For statewide event lists, visit the HPO Facebook event list, Preservation North Carolina events list, or a September - November 2014 calendar and workshop and conference list courtesy of the Federation of N.C. Historical Societies. 

Please save the date for these events and click here for additional details: 

• October 19: Cascine Mill (Louisburg) Celebration
• October 26: Shelby Ramble
• November 2: New Bern Celebration
• November 9: Wrightsville Beach Ramble

October 11 Annual Docomomo US Tour Day, various locations. The 8th annual Docomomo US Tour Day features unique and exclusive events looking at important examples of modern architecture, sites, interiors, and landscapes all across the country. For the full list of events, see this website.  

October 24-26 NC Department of Cultural Resources presents the "Civil War 150 Bus Tour." The tour includes

Participants will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes looks at North Carolina's best Civil War sites and enjoy informative on-bus lectures by pre-eminent Civil War historian Mark Bradley.

Visit the DCR website for more details and to register. The October 2014 tour has sold out, but they are still accepting registrations for the waiting list.

October 29-November 1 2014 SESAH Conference, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK. The 2014 SESAH Conference schedule balances paper sessions and sharing the highlights of Fayetteville's evolving cityscape. Dr. Gwendolyn Wright will present the annual keynote lecture Thursday evening. An open house at the Arkansas Architectural Archive, which houses the papers of Fay Jones, and an optional tour to the Crystal Bridge Museum will be offered as well. If you have questions about the Fayetteville conference, please direct them to the conference organizer, Ethel Goodstein-Murphree at egoodste@uark.edu. For the conference schedule, click here, for the registration form, click here, and for the list of papers, click here.

Upcoming Bellamy Mansion, Wilmington, events include:

• October 31: Halloween Movie Night. Arrive at 6:30 PM. Hocus Pocus to begin at 7:00 PM and Psycho to begin at 9:00 PM. Bring your blankets, chairs, coolers, and Halloween candy. $5 admission and concessions for sale.
• December 13: Christmas Stroll Through the Past. 4 PM - 8PM. The Bellamy Mansion Museum and the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens invite you to stroll down Market Street through the past.  Celebrate the holidays with a luminary walk, period decorations, music, costumed interpreters, petting zoo, refreshments and more. The St. James Church nave will also be open for visitors during the Stroll, with architectural historian Edward F. Turberg available for questions.  $25 for adults ($20 if purchased before 12/1); $5 for children (ages 5-12); and free for children under 5. Tickets available online and at the Burgwin-Wright House and the Bellamy Mansion www.bellamymansion.org 
• December 31: Masquerade at the Mansion. 8:30 PM - 12: 30 AM. Celebrate New Year's Eve 2014 at the Historic Bellamy Mansion with a Masquerade themed party. Masquerade Masks required. $20/person includes light hors d'oeuvres, a DJ and dancing, and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets available at the Bellamy Mansion or online at www.bellamymansion.org.

November 11-14 National Preservation Conference, Savannah, GA. See this page.

November 12-15 Southeast Archaeological Conference, in Greenville, SC. See this website.

April 13-16, 2015 Mid-Century Modern Structures: Materials and Preservation 2015 Symposium, Drury Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, MO. Focusing primarily on the history, use, and preservation of materials found in Mid-Century Modern architecture, the three-day symposium will provide in-depth understanding of the complex issues associated with the preservation of these structures. Special emphasis will be on modern architectural metals, but presentations on other materials, such as concrete and curtain wall structures, will be included. The call for papers/posters and registration information can be found at this page. 

June 17-19, 2015 National Rosenwald Schools Conference: Sharing the Past → Shaping the Future, Durham, NC. Riding the wave of the wildly successful 2012 Centennial Rosenwald Schools conference in Tuskegee, AL, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is partnering with the NC Department of Cultural Resources, Preservation Durham, the Conservation Trust of North Carolina, and others to sponsor a second national Rosenwald schools conference that will feature thirty educational sessions, poster sessions, field sessions at area schools, and other thematic tours. The call for session proposals has been announced (see below). For more information in the coming months, see this page.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 2014 Training Courses. ACHP staff instructors are offering Section 106 training in six cities throughout 2014. Courses include Section 106 Essentials and the Advanced Seminar. These interactive courses feature practical guidance and opportunities to apply learning in case-based exercises. Visit this page for registration details and pricing. Please contact Cindy Bienvenue at cbienvenue@achp.gov if you have any questions.

ArtPlace America is now accepting Letters of Inquiry for the next round of its National Grants Program. If you have a great project or idea to strengthen a community through art/culture, please consider applying. The application deadline is November 3. Grants range from $50,000-$500,000. Learn more about this great opportunity at this page.

Preservation Technology and Training Grants. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) Grants program provides funding for innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources. NCPTT funds projects within the following areas: archeology, architecture, collections management, engineering, historic landscapes, and materials conservation.  Focus areas for 2015 are: 1) planning for and responding to climate change and the impacts of natural and man-made disasters on cultural resources;  2)  3D documentation and visualization techniques for historic sites, landscapes, buildings and objects; 3) mobile application development for cultural resource detection, documentation, management, etc.; and 4) Development and testing of protective coatings for cultural materials. See this page for complete details. Deadline for applications is November 5.

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grants. The National Endowment for the Humanities invites applications from nonprofit museums, libraries, archives, and educational institutions in the United States for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program. This program supports planning and implementation of sustainable preventive conservation projects that pragmatically balance preservation goals, cost, and environmental impact. Deadline for applications is December 3.Guidelines, FAQs, and sample narratives from successful applications are available on this page. NEH program officers are available to discuss project ideas and read draft proposals. Please contact the division for more information by emailing preservation@neh.gov or calling 202-606-8570.

Russell School, Durham County

Russell School, a Rosenwald school in Durham County that was listed in the National Register in 2009, was featured on the cover of the September issue of Carolina Country, a newsletter published monthly by the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, Inc. The cover photo is of Russell School alumni who were instrumental in the school's preservation and rehabilitation. Click here to read the feature story.  

E. J. Hayes School alumni in 2006

The E. J. Hayes School Gala Celebration recently brought together over 100 alumni members and guests to celebrate the recent major rehabilitation work to the building. The Honorable Congressman, G. K. Butterfield, guest speaker, spoke about African American history in Martin County and education, in particular. Congressman Butterfield was asked to dedicate the building - 46 years after the school building was shuttered. Dr. Richard Mizelle led the evening's celebration with a talk on the school and alumni's rich history. Dr. Mizelle also recognized the National Trust and spoke in appreciation of Preservation NC for a Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit they received in 2011. A gift of $5,000 was presented to the association by a local citizen. Dr. Mizelle announced that the funds will be used towards the renovation of another classroom.   

E. J. Hayes School before and after rehabilitation

While there is still work to be done, this celebration allowed the alumni to pause and reflect on the significant accomplishments made by this organization in just a few short years. In 2006, restoration specialist Reid Thomas first met with a "youthful" group of 70 year olds who were determined to find ways to renovate their beloved school. The building was in need of a new roof; had missing, deteriorated, and inappropriate windows and doors, inadequate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems, and aged bathrooms and kitchen; needed substantial interior plaster and woodwork repair; and contained asbestos that needed to be removed, in addition to other repair needs. The group began the challenging project with limited funds in hand but ample determination to rehabilitate the school and put it back into community use - and in a sustainable way. In 2013, the E. J. Hayes Alumni Association received a $500,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant Catalyst Program in Williamston to help repair and restore the building. 

We can only wait to see what great strides they make next. Click here to learn more about the school and rehabilitation project.

For Your Entertainment and Edification...

• More maps, this time to help find old roads. Read more here.
• Using modern printing to build homes on Mars?! Read more here.
• Did you know you could use mushrooms as a building material? Read more here.
• Interested in learning the history of your house? Look here for a list of sources for researching that history.
• The Antiquities Act, enacted in 1906 and considered America's first preservation law, protects Hollywood film locations, too. Read more here.