This Saturday, Feb. 21, Sampson County will kick off the America 250 event series, celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding and other historical events.
At Clinton City Hall, starting at 10:30 a.m., the kickoff will feature speakers and officials with ties to Sampson County history and culture. The first speaker, Jack Fryar Jr., is a lifelong resident of the Wilmington area and since 1994, has written a series of books, magazine articles and more dedicated to the history of North Carolina and the Cape Fear region. He has also been a historical reenactor, and has served on the board of the Friends of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.
The event is designed to highlight the importance and impact the Revolutionary War had on the southeastern region of the state. In addition to this, it will also shed light on the American Indian voices, which stood above the noise of the incredibly turbulent time.
The Feb. 21 event is part of a larger effort to highlight the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. According to Sampson County History Museum Director Joel Rose, it is the first in a series of events spanning the rest of the year.
“This is supposed to be a really big event,” said Rose. “We have a committee that meets every month or so. We plan to have an event at least once a month for the rest of the year.”
Speaking at the event will be Secretary Pamela Brewington Cashwell, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Cashwell is a member of the Coharie Tribe and has ties to the Sampson County area. According to Cashwell, her department has been hard at work to ensure the event series goes off without a hitch.
“I am from Fayetteville originally, but my family is from Sampson County,” Cashwell shared in a phone interview. “I grew up with my family there; we would grow tobacco and cucumbers. We at the department have been working hard to build enthusiasm across the state for this. I remember 1976 and people’s excitement across the country for the Bicentennial. We’re trying to do the same thing here with this. I’m always looking forward to coming back to Clinton, especially now that I won’t be picking any cucumbers.”
In addition, the event will feature speeches from Nancy Chavis, the director and curator of the Museum of the Southeast American Indian at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Coharie Tribal Historian Cory Brewington.
During the event the Sons of the American Revolution will serve as color guard, tasked with putting the state and country’s flags into the respective posts. Following the event, the Sampson County History Museum will open up its doors for refreshments, served by the Richard Clinton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
As part of the yearlong celebration, Rose and the 250 committee are also promoting an event occurring at Moore’s Creek Battlefield in Currie. From Feb. 26-28, the battlefield will be hosting its own event commemorating the 250th anniversary of the battle.
The first day will host multiple school groups along with traditional living history demonstrations. Following this, the second day will be a “day of commemoration,” featuring a traditional wreath laying ceremony along with living history demonstrations and special guests. Finally the last day will be a “day of community celebration,” meant to be a day of fun with music, games, an art show, and food trucks along with traditional living history displays.
Other events throughout the year will be a Patriotic Quilt Painting Class at the Sampson County Livestock Facility, coordinated by the Sampson County Arts Council on June 13 and a Paddle Through History with the Coharie Tribe on July 1.
To find out more about the event series, visit www.america250.nc.gov.