebrated Civil War involvement.

A Time To Remember and Learn

In the grand scheme of things, 150 years is not a long time. It is hard to believe that not that long ago, 1861-1865, the United States was surviving the Civil War.

This image can be downloaded
at http://www.durhamncphotos.com/.

Durham played a large role in the civil war with the largest troop surrender coming at Bennett Place in 1865. Visit http://www.civilwardurham.com/ for a chronology of events that took place in and around Durham.

In observance of the Civil War sesquicentennial the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has planned more than 200 events statewide. Sesquicentennial programs will examine the roles of women, Cherokee, U.S. Colored Troops and more. The impact of the war on home life, sickness and mortality, battles on land and sea, Civil War music, and freedman’s colonies are among topics that will be explored.

In Durham, Bennett Place State Historic Site, Duke Homestead State Historic Site, and Historic Stagville will all host events around the 150th anniversary. The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau will continue to promote these events as they come closer so stay tuned for more!