Topics Related to Bennett Place State Historic Site

James and Nancy Bennett lived along the Hillsborough Road, a major throughway between the county seat of Hillsborough and the state capitol of Raleigh. They earned money selling goods & services to passers-by on the roadway. On November 22, Bennett Place State Historic Site brings back that entrepreneurial, small-business spirit with the Old Hillsborough Road Market. Shop from local craft, retail, and food vendors for a perfect holiday gift! 

The modern Thanksgiving holiday stems from a mid-19th century campaign by Sara Josepha Hale for the adoption of a national thanksgiving holiday. President Abraham Lincoln created the federal holiday in 1863 during the American Civil War. So how did our Thanksgiving narrative come to focus on a fantastical meal shared between colonists and American Indians? What messages did Americans hope to convey with the Thanksgiving holiday? What were some popular Thanksgiving foods in generations past? 

In 1923, a committee of influential local leaders commissioned the monument at Bennett Place to inform visitors about the history and significance of the Civil War surrender that occurred here. They inscribed their understanding of history onto the landscape with the Unity Monument, which in turn shaped what future generations learned about Bennett Place & the outcomes of the Civil War.These committee members joined a long tradition of telling stories about the past and its meaning through artwork. 

Join us for a special environmental history guided tour at 11:00 a.m.!

Union armies brought freedom to central North Carolina in the closing days of the Civil War. Emancipation elicited a variety of powerful reactions to news of slavery's collapse. Historian Ernest Dollar shares stories of African American men and women's first moments of freedom in this free Black History Month lecture.

Join us as we commemorate the 160th anniversary of the largest Civil War surrender at Bennett Place! The program features costumed living history and community table displays.

This program has been postponed from Friday April 25 to Saturday, September 20, 2025. The close of the American Civil War with military surrenders at sites like Bennett Place assured the end of legal slavery in America. Join us as we commemorate and recognize the lives of over 330,000 North Carolinians enslaved during the Civil War. This program highlights experiences of enslaved and newly freed people through storytelling, music, and luminaries. 

Bennett Place hosts several historic sites and museums for a history-packed School Day program. Students rotate through several stations focusing not just on Bennett Place and the Civil War, but many aspects of North Carolina’s long, rich history. Stations include hands-on activities, with most suited best for elementary school children. Advanced registration required - space limited. 

Join us as we launch an evening component to our commemoration of the surrender at Bennett Place. This event will honor the lives of enslaved people in North Carolina who gained their freedom at the end of the Civil War.

Join us as we commemorate the 159th anniversary of the Civil War surrender at the Bennett farmhouse! The daytime event features costumed interpretation of military and civilian life during the Civil War. The event is $5 for adults and $2 for children and seniors.