North Carolina Railroad Museum

Description

The North Carolina Railroad Museum is an outdoor museum consisting of exhibits of historic railroad equipment. Many of the artifacts in the collection were made and/or used in North Carolina. Collection highlights include a 1/24-scale model railroad with over 1,000 feet of track; eight stationary historic locomotives, dating from 1941 to 1953; and eight operating historic railway cars.

The museum offers exhibits, locomotive rides, and a barbecue vendor.

Thomas Wolfe Memorial [NC]

Description

Thomas Wolfe left an indelible mark on American letters. His mother's boardinghouse in Asheville—now the Thomas Wolfe Memorial—has become one of literature's most famous landmarks. Named "Old Kentucky Home" by a previous owner, the rambling Victorian structure was immortalized by Wolfe as "Dixieland" in his epic autobiographical novel, Look Homeward, Angel. Restored to look as it did in the early 20th century when young Tom Wolfe and Mrs. Wolfe's boarders shared a roof, the house evokes a time and a place that inspired one of the South's greatest writers.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Moore County Historical Association [NC]

Description

The Moore County Historical Association is dedicated to promoting awareness of Moore County history. The association maintains five historic properties, all of which are open to visitors during the summer or by special appointment.

The association offers exhibits and self-guided tours in the five historic properties, as well as frequent tours of historic landmarks. The website offers visitor information and a brief history of each of the historic structures.

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace [NC]

Description

This pioneer farmstead features the birthplace of Zebulon Baird Vance, North Carolina's Civil War governor. Before becoming governor, Vance served as a Confederate Army officer and later became a U.S. Senator. Rugged and controversial, Vance had a dynamic political career, which is traced at the homestead. The five-room log house—reconstructed around original chimneys—and its outbuildings are furnished to evoke the period from 1795 to 1840 when three successive generations of the famed mountain family lived here.

The site offers a slide show, tours, exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Bentonville Battlefield [NC]

Description

The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19–21, 1865, was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive. This major battle, the largest ever fought in North Carolina, was the only significant attempt to defeat the large Union army of General William T. Sherman during its march through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Reynolda House Museum of American Art [NC]

Description

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and was originally built by Richard Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds tobacco company. The home was opened as an art museum in 1967, and since then has worked towards its mission of showcasing the very finest American art.

The museum offers galleries, an attached historic house museum, guided and self-guided tours, field trip programs, and summer camps. The website offers a history of the museum, information regarding current collections and exhibits, visitor information, and an events calendar.

Bennett Place [NC]

Description

This simple farmhouse was situated between Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro and Union General William T. Sherman's headquarters in Raleigh. In April 1865, the two commanders met at the Bennett Place, where they signed surrender papers for Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. It was the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Mecklenburg Historical Association [NC]

Description

The Mecklenburg Historic Association preserves the history of the first county of the United States. Mecklenburg County declared its independence from Great Britain with a Declaration of Independence in May 1775, over a year before the Continental Congress took a similar action.

The association offers quarterly presentations on Mecklenburg history, periodic walking tours of local historic structures, and the docent program which offers re-enactments and guided tours or nearby historic sites. The website offers historical information regarding Mecklenburg County, as well as information regarding programs offered by the association.

Bellamy Mansion Museum [NC]

Description

The Bellamy Mansion Museum is one of North Carolina's most spectacular examples of antebellum architecture. Built just before the Civil War for physician, plantar, and business leader John Bellamy, the mansion was built using both free and slave labor. Today, the mansion stands as a historic house museum, and focuses on the history of design art and preservation.

The museum offers guided tours, exhibits on design and preservation, and special events. The website offers visitor information and a history of the home.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site [NC]

Description

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet, writer, and editor and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site preserves Sandburg's residence, 65,000 artifacts utilized to interpret his life, and Mrs. Sandburg's goat dairy. The dairy currently raises goats representative of the three breeds historically present.

The site offers a 14-minute video, 30-minute guided house tours, period rooms, live performances of Sandburg's works, a standards-based education program for middle school students, and Junior Ranger activities.