The Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Lab is located in Greenville, NC. Once a month, on the first…read moreTuesday of the month, the lab is opened to the public for tours. Reservations are required for the free tours but it is easy to make a reservation on their website. In 1996, Queen Anne's Revenge which had been named La Concorde as it was a French slave ship was found off of the Beaufort inlet. The boat was 103 foot with 40 cannons and sunk on the Beaufort sandbar in 1718. In 2003, QAR Conservation Lab was formed in Greenville as they needed a bigger facility to work. Archaeologists work at the facility to uncover; preserve; clean; identify and catalog the artifacts. This is a very long process. Some of the artifacts took 9 years from when they started until it could be displayed at the museum. The artifacts are covered with concretion which is a mixture of shells, sand and debris that latch on. So they start with xrays to see what is inside. The artifacts need to soak in a tank to keep them wet. Then archaeologists have to use air scribes (it reminded me of a dentist drill) to remove the the concretion. The artifacts then need to soak to desalinate and this can take many years. Electronic reduction is used to help stop corrosion. Anodes get attached to artifacts to help the process. The warehouse has some parts of the hull structure; a 12 foot anchor that weighs over 2000 pounds; cannons; cannon balls; and much more. Some of the small artifacts were found in the sand. So far, 30 of the cannons have been recovered among the hundreds of thousands of artifacts. I had no idea how much was involved in getting items from the sea to the point they are ready for the museum. I have much respect for these archaeologists preserving history. I highly recommend taking a tour at QAR Conservation Lab as it is a unique experience.

I highly recommend I toured this museum when bi was a little girl and hageva picture on the…read moreoriginal Queen Anne Pirate Ship. Greenville has alot of historical places and history no one knows about.

I've been to a lot of DMV places and it's always a long line. The one here in greenville is pretty…read morequick compared to the ones in bigger cities. This place is very clean and neat. You just get assigned a number, sit down, and then wait for that number to be called. How simple is that. The one thing that was great about this place was that the front desk would double check all the materials you have brought to make sure you have everything you need before waiting too long and being told that you didn't have all the material. P.S. Make an appointment if you're in a rush. P.S.S. this is NOT the location for vehicle registration! That one is on stantonsburg.

I forgot to review my experience at this particular DMV/Driver License office from back in…read moreDecember. The NC DMV has really come a long way over the years. Big plus: this location is open on Saturday with full services. Modern automatic numbering/calling system, touch screen testing centers, and pretty friendly staff members. As of the first of the new year, they were stopping all testing at 4 pm each day, and road testing areas were behind the old mall and down a little ways in the Red Oak/Allendale neighborhoods. Also, they weren't taking appointments, only walk-ins, and had random hours. Be advised that the former/original location from many years back on 10th Street is now only for vehicle/vessel registration and plates, so this location is definitely the call for anything driver license related. You're best off checking operating hours before visiting.

I was driving down the road and saw the Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza so turned around to go back and…read morecheck it out. It is hard to miss and is the entrance to a park. Street parking was available. I learned it was built on the site of the Sycamore Hill Baptist Church that was the center for the African American community. The panels pay tribute to the area and the people. I'm glad I made the stop to check it out.

Certainly worth spending an afternoon visiting the oldest town in North Carolina. You can visit two…read moreold homes on guided tours and a visitor center that is informative. There is also a self guided walking tour. Information staff. If you visit in the winter be certain to visit nearby Lake Matamaskeet where the Tundra Swans over winter.

Bath, NC, became the first town in the state as European settlers came to the Pamlico River in the…read more1690s. Bath holds many firsts, the first port as well as the first church; first library; and first shipyard. At the Visitor's Center/Museum, there is free parking either on the street or in the parking lot. the Visitor's Center is now located in a former high school that was built in 1922. Admission is free to view the exhibits. when you arrive there is a short film of Bath's history that you can view at your own pace. The exhibits are thorough and nicely done so give yourself enough time to read all the information. Early on, Bath had some turmoil with Cary's Rebellion and then with the Tuscarora Indians. Yellow Fever took more lives. Some of the exhibits cover slavery at the time. Blackbeard even lived in Bath. He got a pardon; married a teenager; and lived at Plum's Point. Bath has a big history in North Carolina so the exhibit center is worth checking out.

It can be very difficult to obtain a timely prescheduled appointment these days at a NC DMV. It can…read moreforce one to travel unusual distances, or show up and wait outside to hope for a chance to be assisted. If you fall under that category, and the weather is anything but a clear-skied 70 degrees, do not choose this small outpost location. I was alarmed and profoundly disappointed to witness the, I will say it, *dangerous* disregard this staff showed for the public when unnecessarily *locking their door* thereby forcing everyone, including those with appointments, to wait outside in temperatures that ranged between *98 and 100* degrees. While the foyer and entry hall remained empty, there was only a shallow brick alcove by the doors where you could try to avoid the blistering sun. Even there, my heart rate was pounding while my body tried to adjust to the heat. There was even an amputee outside with crutches. The reasoning the staff gave, when they bothered to, was they were 'short-staffed.' From a customer's view, there were plenty of staff, one of which was doing nothing but sitting in a corner complaining about her back and swapping recipes, and another who was just standing and 'overseeing' and periodically opening the door to ask if anyone had an appointment. I feel certain that person was senior enough that they could have been at a terminal or at least determining what each person was there for. For example, at the Cary, NC Avent Ferry location, even during COVID when everyone had to line up distanced outside, a DMV staff member remained outside and walked the line, triaging each customer. Some were able to go home because they didn't have the right documents with them. At this location, however, I watched as a lovely young woman who had waited in the scorching heat for over an hour, was finally allowed inside to be told something to that effect. She lamented that had she known, she might have avoided that. There were two open terminals where staff could have been at least attempting to assist people, even if they needed to ask other staff for guidance. Regardless, human beings needed to be inside air-conditioned space. They made no effort to e.g. take their number and let them wait in a car with the A/C running, nor to allow people inside. The number of people waiting could have been accommodated in the interior space, or family members accompanying them sent back to wait more comfortably in their vehicles. And it was not a pandemic distancing concern; those had been long ago lifted, and not a single member of their staff was masked. Once we were inside, the space was clean, and the staff who did assist us were for the most part cordial and professional. That is the only reason for the ** and not *.

Absolutely recommend going to this DMV office. Staff is pleasant and they run the office very…read moreefficiently. I had an 8:00 am appointment. I was called at 7:47 am. Out of the office by 8:09 am along with my daughter, who also had an appointment for an ID. Highly, highly recommended!!!!

Martin County was established in 1774 from parts of Halifax and Tyrrell Counties, it was created to…read moreease the burden on residents who had to travel long distances to reach government seats. The county was named for Josiah Martin, the last royal governor of North Carolina, though after the Revolution, the name came to honor Alexander Martin, a Federalist and later governor of the state. Williamston, the county seat, was incorporated in 1779 and earned the nickname "Tar Landing" due to its strategic location on the Roanoke River. Martin County's courthouse is like none I can remember seeing. The architecture has some Medieval design elements as well as Italianate and Victorian. It was constructed in 1887 and features segmental arched windows and a commanding three-story central square tower, giving it a castle-like silhouette that sets it apart from other North Carolina courthouses of the era. The building served as the county's judicial and administrative center for nearly a century and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Early on a Monday morning, the building was secured and I was not able to see the interior. But the exterior of this historic courthouse was enough today. [Review 831 of 2025 - 4261 in North Carolina - 24390 overall]

This marker is just to the northeast of downtown Williamston and the Martin County Courthouse. It…read morepoints out a more recent history, this time the Civil Rights Era. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Mass meetings at Green Memorial Church for 32 days, June-July 1963, & nonviolent marches, led to the desegregation of local public facilities." It is marker number B-67 and it was erected in 2010. Led by local activists and supported by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, peaceful protests in 1963 drew hundreds of participants and focused on desegregating schools and public facilities. The movement gained national attention and prompted gradual changes, culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Historian David C. Carter described the Williamston Freedom Movement as a powerful example of community-building and personal transformation. [Review 832 of 2025 - 4262 in North Carolina - 24391 overall]

I spotted the marker before the house. It points out the residence of a former jurist before and…read moreduring the Civil War era. The marker reads, "Asa Biggs. 1811-1876. U.S. Senator, 1855-1858. Federal and Confederate judge. Member of state conventions in 1835 and 1861. Lived 1 block N." Biggs played influential roles at both the state and national levels. Educated locally and admitted to the bar in 1831, Biggs began his career in law and politics by representing Martin County at the 1835 state Constitutional Convention. He served in the North Carolina House of Commons and Senate before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1845 and later to the U.S. Senate in 1855. Disenchanted with Washington, he resigned in 1858 to become a federal district judge. During the Civil War, Biggs aligned with the Confederacy, serving as a Confederate judge and supporting secession and slavery. After the war, he resumed legal practice and later entered business in Norfolk, where he died in 1878. His restored 1835 home in Williamston is the town's oldest. It reflects both Greek Revival and Federal architectural styles. It is open to the public for viewing. [Review 829 of 2025 - 4259 in North Carolina - 24388 overall]