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Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site
Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Saturday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday and
Monday
Site Staff Leigh Strickland
Site Manager
Erica Smith
Historic Interpreter
Larry Barnes
Site Assistant
Rachel Kennedy
Part-time Staff
The Orator Editor
Erica Smith
The Orator
“Universal Education”
Check us out on
the site’s
Facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/
pages/Governor-Charles-B-
Aycock-
Birthplace/218203418307235
Volume, XXX II Issue, 3 Fall/ Winter 2015-2016
264 Governor Aycock Road
Fremont, NC 27830
Phone: 919-242-5581
Fax: 919-242-6668
Email: [email protected] “Christmas at Aycock Birthplace”
What a December! Between the Christmas Candlelight tours and our new
“Cookies & Canes” program, we have been busy! This year’s Christmas Can-
dlelight Tours took place on December 8th and 10th and were very well attend-
ed. On the first night of the tour, the Primitive Baptist Singers entertained audi-
ences with there unique style of acapella singing. The Harmony Boys Bluegrass
Group entertained on Thursday night and had visitors singing along to popular
Christmas tunes.
The Christmas Candlelight
Tour gives visitors an insight into what
Christmas would have been like back
in the 19th century. Many of our fa-
vorite Christmas traditions became
popular during this period. For exam-
ple, the Christmas tree surpasses the
stocking as the most popular Christ-
mas tradition. The Christmas tree be-
came popular thanks to German Prince
Albert who introduced the first Christmas
tree to Windsor Castle in the1840s. An-
other favorite Christmas tradition, the
reading of Clement Moore’s poem, A
Visit from Saint Nicholas, or better known
as Twas the Night Before Christmas, was
published in 1823.
We would like to thank everyone
that came out to our Christmas Candle-
light Tours program this year. An a spe-
cial thank you to all who helped with this
event! We could not have done this pro-
gram without you! Mrs. Joyce Pierce preparing the
Christmas feast!
Billy Sanders and Hannah Price passing out
warm apple cider on a very cold night!
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As you can see by the many photos in this edition of our newsletter, we are
branching out and trying new programs while at the same time continuing estab-
lished ones. The first new program, held in October, was our “Rootin’ Tootin’ Hal-
loween” event. The second new program, “Cookies and Canes,” was held on De-
cember 19. Both programs were very successful, and hopefully will become annual
events.
As for our established programs, the annual Christmas Candlelight Tours
was held on December 8 and 10. During both evenings visitors participated in the
shadow play, learned about 19th century Christmas traditions from costumed interpreters, viewed an open hearth
cooking demonstration, and sampled hot apple cider. The next program was an open hearth cooking program.
School groups viewed an open hearth cooking demonstration and took a tour of the historic buildings.
Many of you probably remember that in the spring of 2015 we started beekeeping. So far, this venture is
going well. We harvested about 30 pints of honey in early fall and sold it in the site gift shop. Future plans are to
develop an interpretive beekeeping program.
Each year the Dr. B.T. Person Camp #1517 (SCV) performs a community service project. This year they
chose Aycock Birthplace for their project. The group came out on a warm October Saturday and worked to im-
prove the landscaping that borders the visitor center walkway. They removed monkey grass, ivy and juniper and
replaced it with rye grass. We appreciate their hard work to help improve the appearance of our site!
Finally, we would like to recognize the following individuals for their support of Aycock Birthplace:
Supporter
Sally Aycock Edmondson
Associate
Mr. & Mrs. Marion B. Chase Charles A. Aycock Audrey Brow
William D. Poe, Jr Burt Aycock, Jr. Jane C. Aycock
Mr. & Mrs. James C. Ginn, II Dan Shackleford Sonia Aycock
Jesse & Norma Blackman John L. Wiggins Jane Hamm
Velma Aycock Langley Charlotte Campbell
H. Lamont Whitley David & Laura Newsome
Manager’s Report
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Congratulations to Mrs. Joyce Pierce
Our 2015 Blue Ribbon Volunteer!! Mrs. Joyce has been helping at the Site for almost 20
years. She has trained countless staff and new volun-
teers and we would truly be lost without her. Thank
you for all you do!
Congratulations to
Mrs. Barbara Bolding of Fremont,
The winner of our Cozy Quilt raffle!
Aycock Birthplace, would not be
able to have all the programs and
living history events without the
help of our volunteers. Thank you
for all you do for our site! This pho-
to was taken at our 2015 Volunteer
Appreciation Banquet. It was held
in September and was catered by
Danny Ray’s in Pikeville.
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Pictures from our 2015 “Rootin’ Tootin’ Halloween Program”.
The “Rootin’ Tootin’ Halloween Program” was a huge success. This was the first time an event like
this has ever been held here at Aycock Birthplace and we were very pleased at the number of people who
attended the event. Visitors had the opportunity to make a corn husk doll, paint a pumpkin, enjoy a hayride
around the site, and make a candle. A big thank you to all the volunteers that helped with this event and to
all who decorated there trunks, and handed out candy. We would also like to thank McDonalds for donating
prizes, which were given out to all the children that participated in the event, and A.J. Smith & Sons for
donating that pumpkins used during this event.
A “Rootin’ Tootin’ Success”
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Photos from the 2015 Christmas Candlelight Tour
Thank you to everyone that came out to support our site!
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Photos from our 2015 “Cookies and Canes” Christmas Program
A New Christmas Tradition
This past December Aycock Birthplace held its first kids workshop, entitled “Cookies & Canes”. At this
workshop children learned the history behind some of there favorite Christmas traditions. They made a paper
ornament similar to the ones made in the 19th century, heard tales from the North Pole from our special guest,
Mrs. Claus, made a corn husk doll ornament, and then decorated a gingerbread man using candy available during
the late 1800s. Overall the program was a success with about 20 kids participating. Thank you to everyone that
came to this event, and a special thank you to all the volunteers that helped, without which this event would not
have been possible.
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The Orator is published by the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Advisory Committee, Inc., a non-profit
organization dedicated to the development of the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site. The
newsletter is published biannually and is available free of charge.
To receive this publication, please call (919) 242-5581 or e-mail: [email protected] . The Governor Charles B.
Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site is an agency within the Historic Sites Division of the North Carolina
Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, http://www.ncdcr.gov/
Living History Wednesday’s Living History Wednesday’s have a $2.00 per person
fee. Pre-registration is recommended.
$$ March 16– Spinning and Quilting
$$ March 23– Open Hearth Cooking and
Candle Making
$$ April 13– School Marm, Quill pen and ink
writing, And Townball
$$ May 4– Spinning and Natural Dying
March 12, from 1:00-3:00, “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”
What better way to spend a Saturday, than flying a
kite! Admission is free.
March 17– Daffodil Open House
First grade students from Fremont are invited to come
and see living history demonstrations and see what life
in Fremont would have been like in the 1870s.
April 18, 19, 21, 22– Farm Heritage Week
Fourth grade students from Wayne County are invited
to come and see living history demonstrations and
experience life on the farm in the 1870s.
$$ May 21 from 1:00-3:00
Learn about Spring Time on the farm and enjoy 19th
century toys and games.
Saturday on the Farm– Date and time TBA
Featuring the Vintage Farm Equip. Club, the Bee-
keepers of the Neuse and the Master Gardners.
Admission is free.
$$ June 20-24 from 9-12– Summer Fun Camp
Each day campers will learn something new about
farm life in 19th Century North Carolina
Pre-registration is Required.
$$ January 16, from 10:00-11:30 -
Quilling Workshop
Quilling is the art form of rolling, folding, and gluing
paper strips together to form a design
Cost is $10 .00 per person.
Pre-registration is required
$$ Six-week Quilting Workshop starting
Saturday January 23 at 10:00
Learn the process of modern quilt making and make
your own quilt . Cost is $30 per person, plus the cost
of supplies. Pre-registration is required
$$ February 13, from 2:00-4:00
Join Staff as we take a look at 19th century Valentines
Day traditions. Then enjoy a 19th century tea part y.
Cost is $10.00, pre-registration is required.
Events marked with $$ are paid events. For more information on these and any other upcoming events, check us
out on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Governor-Charles-B-Aycock-Birthplace-218203418307235/?fref=ts.
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Need a place to host a wedding, special
event or photo shoot? Aycock Birthplace is
a great location! For more information
please contact Event Coordinator, Erica
Smith at 919-242-5581 or
e-mail: [email protected]
The Orator Governor Charles B. Aycock
Birthplace Advisory Committee
264 Governor Aycock Road
Fremont, NC 27830
Aycock Birthplace is always looking for
new volunteers to give tours and assist with
events. If interested in becoming a
volunteer, please call Erica Smith at
919-242-5581.or e-mail:
[email protected]
