Local & state exhibits highlight showings at Headquarters Library

Spring is just around the corner, which heralds the start of new life. North Carolina has had a cornucopia of native life, from the Venus Flytrap to the Red Wolf. Starting this month, the Cumberland County Public Library’s Local & State History Department is hosting an exhibit covering the native plants, animals and crops in North Carolina.

The exhibit covers important cash crops, such as cotton and tobacco. North Carolina golden leaf has dominated the tobacco industry for over 100 years with producers such as the Duke family, which is the namesake of Duke University. North Carolina still leads the nation in tobacco production. Cotton, another important North Carolina crop, was common in the eastern part of the state, particularly in antebellum times.  

In addition to commercial crops, numerous native plants that have been used by residents for centuries. From the American persimmon tree to the muscadine grape, many plants growing wild in our backyards have historically been used for foods and medicinal remedies. Our old forests were once home to the mighty American chestnut tree — which for years was roasted as a Christmas snack— but are now all but gone. While the usefulness of these plants has been largely forgotten in modern culture, their legacy can still be found in old folklore and recipes from years past.

Aside from plants and crops, plenty of animals once roamed the state. Flocks of Carolina parakeets, a colorful native bird, flew in abundance during the 1700s but became extinct in the early 20th century. Mammals, like bears, wolves and mountain lions, once roamed the gardens and forests of Carolina colonists. Many such animals are currently endangered or extinct in the North Carolina wild. All this and more will be covered in the exhibit starting this month.

March is also the month, in the year 1865, in which Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his army marched through Fayetteville and Cumberland County and burned down The Fayetteville Observer. But did you know that The Fayetteville Observer was a Union-supporting newspaper right before the Civil War began? Join us in the Local & State History room on Saturday, March 16^th for a presentation by the Fayetteville History Museum on the Observer’s fascinating history at 10 a.m. at the Headquarters Library at 300 Maiden Lane.  

To register for our programs or to find out more information about the Local & State History Department, call us at 910-483-7727 Ext. 1365 or go to https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/library-group/library/resources-research/local-history