March 2011: Dr. Jeffrey Crow to speak on state's cultural diversity at N.C. Association of Historians meeting

Contact : Joe Newberry (919) 807-7391
North Carolina’s “Other First Families” Topic of Talk by Cultural Resources’ Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow on March 25
RALEIGH – The first families of North Carolina who helped define the state’s cultural diversity will be highlighted in a talk by Dr. Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, at 7:30 pm Friday, March 25, at the North Carolina Museum of the Albemarle, 501 South Water Street, in Elizabeth City, NC.

Telling two compelling stories, one about leader of the Tuscarora Tom Blunt, and the second about Abraham, an 18th-century Afro-Moravian, Crow will share the tale of a struggling Carolina colony at a critical moment in history.

Crow leads the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ Division of Archives and History, which encompasses Historic Preservation, state records, archaeology, 27 State Historic Sites and seven history museums, including the Museum of the Albemarle and the maritime museums. Crow is recognized as an expert in North Carolina history and is well-known for his publications “The History of African Americans in North Carolina” and “The Black Experience in Revolutionary North Carolina.”

The presentation is sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Historians. It follows a free 5:30 pm panel discussion and the Association’s annual conference dinner.

Panel speakers include:

• Lawrence Babits, who will give a presentation on North Carolina’s “Our Captain Flynn,” North Carolina’s Benedict Arnold, and his raid on Edenton in the American Revolution; Babits is the author of “Long, Obstinate and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse,” and he will be available to sign copies before and after the panel discussion.


• Alex Leary (former educator, current public historian for Camden County), who will give a talk titled “Wade Point Lighthouse in the Pasquotank River.”


• The final panelist is Chris Meekins, who will give a presentation titled “Form the Line One Last Time: What We Know of the Fletcher Post #20 of the Grand Army of the Republic,” the African American post in Elizabeth City. Meekins, an Elizabeth City native, is Correspondence Archivist for the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The evening program and panel are open to the public (without the need for conference registration). The dinner is also open to the public, at a cost of $20; those wishing to attend must pre-register by March 18.

People outside of the Albemarle region can obtain registration information for the dinner and the conference online at the Elizabeth City State University Web site for the Department of History & Political Science: http://www.ecsu.edu/academics/artshumanities/hispolisci/ncah/index.cfm. Reservations must be accompanied by the registration form, as well as a check, payable to ECSU – please indicate NCAH & DINNER RESERVATIONS on the memo line.

Local residents wishing to register for the dinner may pick up registration information from either the above Web site or from one of the following locations in Elizabeth City:

• Museum of the Albemarle – 502 South Water Street
• Arts of the Albemarle – 609 East Main Street
• Port Discover – 611 East Main Street

The last day to secure dinner reservations is March 18 (mail postmarked by March 16), and requests must be accompanied by a registration form and payment for all persons attending.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.
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