Removal of the Vance Monument time capsule by Heather South (c) and staff of the Asheville Parks and Recreation Department. Photo courtesy of www.citizen-times.com

A time capsule has been removed from the base of the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville. It has been concealed there since 1897 when the monument was constructed and dedicated, wedged beneath a Masonic cornerstone block at the base of the obelisk. The copper box had deteriorated and was so severely crushed that Heather South, lead archivist in the DCR Western Office, had to remove the pieces of the capsule one at a time. An article in the Asheville Daily Citizen from December 22, 1897, lists the items supposedly inside as silver coins, an honor roll from local schools, a muster roll from the Confederate company of Governor Zebulon Vance, to whom the monument is dedicated, Masonic documents, and several newspapers, including what was presumably the local African American newspaper of the day, the Colored Enterprise. South said the contents of the time capsule will probably take weeks to explore and will remain in Asheville at the DCR Western Regional Archive. The 26th North Carolina, a Civil War re-enactment and preservation group, raised $115,000 for the restoration of the monument. Click here for more information.

The USS North Carolina has a water problem. A state-owned monument governed by a state commission, it sits on the edge of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington and its steel hull, originally half-an-inch thick, is now paper thin in places. Rust and chipping paint on the hull are becoming more common as is seepage. Friends of the Battleship, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the ship, is seeking donations from the public to fund a proposed $17 million project.  A cofferdam will be built around the ship and the water drained to allow the replacement of corroded steel. A scenic riverwalk approach to the ship is also proposed.

Click here for more information.

North Carolina was home to the largest number of Rosenwald Schools and related buildings at 813, and is home to the largest number of extant schools being restored and repurposed for a variety of uses.  The National Trust been involved in a special initiative for the past thirteen years to help preserve Rosenwald Schools and the NC HPO has also made their recordation and preservation a special project (Click here to visit the HPO Rosenwald School survey webpage).

This year the National Trust is holding their annual National Rosenwald Schools conference in Durham on June 17-20. Entitled Sharing the Past, Shaping the Future, it will be located at the Durham Convention Center.

The National Trust is offering a special educator's rate of $195 for educators that register before May 31 and use the code "TeachRC" in the online registration form.

To Register:

• Go to this page
• When offered prompts for type of registration please indicate "standard." This amount will be removed later in the registration process.
• Once you have completed the questionnaire and special event options please select "confirm selected registrant(s) and continue to coupon entry."
• You will see a header that reads "new code." In the box beside your registration, type in the code "TeachRC."
• Select "apply new code." When you have completed your registration you should receive two confirmations.
• The second confirmation should have a zero balance unless you purchased bus tour tickets or registered additional paying attendees.
• If you have trouble registering contact Kristi by email at Kristi@sitesolutionsworldwide.com or by phone at 866-374-6338.

In addition to the discounted rate, the National Trust is offering non-conference registrants the opportunity to purchase bus tour tickets for the National Rosenwald Schools Conference tours by going to the conference registration site. After completing the login information, select the Bus Tour Only type. There are four tour options and they include:

Greensboro Civil Rights Tour

Wednesday, June 17, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, $85

Greensboro, North Carolina, is rich with connections to America's civil rights movement and is often remembered for the nonviolent sit-ins staged at the local Woolworths. This day-long tour will explore key sites related to the movement there, including the International Civil Rights Center and Museum housed in the 1929 F.W. Woolworth building. Returning to Durham, a guided tour of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum is included to learn more about the diligent woman determined to provide education for African American children in the South, and the contributions made in North Carolina by the African American students who attended the school. Lunch and snacks are included in the tour.

Wake County Rosenwald Tour

Thursday, June 18, 8:30 AM-1:00 PM, $50

North Carolina's capital county (Wake) had 22 Rosenwald schools, of which six survive today. This tour will visit two of the most intact schools: Panther Branch, a three-teacher frame school in the early stage of rehabilitation, and St. Matthew's, a two-teacher frame school that was rehabilitated in the early 1990s. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office staff will lead the tour, and at each stop owners and alumni will discuss the challenges and successes in their preservation efforts. The tour will include a traditional home-cooked lunch that will be served at St. Matthew's.

Horton Grove and Stagville Plantation Tour

Friday, June 19, 8:30 AM-1:00 PM, $50

While North Carolina was once home to more Rosenwald Schools than any other state, many schools have fallen into disrepair or been demolished, leaving behind only a historic marker or a memory. This half-day excursion to one of North Carolina's most important sites for sharing the story of African American life will demonstrate how to use the land and the landscape to share the story of your school and the community it educated. This tour will include 0.8 mile hike of the Horton's Grove Nature that highlights cultural uses of plants and trees led by forester and Grammy-award winning folk musician Justin Robinson, a tour of the slave quarters and historic barn at Horton Grove, and a trip to Historic Stagville's visitor's center. The tour will include lunch prepared by one of Durham's favorite chefs, Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint.

Eastern North Carolina African American Music Tour

Saturday, June 20, 9:15 AM-5:00 PM, $85

Education played a significant part in establishing and sustaining the musical legacy of eastern North Carolina. Music and band programs in segregated schools were fertile ground for building talent and passing on tradition. Join us for this day long tour where participants will have a chance to meet community members with connections to the music and educational landscapes of Eastern NC, tour a Rosenwald School, the Oliver Nestus Freeman Roundhouse Museum in Wilson and listen to music while traveling the music trail. This tour includes lunch at a favorite local Smokehouse in Rocky Mount. Participants will receive a copy of the guidebook and CD, African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina.  

For more information about Rosenwald Schools or the Conference visit www.preservationnation.org/rosenwald.