Historic Hope Plantation
E-News Update

September 2006

In this issue...


Grand Grant News!

Historic Hope Foundation is receiving $55,249 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to interpret the history of Hope Plantation beyond the mansion -- including the lives of its enslaved African Americans and the Tuscarora Indians who inhabited neighboring lands until the early 19th century. The Institute is helping to fund research, development, and installation of permanent exhibits and production of educational brochures.
 
“This grant gives us the chance to improve how we tell a critical part of the story at Hope,” says Glenn Perkins, Curator. “The majority of the people who lived and worked here were enslaved African Americans, and we need to make sure that a visitor to Hope gets a clear understanding of what their lives were like.”
                                                                                                               
The Museums for America grant program is providing more than $17 million in grants to support the role of museums in American society These grants strengthen a museum’s ability to serve the public more effectively by supporting high-priority activities that advance the institution’s mission and strategic goals. The IMLS funded 177 out of 448 applications in 2006, including only six projects in North Carolina.
 

Volunteers Needed!

You too can be a part of this exciting project! We’re looking for volunteer researchers to help identify sources, search out deeds, read documents, and transcribe material. If you have a few hours to contribute between now and November, we can give you a research assignment to suit your location and your interests. Volunteer researchers are a critical part of the grant match we have to provide IMLS. All contributors will be recognized in the exhibit credits. Contact Glenn Perkins at 794-3140 or at gperkins@hopeplantation.org for more information.

New Look, New Name, New Artifacts for Digital Library

The Center for Digital Projects at Joyner Library on the campus of East Carolina University has launched the Eastern North Carolina Digital Library. The site currently contains 399 fiction and nonfiction volumes resulting in approximately 58,000 digitized pages of historic texts, more than 150 museum artifacts, maps and educational material pertaining to the history of the 41 counties in Eastern North Carolina.
 

The successful recipient of the first three-year Heritage Partners grant awarded by North Carolina Exploring Cultural Heritage Online (NC ECHO), Joyner Library and its partners have made available resources related to Eastern North Carolina including zoomable maps, zoomable images and video footage of museum artifacts and related alignments and lesson plans for educators.
 
Hope has been involved in this project since its inception. Curator Glenn Perkins has worked with technical staff and educators at the library to find new ways to showcase artifacts in Hope’s collection. Museum staff also participate in teacher workshops designed to incorporate the library into North Carolina classrooms. Other museum partners for the project include the Tobacco Farm Life Museum (Kenly, NC) and the Country Doctor Museum (Bailey, NC).
 
See the project for yourself at http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/historyfiction.

Campers Travel Through History

Twenty-three students in the 4th through 8th grades joined in the fun this July at Hope’s Annual History and Heritage Camp. Campers learned about genealogy, fossils, boats, airplanes, and more! Take a look at the learning with more pictures, and learn about Hope's other educational programs.

Ball Buzz

Bertie and beyond is abuzz over this fall’s grand fling: the Governors’ Ball at Hope Plantation, Saturday, October 14. For this installment of the Hope E-News Update, we’ve commissioned a special poetic enticement from a Ball planning insider… 
Come one, come all
To the October 14 Hope Ball.
Tony winner William Ivey Long and other dignitaries will be on hand,
And you can dance to two spectacular bands!
Bid on a trip to NYC or an oyster roast.
If you buy one of the auction paintings, you can boast!
Southern Delights will provide fabulous fare.
Eat some of everything -- if you dare!
Remember that on Saturday, October 14, Hope is the place to be.
Coming ready to have a great time is the key!

T.V. Time 

If you’re in eastern North Carolina, be sure to tune in to WITN Channel 7’s News at Sunrise this Wednesday, August 30, as anchors Heather King and Jim Howard broadcast from Hope Mansion. The show will include features from all around Windsor.

Conservation Concerns

We are proud to announce that Hope has been selected to participate in the federal Conservation Assessment Program. The program is sponsored by Heritage Preservation and funded through the IMLS. This year’s program involves 110 museums in 39 states.

Following an on-site assessment by conservation professionals, Hope will receive a written report recommending priorities to improve collections care. This report assists museums in educating staff and board members on conservation practices, creating long-range and emergency plans, and raising funds to improve the care of their collections. For more information on the program, see www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP.
 
Hope is also developing an emergency preparedness plan thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Preservation Consortium and has established a long-term environmental monitoring program for collections areas with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
 

Upcoming Events at Hope Plantation

Friday, September 22: Living History Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Demonstrators and traditional crafts help the past come alive.

Saturday, October 14: Governors' Ball at Hope Plantation
Join us for an evening dancing out under the stars, delicious food, and good times.

Sunday, December 4: Christmas Open House, 1-5 p.m.
Beautiful decorations, songs of the season, holiday treats.

For more details call us at 252.794.3140 or email us at hopeplantation@coastalnet.com.

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 Historic Hope Foundation, Inc.
132 Hope House Road ~ Windsor, North Carolina 27983
252.794.3140 ~ FAX 252.794.5583
hopeplantation@coastalnet.com