Madison Street Home Receives Historic Landmark Plaque
A unique 91-year-old
house on Madison Street
in Whiteville is the latest
home to be inducted into
the Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society
(RBHPS) Historic Landmark Plaque Program.
Constructed by Colonel
N.B. and Mabel Chestnutt,
the home features distinctive arched windows,
wrought iron railings and
a terra cotta tile roof. Patricia Woodard, who
bought the home earlier
this year, shared its history with a group of RBHPS
members who gathered
earlier this month for the
plaque unveiling. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Historic Plaque Unveiled on Fair Bluff Home
The Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society
(RBHPS) unveiled its 12th
Columbus County historic
landmark plaque recently
on the former home of Dr.
Lawrence D. Floyd located
on Main Street in Fair
Bluff. Home owner Esther Scott, her stepson and former
resident of the home,
Martin Scott, and RBHPS
President Janice Young
participated in the July 28
ceremony. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Students, Adults Remember Poet Laureate’s Visit
The literary committee
members of the Reuben
Brown House Preservation
Society are wondering what,
if anything, they can do in
the future to top the successful
visit by U.S. Poet Laureate
Tracy K. Smith last week.
Smith spoke Tuesday evening
to a large crowd at Southeastern
Community College
and Wednesday morning at
Bowers Auditorium, finishing
with an afternoon master
class of selected high school
students.
The job of a poet laureate
RBHPS members Donna
Scott and Pat Ray questioned
Smith, a Princeton University
professor, about the process
by which she was chosen
and how she serves as the official poet of the United States.
A committee studies the
work of living poets, Smith
explained, and recommends
nominees to the Librarian of
Congress, who makes the official appointment. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Visiting Poet Finds Eager Crowds, Shares ‘Where the Poems Come From’
U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy
K. Smith appeared Tuesday
evening at Southeastern
Community College to a
packed auditorium. Smith is
the author of the 2012 Pulitzer
Prize-winning collection Life on Mars. She is a professor
at Princeton University.
The poet’s visit to Columbus
County was arranged
by the Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society as a
special way of celebrating the
25th anniversary of the A.R.
Ammons Poetry Contest. Numerous
corporate and private
sponsors contributed to the
expenses of bringing Smith. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Poet Laureate coming to county March 6 and 7
The Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society, in collaboration
with Southeastern
Community College, will host
an evening with Tracy K.
Smith, U.S. Poet Laureate and
2012 Pulitzer Prize winner in
poetry for "Life On Mars.”
The event will be held Tuesday,
March 6 at 7 p.m. in the
auditorium at SCC, with a
reception and book signing to
follow. The public is invited
and admission is free. The event is being held in
recognition of the RBHPS
poetry contest that Susan
Wood started 25 years ago
for students K-12 and college,
with the assistance of Mary
Wyche Mintz, Melba Wyche,
Gene Claire Gault, Vernon
Hall and Hilda Ray. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
A.R. Ammons’ Poetry Continues to Earn Recognition
Melba Pate Wyche recalls
Archie Randolph Ammons,
Columbus County’s most celebrated
writer, this way: "They
called him ‘a poet’s poet,’ but
he was down to earth; he was
anybody’s poet.”
Wyche is one of the people
who have worked hard to
make Ammons "anybody’s
poet” for generations of students
and adults in the county.
During her career as an English
teacher at Hallsboro High
School, she invited Ammons
to come back to his home
county and speak to high
school and college students,
and after her retirement she
helped establish the annual
spring poetry contest in his
name. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Poet Laureate of the United States is Coming to Columbus County
National Poet Laureate Consultant
in Poetry is coming to Columbus
County, a cultural honor that has
never been bestowed on the county
before.
The announcement
was made
by Janice Young,
president of the
Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society, which
is sponsoring her
visit. She said Pulitzer
Prize winning
Tracy K.
Smith, who was
appointed Poet
Laureate in September
2017, is
scheduled to be in
Columbus County
March 6-7.
Smith is coming here at the invitation
of the Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society, a bonus to the
25th anniversary of Reuben Brown
House’s A.R. Ammons Poetry Contest. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Two Historic Homes Receive Markers Last Week
 Two Columbus County Historic
Landmark plaques were
unveiled Thursday, Oct. 26,
by the Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society.
The historic plaque program,
which began in 2015,
strives to recognize historic
sites in Columbus County
that are at least 75 years old. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Historic Plaque Unveilings Thursday
Two Columbus County Historic
Landmark plaques will
be unveiled Thursday, Oct. 26,
by the Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society.
The historic plaque program
that began in 2015 strives
to recognize historic sites in
Columbus County that are at
least 75 years old. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Craftspeople to be at Reuben Brown House
Floating sounds of dulcimer
music and clicking
needles will welcome visitors
to the historic Reuben
Brown House at the corner of
West Columbus and Franklin
streets on Friday, Nov. 3 from
1 to 4 p.m.
The interior will be decorated
for the season by members
of the Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society
for the public to view as part
of the 2017 Pecan Harvest
Festival’s Home Tour. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Historical Marker Unveiled at St. Mark
Last Sunday afternoon, a
crowd of about 40 members
and friends attended an unveiling
ceremony at St. Mark AME
Zion Church in Whiteville. A
brand-new black and silver
plaque from the Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society
designates St. Mark as one of
Columbus County’s important
historical structures.
The building has stood at
114 W. Virgil St. since 1915,
but the church was founded 50
years earlier, in 1865. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Through the Years at The News Reporter
A history of The News
Reporter and its impact on
Columbus County will be
presented at The News Reporterby editor Les High on
Sunday, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.
The presentation will
highlight how the people of
Columbus have been receiving
news on everything from
everyday news to life-changing
historic events since the
newspaper’s inception in
1890. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Reuben Brown House Preservation
Society Provides Lunch on the Lawn
Members of the Reuben
Brown House Preservation Society
worked hard to carry out
a fundraising meal Wednesday
on the lawn of the Reuben
Brown House on East Columbus
Street in Whiteville.
After selling about 250 tickets
to the event, they prepared
sandwiches, salads and fruit
kebabs, which they served
with brownies to both carryout
and eat-in guests. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Brown House Lunch is April 12
Tablecloths will be fluttering
and flowers will be blooming
at the Inaugural Brown
House Lunch on Wednesday,
April 12. The fundraiser will
benefit the Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society’s
many projects and events. It
will take place on the grounds
at the Reuben Brown House
between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at
128 Columbus Street in Whiteville.
Take-out plates will also
be available with parking for
the plates in front of the RBH. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Fundraiser lunch April 12 for Reuben Brown House
The luncheon will take
place on Wednesday,
April 12 between 11
a.m. and 2 p.m. on the
grounds of the Reuben
Brown House, 128 E. Columbus
St. , Whiteville. . (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
City Hall Can be Saved, Experts Say
Standing before a packed
gallery of Whitley Building
supporters at Whiteville
City Council Tuesday, Jeff
Adolphson of the State Historic
Preservation Office said
Whiteville’s City Hall can
and should be saved.
"It’s a beautiful building
and certainly worth preserving,”
Adolphson said. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Winners of the 2016 A.R. Ammons Poetry Contest
The winners of the 2015 A.R. Ammons Poetry Contest were announced during ceremonies at Vineland Station on April 24, 2016. The winners, honorable mentions and their poems are published here (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Speakers Urge Preservation, Prudence on City Hall Question
Whiteville City Hall was on the
minds of two speakers at the City
Council meeting Tuesday, and they
had different agendas.
Janice Young of the Reuben
Brown House Preservation Society
urged the board to do everything
possible to save the 1938 building,
while Justin Smith suggested the
board "consider that rebuilding
on the site may be a more prudent
option.” (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Brown House Group to Speak to Council Tuesday
Members of the Reuben
Brown House Preservation Society
will speak to the Whiteville
City Council Tuesday in
hopes of saving the Whitley
municipal building.
Janice Young of the Brown
House group is scheduled to
be on the agenda to address
the council and offer the nonprofit’s
help in "making a
tough decision. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Former Whiteville Post Office Building Played Role in Town’s Recovery from Great Depression
Whiteville’s City hall,
also known as the Whitley
Building, was one of dozens
of similar post offices built
to boost the economy in the
Depression.
Janice Young of the Reuben
Brown House Preservation
Society said the City
Hall wasn’t unique in its
Colonial style architecture. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Group Forms to Help Preserve City Hall
Many people try to fight City Hall,
but some Whiteville residents are
fighting for the venerable structure.
The Whitley Municipal Building,
a former U.S. Post Office, was closed
last year due to a pervasive mold
problem. Officials have fought the
problem for years, closing the downstairs
office suite and maintaining
pumps in the basement to remove
excess moisture. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
RBHPS Speaker Will Read from Book of Modern Latin Poetry
William Cooper will present
a program for the Reuben
Brown House Preservation
Society (RBHPS) Sunday, Feb.
28 at 3 p.m. at the Reuben
Brown House in Whiteville.
This is a part of the literary
series chaired by Pat Ray and
Janice Simms.
Cooper will read excerpts
from his recent book, Poematia
Moderna: Modern Latin Poetry,
which includes English translations
of poems published
in the 20th century and a few
from the present century.
The poems included in this
anthology were written by 70
contemporary poets from 17
nations. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Thompson House Gets Historical Plaque
The Reuben Brown House Preservation Society (RBHPS) unveiled its fifth historical plaque Tuesday at the home of John and Sara Thompson on North Madison Street. RBHPS plaque committee chair Jim Brooks presided
over the ceremony and Mayor
Terry Mann unveiled the
plaque as other RBHPS members
and people in the community
watched. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Poet Laureate Promotes State’s Arts and History
North Carolina’s official
ambassador of the written
word, Shelby Stephenson, read
and discussed his poetry, Sept.
27, at the Columbus County
Arts Council in downtown
Whiteville. The Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society
sponsored the free event and
afterward served a dinner
cooked by members. Forty-three
people attended. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
State’s Poet Laureate Coming this Weekend
North Carolina Poet
Laureate Shelby Stephenson
of Benson will
be in Columbus County
for two programs this
weekend.
Stephenson, described
as the state’s
ambassador for poetry
and literature even before
his appointment as
poet laureate, will kick
off the Reuben Brown
House Preservation Society’s
fall season. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
State’s Poet Laureate is Coming to Columbus
Columbus County will welcome
a state celebrity in September,
one whose forerunners
have never visited here
that anyone can remember.
North Carolina’s poet laureate,
Dr. Shelby Stephenson,
will visit here for two gatherings.
These events are planned
by the Reuben Brown House
Preservative Society (RBHPS)
in collaboration with Columbus
County Arts Council and
Lake Waccamaw Book Club. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Historical Plaque Program Growing; Two More Unveiled
The Reuben Brown House
Preservation Society’s plaque
program seems to be taking
root, with two historical buildings
receiving plaques a few
days ago.
Plaques were unveiled July
2 by Mayor Terry Mann at
The R.H. Burns Law Office
on Pinckney Street and The
Bank of Whiteville Building on the southeast corner of
Courthouse Square. A group of
Reuben Brown House Preservation
Society (RBHPS) members
and guests were in attendance. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Top Poems from the A.R. Ammons Contest
The winners of the 2015
A.R. Ammons Poetry Contest
were announced during ceremonies
at Vineland Station
on April 26.
The winners, honorable
mentions and their poems are
published here. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Susan Wood Provides Tour of Reuben Brown House
Susan Wood, in Colonial garb, tells Cub Scouts Cayden Russell and Holland
Pridgen about life in the mid-1800s while they were visiting the Reuben Brown
House. The Scouts are from Pack 512’s Den 1. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Crowd Learns about Historic Courthouse Renovation to Begin Late Summer
"The iconic parts of this building
must remain ‘historic.’ We’re
not going back to 1914-15. We want
to maintain the bones of this courthouse,”
architect Paul Bonsall told
a crowd of more than 100 Saturday
morning as he presented a slide
show of changes to be made during
the renovation of this county’s
100-year-old courthouse. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Tour the Old Courthouse Saturday -- Plaque Program Underway
A tour of the 100-year-old
Columbus County Courthouse
has already been planned for
Saturday, March 28 from 10
a.m. until noon.
Paul Bonsall, the architect
whose firm, Ware Bonsall Architects
of Charlotte has been
procured to oversee the renovation
of the old courthouse will
be present. He will discuss the
history of the courthouse and
efforts to create a modern facility,
yet preserve the sanctity of
the courthouse’s heritage.
The public is invited to take
the tour, which will begin at
the front of the building on
Madison Street. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |
Landmark Plaque #1
County Commission Chairman Trent Burroughs unveils
Landmark Plaque #1 at the Reuben Brown House,
commencing a plaque program to distinguish historical
homes and buildings throughout Columbus County. After
the unveiling, Reuben Brown House Preservation
Society members and guests enjoyed a celebration social
in the historical house decorated with floral arrangements
with roaring fires in the fireplaces to counter the
sub-freezing temperatures outside. (GET THE DETAILS HERE) |