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Joint Meeting:
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**Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure in front of hotel lobby**
8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Life Members can enjoy a full day of activities on Wednesday, June 26. Visit Coolmore Plantation the circa 1850 antebellum home of retired Edgecombe County Extension Director Joe Powell. Following time at Coolmore, stroll the streets of Historic Tarboro. Spend time touring the historic Blount-Bridgers House, enjoying a leisurely lunch and taking in other sites of this gracious town.. The afternoon activities include stops at Vandemark Turf Farm and the Dan Finch Farm, both in Nash County. You can end the day by returning to the evening cookout and softball tournament.
BLOUNT BRIDGERS HOUSE This Tarboro plantation house was built by wealthy merchant-shipper Thomas Blount. Here you may see spacious rooms filled with antique furnishings dating from 1760 to 1890, as well as appealing works of art from the Hobson-Pittman collection. If you like archecture, crafts or history, you'll enjoy this experience.
THE PENDER MUSEUM, also called the Everette House, is a fine example of "Coastland Cottage" design. It is located on the same site as the Blount-Bridgers House. Built no later than 1810, perhaps as early as 1795, it shares many features with the larger Blount-Bridgers House. Notice the hand made rounded cypress shakes on the roof, and the fine dentil molding across the porch. County antiques adorn the interior. This home is representative of a farmer's dwelling in the late 19th and early 20th century.
THE 1840 PHILIPS DEPENDANCY was once a plantation office, and today contains a fine collection of tools and utensils from all over Edgecombe County. It is a great way to recall how things used to be done in the kitchen and on the farm.
AN 1840 COTTON PRESS is a reminder that cotton was truly "king" in Edgecombe County and the Coastal Plain during the 1800's. In the late summer and fall, this machine would be in heavy use, as mules and oxen would slowly turn the gigantic maple screw, pressing fluffy white cotton into compact bales.
TARBORO'S TOWN COMMON is an impressive greenspace taking up 3 city blocks in the center of the old part of Tarboro. Established in 1741 when Tarboro was founded by a legislative act, it along with the Boston Commons, are the only 2 town commons now in existence since colonial times.
COOLMORE is an impresive antebellum home built in the 1850's. It was the center of a great plantation located near the Tar River. The archetecture is extremely interesting. Of significance is the unique cupola and spiral staircase it boasts. It is beautiful but also served to create a draft that would keep the house cool even in the hottest weather. This was the home to retired Edgecombe Extension Director, Joe Powell until his death.
HURRICANE FLOYD LANDMARKS In 1999 record breaking floodwaters inundated the town of Tarboro. Recovery is still taking place. Some of the more significant areas of damage will be driven through.
**Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure in front of hotel lobby**
Capitol Museum Adventure
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Plan for a fun day touring two museums in the Capitol City. The tour will depart from the hotel at 8:30 AM and travel to Raleigh. The first stop on the tour will be the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences which has exhibits relating to our state's animals and plants and includes live animals, a butterfly house, and a reptile room. After lunch in the cafe, the tour will venture across the courtyard to the NC Museum of History. This museum boasts both long term and changing exhibits on NC culture, history, folklife and healing systems, and houses the NC Sports Hall of Fame. Plan to return to the hotel at about 4:00 PM. Lunch is included with registration.
Tobacco Farm Life Museum and Trains Tour
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Just imagine being able to step back onto a turn-of-the-century homestead, that is what a visit to the Tobacco Farm Life Museum feels like. With its exhibits on farm life, southern medicine, domestic skills, rural social life, and authentic artifacts, the Tobacco Farm Life Museum is truly a sight not to be missed. After a picnic lunch at the musuem, we will take a train ride on Amtrak from Wilson to Rocky Mount, departing from the historical Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Passenger and Freight Station in downtown Wilson.
Kids Only Pizza Party and Fun Night
Comfort Inn Conference Room (next door to Holiday Inn)
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Pizza party begins at 6:30 and then we will split into two groups by age. Children 10 to 15 yrs old will go to Michael's Crafts from 7:30 until 9:00 p.m. Children under 10 yrs old will remain in the Comfort Inn for activities supervised by a 4-H Agent.
Questions? Call Royce Hardin at 919-245-2050 OR Eric Spaulding at 929-989-5380 for additional information.