Blog Entry List
Manager, Fort Dobbs and Shallow Ford State Historic SitesScott Douglas has a knack for starting conversations, especially the ones that make you stop and reconsider what you thought you knew about history.
Chris McKeehan, Loudon County (Tennessee) How has North Carolina shaped your own story?""I love seeing the Carolina Panthers, and I enjoy going to football games and cheering at high school games too—maybe!I love Asheville, Bryson City, Cherokee, Maggie Valley, and Sylva. I also love college schools, especially colleges in North Carolina.I enjoy watching North Carolina games and cheering for the University of North Carolina. It would be wonderful to see a new game in Raleigh or Chapel Hill.
Tiffany Smith, Northampton County Tell us something about your town, city, or community.
Sarah Faison, Cumberland County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?"My fellow North Carolinians have been very friendly and kind to me. I relocated June of 2021, and I have felt the warmth of many (family, friends, team members, gardeners, business owners and team members). Feeling welcome into new communities is a game changer."Tell us something about your town, city, or community.
Larry Sutton, Sampson County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?"The fact that North Carolina has not been able to fully come to terms with its racist past motivates me to strive to make the state a more just and equitable place to live."Tell us something about your town, city, or community.
Lisa Cummings, Robeson County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?"North Carolina became my home in the early 80’s. From Arkansas roots I never expected to come to love North Carolina like I do. From the towering pines to the costal waterways, North Carolina has something for anyone to see and experience. I love North Carolina. My home sweet home."Tell us something about your town, city, or community.
Jaja Staana, Cabarrus County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?
Carla Osborne, Wake County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?
Vivian Bryson, Mecklenburg County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?
Michael Cooper, Wake County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?"In North Carolina we don't boast or brag like they do in other states because we don't need to - we have so much to be proud and those memories belong to us.My story began in the foothills of North Carolina, a region where my family has been since the mid-1700s. From up north, Scots-Irish and English settlers - my ancestors - came in search of a better way of life. And they found that here.
Donna “DJ” Everette, New Hanover County How has North Carolina shaped your own story?"Since I was born."Tell us something about your town, city, or community."SE Lower Cape Fear region within the 'Fire of Freedom' National Heritage Area of the American Revolution Southern Theatre. Wilmington was a Port City and occupied by the British Empire 1780-81."Tell us about someone who made or makes North Carolina what it is—in a positive way.
Lucy M., Smithfield, Johnston CountyHow has North Carolina shaped your own story?
In the heart of colonial North Carolina, beneath the towering longleaf pines, an industry flourished—one that kept the mighty British fleet afloat and expanded the empire’s reach across the seas. Naval stores—tar, pitch, turpentine, and rosin—were the lifeblood of maritime supremacy, sealing wooden ships against the ravages of salt and storm. Yet, behind this booming trade lay a grim reality: the brutal toil of enslaved Africans and poor white laborers who endured misery to fuel the empire’s ambitions.