Telling Our Stories
North Carolina: “Telling Our Stories”
And what a great story we have to tell!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What is “Telling Our Stories”?
A. North Carolina has many ways to share its great stories — through libraries, writers and photographers, singers and dancers, visual artists, our historic architecture and our museums.
Q. Who is behind the celebration?
A. The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, which includes the State Library, the State Archive, 27 Historic Sites, 8 History Museums, Historical Publications, Archaeology, Genealogy, Historic Preservation, the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Q. Why “Telling Our Stories”?
A. From libraries to writers and readers to cultural events to historic sites and museums, North Carolina has a great story to tell.
Q. What is special about North Carolina’s story?
A. Our state lays claim to a number of ‘firsts’— from the first English settlement in the New World (Manteo, 1587), first discovery of gold in the U.S.(Reed Gold Mine, Concord, 1799), first state supported symphony and art museum (Raleigh, 1930 and 1947).
Q. What is there to do?
A. More than 500 special events and exhibits will happen all year long. There will be more than 100 events in December alone at State Historic Sites.
Q. Who are some noted people who have helped make North Carolina’s story so fascinating?
A. Here is a brief synopsis of notable North Carolinians:
- Virginia Dare was the first child born to English-speaking parents in the New World. She was born on Roanoke Island in 1587.
- The pirate Blackbeard is known to have spent time in North Carolina. The probable remains of his flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge were found off Beaufort in 1996.
- Rev. Billy Graham was born in Charlotte and now lives near Montreat.
- Sen. Sam Ervin, head of the Watergate Committee was from Morganton.
- Ezzell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain — the four students who staged the first sit-in protest. The men, students at N.C. A &T, were protesting service for whites only at the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter in 1960.
- Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American member of the United States Congress. He was a veteran of the Civil War and a minister who tended Black congregations in several states.
- Author Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville in 1900. He shared scenes of his Asheville, North Carolina home in “Look Homeward, Angel” and “You Can't Go Home Again,” novels which have been acclaimed as modern classics.
- Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, was born in the Waxhaw area, on the border of North and South Carolina.
- Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the 17th President of the United States.
- James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the 11th President of the United States.
- Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison, was born in North Carolina.
- NASCAR legend Richard Petty was born in North Carolina, and lives here still.
- Jazz legends John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk went from being citizens of North Carolina to citizens of the world, and led music in new directions during the 1950s.
- Famed golfer Arnold Palmer honed his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University.
Q. Where can I find out about North Carolina history and heritage?
A. There are more than 550 private and community-based facilities, such as museums, historic house museums, libraries and archives that help more than 9 million citizens in all 100 counties of the state appreciate their authentic heritage and culture. From thousands of years of American Indian culture, still thriving today, to historic buildings marked with Civil War bullet holes and artifacts of World War II enemy subs that cruised coastal waters, or Blackbeard’s pirate plunder—you’ll find hundreds of sites with unique stories.
Q. What about activities especially for kids?
A. Kids can visit www.startsquad.org, for a visit with Lee the Librarian. Kids can also join the N.C. Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historians to participate in projects that combine learning and fun.
Q. What are resources for historical documents and genealogical records?
A. Since 1903, the Office of Archives and History has promoted the protection and preservation of North Carolina written history, documents, records, and heritage in all its forms, serving more than 75,000 citizen requests in the past year, ensuring that the state is a better place through cultural exchange and historical awareness.
Q. If I am driving in North Carolina, what else can I look for?
A. To plan trips, go to www.homegrownhandmade.com for itineraries and “Art Roads and Farm Trails.” Nearly 1,500 of the familiar Historical Marker silver signs offer ‘spoonfuls of history’ along North Carolina’s highways, and at www.ncmarkers.com.
Q. How can I learn about American Indians in our state?
A. Native people have lived here for some 12,000 years, and their descendants today make up the largest American Indian population of any state east of the Mississippi River. For more information about the Cherokee Indians, please go to www.cherokeeheritagetrails.org.
Q. What on-line resources are available?
A.The gateway to all of the divisions of the Department of Cultural Resources. Three State Library Web sites are especially helpful for students: www.ncecho.org, www.nclive.org, and www.ncknows.org.
Q. How big is North Carolina’s history industry?
A. North Carolina is proud to have 2,000 individual historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and 450 historic districts on the National Register, more than 1,500 Highway Historical Markers across 100 counties, and more than 40,000 recorded archaeological sites, showcasing our heritage for future generations.
Q. What is North Carolina’s State Song? Who wrote it and when?
A. The Old North State — Written by William Gaston and composed by Mrs. E. E. Randolph, it was adopted as the State Song in 1927.
Q. Does North Carolina have official state dance music?
A. The state dances are the Shag and Clogging, both of which have unique music that accompanies them. They were adopted by the General Assembly in 2005.
