Visitors will be able to see the Smithsonian traveling exhibit
Director Ed Morris said last week that the Wake Forest Historical Museum, closed for six months, should be able to open for visitors, 10 at a time, on Sept. 15. The museum has been short-staffed since Assistant Director Jennifer Smart left, the remaining staff is just unpacking and installing Water/Ways, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit which will remain until Oct. 10, and the museum also needs a thorough cleaning.
Morris said that the museum will be open its usual hours once it opens: Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but closed from 12 to 1 p.m. for lunch. It is also open Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m.
The museum will continue its virtual book club and talks by experts that will explore the cultural, social and spiritual significance of water in our community. Those are:
*First in Moonshine: North Carolina and the Illegal Liquor Business, a talk by Dr. Daniel S. Pierce. Thursday, Sept. 10, from 7 to 8 p.m. From the mountains to the coast, the history of distilling in North Carolina provides an example of how water shapes our history and culture. Even the word “whiskey” can be rooted to the phrase aqua vitae, or “water of life.”
The history of moonshining especially shows how people put water to work in creative and resourceful ways. Hulda Nines was one of these resourceful North Carolinians. Nines ran a still on the banks of the Neuse River in northern Wake County for ten years, until her secret operation was discovered in 1902.
Dr. Pierce’s talk will explore North Carolina’s long, tumultuous and on-going relationship with moonshine. Since the Civil War and the passage of the federal excise tax on liquor, North Carolinians—of all races, ethnicities, ages, and genders and in every part of the state—have participated in the illegal liquor business in some shape, form, or fashion. Pierce will discuss how moonshining was an important economic activity, shaped politics and community relations, and helped create a distinctive culture in the state (think NASCAR, Andy Griffith, and “Thunder Road”). Pierce will also particularly focus on moonshining in and around Wake County.
Dr. Daniel S. Pierce is professor of history at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He is the author of Tar Hell Lightnin’: How Secret Stills and Fast Cars Made North Carolina the Moonshine Capitol of the World. His previous books include Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France.
*Virtual book club, The Waterman’s Song, with special guest and author David Cecelski, Thursday, Oct. 8, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. In partnership with Page 158 Books, the museum is excited to announce our second book club, featuring The Waterman’s Song: Slavery and Freedom in Maritime North Carolina, featuring special guest and author David Cecelski.
Join fellow book lovers as we read The Waterman’s Song and learn about the lives of black boatmen, pilots, ferrymen, fishermen, sailors, and artisans in nineteenth-century North Carolina. From the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks, The Waterman’s Song demonstrates the variety and significance of African American maritime culture in North Carolina.
Special guest and author David S. Cecelski will provide opening remarks before participants launch into a discussion about the book.
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To register for any or all of these free online events, go to the museum website, wakeforestmuseum.org, go to events and follow the directions. After you register you will get an email telling you your registration has been recorded at the museum.
For the two book club events, before the event museum staff will email participants some thoughts and reflections on the book to encourage a vibrant discussion.
The programs are free, but registration is required. Participants will also need access to a copy of the book, an internet connection, and a computer or smartphone to fully participate in our discussion. Copies of the book are available for purchase through Page 158 Books, although you may purchase the book wherever copies are sold.
If you would like to participate but cannot easily afford a copy of the book, please reach out to museum staff. We are working with Page 158’s Literary Foundation to ensure that individuals facing financial hardship are able to access the book. If you would like to donate a copy of the book to another participant, please reach out to the museum or call Page 158 for details on how to make a tax-deductible donation through their Literary Foundation.
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HostingWater/Ways at the Wake Forest Historical Museum was made possible through the cooperation of the North Carolina Humanities Council. The exhibit is part pf the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program, and is the second Smithsonian exhibit at the museum. The first was Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America which was at the museum from April 16 through May 31 in 2015.
The museum staff includes Executive Director Ed Morris, Manager of Community and Academic Learning Sarah Soleim and Collections Assistant Anissa Harry.
The museum is at 414 North Main Street in Wake Forest, on land which once was Wake Forest College’s baseball field.
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