Budgets, Fire Codes, and the Future of Wilson Library

For generations, historians of the South and of North Carolina have enjoyed close familiarity with the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Home to the Southern Historical Collection, the Southern Folklife Collection, and the North Carolina Collection, Wilson holds some of the riches and most significant collections in southern history. Many a day have I sat in the North Carolina Collection's paneled reading room, an atmosphere so conducive to historical inquiry. Today's Raleigh News & Observer reports that fire codes and budget trouble have put much of Wilson off limits and have made its future uncertain. The University needs $12 million to bring Wilson up to fire code and the money is not forthcoming in these bleak budget times. It would be a tragedy not to save this iconic building.

A Book That Leaves Me Wishing for Spring

I have been perusing of Jim Gasque's Hunting and Fishing in the Great Smokies, recently republished by the University of North Carolina Press with a new introduction by Jim Casada. A friend who will remain nameless sent it along, and I appreciate it. I read the book years ago, and I spent part of the afternoon getting reacquainted with it. Written in 1948, Gasque takes his readers on a knowledgeable and informative tour of outdoor sports in the North Carolina mountains. And you get to meet the dean of mountain outdoorsmen, Mark Cathey. It's well worth your time. And it's left me wondering when I'll be able to get the fly rod out again. Soon, I hope.

Interpreting Slavery at North Carolina Historic Sites

An article in today's Raleigh News & Observer highlights a report produced by scholars at East Carolina which examines how slavery is interpreted at a number of historic sites across the state. I haven't read the report itself, but it's been my experience that state sites like Summerset Place and Historic Stagville do a pretty good job. The report notes that depictions of slavery at private houses is much more mixed. Interpreting our history, especially the more painful episodes, is a difficult thing, but it remains important if we are to understand who we are as a people. I'm going to try to get a copy of this report. I think it will make interesting reading.

Teaching the Wilmington Riots of 1898

Despite the budget crisis, at least one matter of historical note has gained legislative attention. North Carolina state Senator Susan Boseman (D-New Hanover) has submitted a bill to require the state Department of Public Instruction to develop curriculum materials and organize workshops to teach teachers about the events and legacy of the Wilmington riots of 1898.

I won't recount the sad tale of the riots here. The short version: In 1898, Democrats used the violent politics of white supremacy to overthrow an interracial coalition of Populists and Republicans. Many died, and soon thereafter African Americans had the right to vote effectively stripped from them in North Carolina. It is a heinous event that continues to cast political and historical shadows over North Carolina.

Although I question the use of legislative power to determine what faculty members teach, I welcome this attention to this period in the state's experience. If we give teachers better resources, perhaps they can better teach their students about the diverse past of the place where they live. I, for one, would like to see colleges and universities do more of this sort of thing. We shouldn't need a law to develop these types of programs. I do know that some institutions do things like this, but we can do a great deal more. I might even make some suggestions here.

Of course, this is not the first effort by state government to give attention to the awful events of 1898. In 2006, the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission, a group authorized by the legislature whose work was facilitated by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, completed its work. This link to the commission website contains a tremendous amount of information on the riots and their significance to the state and the nation.

You can view Boseman's bill here.