Diamondback terrapins, a unique and striking marsh turtle, have a long history in Beaufort, from collection and farming in the 1900s to present-day conservation efforts. Join Associate Curator of Education Courtney Felton to discover how terrapins went from being considered a delicacy to being protected. The...
Ever wonder what those little gadgets with the temperature and humidity read-outs in museum cases are all about? How about those pink-blue strips, the ones that look like a flat thermometer? Or those little baggies of orange-green beads? Conservators and Collection’s staff spend a great...
Many museum artifacts provide tasty treats for a variety of insects, animals, and fungi. A big part of museum conservation is preventing damage to our artifacts, which means knowing what’s eating your collection. Join museum conservator Michelle Crepeau for this lecture all about identifying common...
Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly will talk about the history of the Cape Lookout lighthouse, an iconic landmark of Carteret County. The presentation will cover both lighthouse structures at Cape Lookout, the extant 1812 tower, and the still standing 1859 tower. Many images of the lighthouse...
Following World War II, the Congress of Industrial Workers embarked on a campaign to unionize the South. As a part of that campaign, the International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America, a small Seattle-based labor union, attempted to unionize North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry. The...
Join Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster for an informal discussion about the biology, behavior, and conservation issues affecting "Beaufort’s Dolphins." Bottlenose dolphins occur in the waters off Beaufort year-round but they’re not the same individuals all year. We are learning a lot about these...
In the 1870s, George Washington Creef of Roanoke Island developed what came to be known as the "North Carolina Shad Boat." He went on to influence generations of boatbuilders by sharing his design and expertise. The boat design spread throughout northeastern North Carolina, becoming one...
Join Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly to learn about the wreck of the Caribsea, a casualty of World War II. On March 11, 1942, this cargo freighter was sunk by the German U-boat 158 off Cape Lookout while heading from Santiago de Cuba to Baltimore, Maryland....
In 1867, W. J. Bushall moved from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Core Creek to farm and fish. He left behind a diary from 1867 that details his life farming, fishing, and transporting his agricultural products by boat to market. The diary provides a view of...
Join museum Conservator Michelle Crepeau as she discusses electrolytic reduction: what it is, how it works and why conservators use electrochemical reactions to clean and desalinate marine archaeological metals. This program is part of the museum’s Maritime Heritage Lecture Series, informal lectures focused on North Carolina’s...