Event Schedule
Friday, October 16, 2026 - 5 pm to 9 pm
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Watch night-time Cannon Firings on Contentnea Creek
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Hear music from Cuttin' Grass band
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Tour the Grifton Museum
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Fellowship around the campfires within the Civil War Encampments
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Enjoy Concessions available on the grounds
Saturday, October 17, 2026 - 9 am to 5 pm
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All Day Events include:
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Civil War and Colonial Encampments
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Black Beard History Presentations,
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Tours of the Grifton Museum and Indian Village
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Fossil pit activities
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Blackbeard the Pirate (Beaufort Pirate Invasion)
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Tuscarora Indians
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Children's Activities
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Rope making, Soap making, old tractors and engines, blacksmithing, primitive technologies, and much more.
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Speakers to be announced as confirmed
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Sunday, October 18, 2026 - 9 am to 10 am
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Morning Church Hymns
Event Speakers
Edwin Averette
Edwin Averette
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Edwin Averette, a native of Eastern North Carolina, is engaged in heritage management and the preservation of historical cemeteries. With a decade of research experience, Edwin has worked extensively to ensure that these important cultural sites are preserved and understood for future generations. In 2021, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from ECU, concentrating in design, photography, and anthropology, with a certificate in archaeological cultural resource management (CRM). In addition to his archaeological work at Sycamore Cemetery, he has participated in the Rhem Family Vault excavation at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern and the Ayden African American Ancestral Cemetery (4AC) in Ayden. Other projects include mapping land grants in the local area and volunteering under Curator of Special Collections Stephen Farrell in Washington to assist in establishing Washington's Museum of the Pamlico as the focal point of historical preservation in ENC
Presentation Details:
Mapping the Dead: The Hunt for Lost Cemeteries in Eastern North Carolina
Learn how to locate lost cemeteries in colonial and antebellum ENC by interpreting historical maps, genealogy, and deeds. This lecture highlights recent discoveries, such as the Burial Ground for Enslaved People of Bonner Hill and the ancient Snoad family gravestones of Washington, NC. We will conclude with discussing the search for the local lost Blount Hall cemetery—the project that inspired this talk.
You can view Edwin's photography thesis which highlights some of the Eastern North Carolina cemeteries he has researched and photographed via the following link.
View his photography here.
Dennis Harper
Dennis Harper
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Dennis Harper is an East Carolina University graduate with a degree in History and a strong passion for preserving and sharing local history. He serves as Chairman of the Save Wyse Fork Battlefield Commission and as a board member of a historical preservation group. Dennis also serves as a tour guide for both the Wyse Fork Battlefield and the Battle of Kinston, bringing the region’s Civil War history to life for visitors. He is an author and a retired pharmaceutical executive.
Stacey Jones
North Carolinian, Stacey Jones, is a graduate from Wayne Community College, Mount Olive
College, and Campbell University Divinity School in studies ranging from agricultural and animal
sciences to business management and Christian education. He worked 30 years in the swine
industry performing at different levels of management, he has served in church ministry, and is
currently employed as the CEO of a small credit union. His love of studying genealogy, local,
Civil War, and American Revolutionary War history has compelled his strong passion for
researching deeper into those subjects. Jones currently serves as the co-chairman and
treasurer for the Wyse Fork Battlefield Commission, Camp Commander of the Dr. B. T. Person
Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1517, and a member of the General George Washington
Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. He contributed to author Wade Sokolosky
book Final Roll Call: Confederate Losses during the Carolinas Campaign 1865, Volume 1,
recently authored with Dennis Harper and published August Reign of Terror: Major James H.
Craig’s 1781 Punitive Raid. He recently had an article appear in the Neuse News entitled Where
was Richard Caswell in 1781? He is currently helping to establish the Eastern North Carolina
Revolutionary War Trail and is working to complete other historical projects for future
publication.
Presentation Details:
Major James H. Craig's Punitive Rais
punitive /adjective/ inflicting or'intended as punishment
On January 28, 1781, Maj. James H Craig, with his Brush forces, captured the town of Wilmington. His mission was to establish supply base for Lt.
Gen. Charles Cornwalls's army as they continued their southern
campaign into North Carolina. During their occupation, the British foraged and raided the southeastern interior of the state while rallying and enlisting Loyalists. Once Craig received news of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, to Gen. George Washington, he evacuated Wilmington in mid-November 1781.
Major Craig's most notable military expedition was his punitive raid that began on August 1, 1781, when he left Wilmington and headed to Duplin County. While foraging, they pillaged and burned the homes of Whigs while recruiting Tories. From there, he led his troops toward New Bern, skirmishing along the way with militia. Upon reaching that town, he ransacked the place and continued his reign of terror back toward Wilmington, returning in early September 1781.
Mike Boyette
I grew up on a small family tobacco farm in eastern Wake County. After highschool, I attended North Carolina State University where I obtained a BS, MS and Ph.D.in Agricultural Engineering. After graduation, I remained at NCSU conducting research, extension and teaching for over 40 years. My area of interest was in tobacco mechanization and sweetpotato storage and handling.
My introduction to John Lawson came when I obtained a copy of "A New Voyage to Carolina" while on an eighth grade field trip to the NC Museum of History. I have read and reread his book many times and never fail to appreciate his learning, wit, humanity and keen eye for details and especially his benevolent attitude toward the Native Americans. John Lawson was a visionary. Several times in his book, he imagines and speaks fondly about the far future when North Carolina is populated by free and industrious people. The soaring prose of the opening paragraph of one section in his book where he speaks of Carolina being a "delicious country" is enough alone to earn him the title of Father of North Carolina. Why John Lawson is so little known and honored in the land he clearly loved is a mystery that we must rectify.
Presentation Details:
Who is John Lawson
My presentation will deal with John Lawson, the man and the world he lived in. He had the benefits of a broad education in the natural sciences and connections to some of the leading natural scientists of 17th century Britain. He was curious and acknowledged that he had a keen eye for detail and was able to make "a nice observation". Further, he was an engaging writer who documented everything he saw; be it plants, animals or Native Americans. Lastly, John Lawson must have been quite fearless. He was not afraid to strike off in the dead of winter through a largely unknown land on a "thousand mile journey." You can easily imagine him sitting by the campfire each night, writing of the day's events in his journal. In fact, John Lawson's journal of his travels through the Carolina backcountry may well have influenced later explorers like Lewis and Clark and William Bartram.
Mike Boyette
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Gene Oakley
Gene Oakley
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Gene Oakley of Grifton is a longtime craftsman, historical enthusiast, and supporter of the Grifton Historical Museum. Known to many longtime John Lawson Legacy Days visitors for his popular “Steamy Gene’s Steam Engines” demonstrations, Gene has spent years using his mechanical skills and love of history to help others better understand the technology and material culture of the past.
A skilled machinist and craftsman, Gene has constructed working models and specialized equipment and has shared his knowledge through educational demonstrations.
At this year’s John Lawson Legacy Days, Gene will turn his attention to another fascinating part of American history—the flag. Through a special historic flag demonstration, he will explore flags as symbols of the people, events, and changing nation they represented. His presentation offers visitors an opportunity to see history through some of its most recognizable symbols and to discover the stories behind the flags of our past.
Presentation Details:
Historic Flag Demonstration