Source: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Coming up at Bennett Place State Historic Site, an evening to reflect on a pivotal chapter in American history—the end of the Civil War and slavery in North Carolina—is the luminary program “The Promise of Peace: Slavery’s End in North Carolina.” According to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the free public event will take place on September 20 from 7-9:30 p.m. Each of the 1,324 luminaries set to adorn the site represents 250 individuals once enslaved in the state, commemorating the 331,059 enslaved souls who bore witness to freedom’s dawn with the war’s end.
Historians from across State Historic Sites will give testimonies dedicated to the enslaved people’s journeys toward liberty during the program. Originally slated for April but delayed due to weather, the event has been rescheduled, allowing attendees to immerse themselves in the stories while musician Shana Tucker serenades the night with instrumental music. Offering more context, the event highlights how slavery’s dissolution took shape, with enslaved persons seeking refuge with U.S. forces or negotiating with their enslavers to avoid separation from their families or forced labor. Although the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln was declared on Sept. 22, 1862, it wasn’t until the Confederate surrender at Bennett Place and the military enforcement thereafter that the chains of slavery were truly shattered…