Why come to Raleigh?

Why should you come to Raleigh in May 2009?

The weather is great. The average daytime highs are in the mid- to upper-70s.

The dogwood trees and rhododendron plants are in bloom, painting the city with color.

You can network with hundreds of genealogists who are also coming to the conference.

The conference is held in the middle of North Carolina history. Enjoy being close to many archival repositories just waiting for you to explore their collections. (Read about the many research opportunities on this blog.)

North Carolina barbeque - need we say more?!

Indulge yourself with four days of genealogy lectures by nationally-known speakers.

Enjoy world-class museums, many within walking distance of the convention center.

Stroll through an exhibit hall filled with vendors offering a wide variety of genealogy products and services.

Heartbeat of Raleigh -- Its Renaissance -- Fayetteville Street

Fayetteville Street in Raleigh (just a block over from the Convention Center where the conference will be held) is the central thoroughfare of Raleigh and reflects the history of this capital city!

In an attempt to re-energize this thoroughfare in the 1970s, the street was closed to traffic and converted to a pedestrian mall in an attempt to revitalize the downtown area.

The lack of success of this project resulted in a return to vehicular traffic in 2006, and was celebrated as part of Raleigh Wide-Open, a now annual event!

Read about the history of this street leading up to its renaissance!

When you are here for NGS 2009, you'll get to see for yourself how successful the project has been as you enjoy the sights, sounds, restaurants and businesses that now line this exciting street that connects the Capitol Building at the northern end to the Progress Performing Arts Center at the southern end.

Western NC Your Focus? Check out the Edith M Clark History Room!

Along the former Old Wagon Road / Great Philadelphia Wagon Road in Rowan County, North Carolina, lies the historic town of Salisbury. Founded in 1753, Salisbury was settled primarily by Scots-Irish and Germans. It was the largest city in western North Carolina in the 1700s and early 1800s. During the Civil War, it had the only Confederate Prison in the state.

Today this charming city boasts five local historic districts and ten historic districts listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to its rich history, Salisbury also is home to one of the best genealogical libraries in the southeast.

With over 19,000 books, 5700 microforms, 51 computer databases, and 268 manuscript collections, the Edith M. Clark History Room on the third floor of the Rowan Public Library in Salisbury comprises one of the largest genealogical and historical collections in North Carolina. The History Room’s collection focuses on Western North Carolina, especially all areas of old Rowan County.

However, it also contains records for other North Carolina counties, bordering states, and other states relevant for studying migration routes to/from Rowan County. In addition to the many books, genealogical journals, and manuscript collections available at the library, some highlights of the history room’s holdings include:

● The McCubbins Collection
● Jo White Linn Collection
● Archibald Henderson Collection of books on drama, literary criticism, & American history
● The Craige Collection of North Caroliniana
● The Christian Reid Collection of books by local author Francis Fisher Tiernan
● Family histories
● An extensive collection of Civil War records
● Salisbury Confederate Prison materials
● Draper Manuscripts (North Carolina Papers, Tennessee Papers, Draper's Life of Boone, Daniel Boone Papers, Rudolph-Ney Papers, King's Mountain Papers, and Mecklenburg Declaration Papers, & Miscellanies)
● North Carolina county records on microfilm
● Historic western North Carolina newspapers on microfilm, such as the Carolina Watchman and the Western Carolinian
● Historic North Carolina maps
● Salisbury City Directories, beginning in 1901

Some of the library’s records are available online, such as their

Digital Archives and the Theo Buerbaum collection of historic Salisbury postcards. The library’s online catalog includes records in the history room, which makes planning your research easy. They also have online finding aids for the history room. So, while you’re coming to North Carolina for the NGS Conference, be sure to make a stop in Salisbury at their wonderful library.

[Content provided by: Elaine Turk Nell]

The Raleigh Convention Center

The much-anticipated Raleigh Convention Center opened in the fall of 2008. The 500,000 square foot building will be an impressive backdrop for the NGS Conference in the States in May 2009. The convention center boasts high-tech capabilities such as state-of-the-art lighting and sound in each room and wireless internet access throughout the building.

The lobby welcomes visitors with floor-to-ceiling windows. The street level mezzanine offers easy access to all areas of the center and to the attached Raleigh Marriott City Center hotel. The spacious reception area will be an ideal location to meet friends and network with fellow genealogists.

For those who are driving to the conference, there is a 900-space attached parking garage plus more than 4,000 parking spaces within a 2-block radius of the center.

Our State Capitol Building -- a landmark we are proud of!

In 1788 the NC State Convention voted to fix the capital within ten miles of Isaac Hunter's plantation in Wake County. Construction of a State House began on the town's central square in 1792.

First occupied in 1794, the building served as the capitol until it burned in 1831. The cornerstone of the present State Capitol, constructed on the site of the former State House, was laid in 1833 and the building was completed in 1840. It is one of the finest and best preserved examples of a major civic building in the Greek Revival architecture style.

If you want to step back into history, visit this building! Whether you go inside of it during the day or stroll around it in the evening, it captivates you.

Located only a few blocks from the Convention Center, it's within easy walking distance! Self-guided tours are available anytime the building is open and guided tours are available Saturday, 11 am & 2pm and Sunday, 2 pm. Admission is Free!

In addition to the wonderful architecture and interior, the grounds, Union Square, is home to numerous statues and monuments that have been erected to memorialize people and events in the history of North Carolina. The collection consists of fourteen monuments, most of them bronze on stone bases.


If you won't have time to check it out in person, then take the virtual tour!

Travel into RDU has just gotten better!

By the time you arrive for NGS 2009, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) will have unveiled Terminal 2 -- a brand new state-of-the-art terminal!

If your plans including flying in on Air Canada, American, Delta, United and select regional carriers, you will get to experience this new terminal first hand!

Some features of the new terminal include:

+ 3 times larger than the old Terminal C.
+ 3 ticketing islands -- each feature 20 traditional ticket counters.
+ 60+ electronic kiosks will be located throughout the airline check-in area.
+ will accommodate up to 11.4 million passengers each year.
+ each concourse features 2 moving walkways.
+ security checkpoint will accommodate up to 10 security checkpoint lanes.
+ baggage claim area will feature 5 baggage carousels.
+ fully automated in line baggage screening system will screen all checked luggage as required by TSA.

What this means for your visit to Raleigh is that all aspects of your arrival and departure should go smoother and faster and may even be pleasurable (we hear that 15% of the waiting seats will have power outlets and USB ports for the tech savvy traveler!).

This article by the N&O gives a nice overview of the new terminal or check out the airport's own web-page to learn more about this exciting new airport experience!

Exciting Art Exhibitions -- May 2009 -- Artspace!

Exciting exhibitions planned for May 2009 at Artspace!

Gallery One will host an exhibition by Michigan artist Sarah Lindley, opening May 1, 2009. Lindley’s exhibition will present recent porcelain work reminiscent of roll top desks, trunks, chests of drawers, and cabinets. While normally these items are designed to protect, organize, and display their contents, Lindley reduces the forms to systems and structure – essentially skeletal forms – incapable of function. The function is defied further by the fragile nature of the material (porcelain) from which they have been created.

Gallery Two will present the work of our Artspace Summer Arts Program instructors. This exhibition, opening May 16, 2009, will feature works for sale by the many talented professional artists who join us each summer to teach visual arts to children and adults. Proceeds from art sales benefit the Artspace Summer Arts Program scholarship fund.

Additional exhibitions will be located in the Upfront Gallery, lobby, and hallways throughout the building.

Always check the Artspace web-site for information about all current exhibitions and special events.