Narratives of the Land

This blog post is a little belated as its events got caught up in the exams and college application rush, but here it is! In early December, My dad and I were able to go with Judd Edeburn, former resource manager of the Duke Forest, and Nicki Cagle, from the Nicholas School of the Environment,…

Last week, I had two very important phone calls. First I spoke with Mr. Judd Edeburn — former resource manager of the Duke Forest. Mr. Edeburn told me about the Couch cemeteries present on the Duke Forest land — which I will be able to visit with him and hopefully Ms. Nicolette Cagle. He also…

Hello! I haven’t posted in a while, but that is not for lack of progress. I’ve got lots to catch everyone up on. To begin, two weeks ago I was on a call with several local history experts. Organized by Mr. Tom Magnuson of the “Trading Path Association” (knowledgable particularly about old maps and roads),…

Lots of new developments this week! To begin with I spoke with Ms. Courtney Smith from the Orange County Historical Museum (OCHM) who has helped curate the OCHM’s new exhibit, “Journeys of the Occaneechi.” She not only put me in touch a few tribal members — Mr. Lawrence Dunmore, a tribal storyteller and historian, and…

It’s been a little while since I’ve gotten something up on the blog, but this Quarter 1 Reflection should bring everyone up to speed. I started this quarter researching the history of the Eno River and the Couch land which is now Duke Forest. I consulted, among other resources, the old “Eno Journals” that can…

This week has largely been a preparatory and transitional week. I’ve been drafting a note to send to Ms. Bennet that she can forward to her contacts, so I can start to get in touch with some interviewees. Beyond that I’ve signed up for several virtual events at the Orange County Historical Museum for their…

Hello! As we come to the end of week 4, I have a few general updates and a little reflection about my independent study so far. In general developments: Since I last posted I’ve met with Vera Cecelski the site manager at Historic Stagville and Cassandra Bennett who works on Cultural Heritage for Durham Parks…

Hello! This weeks post is going to super short! This week I’ve reached out to some experts in the area and asked to speak with them. This afternoon I’ll be speaking with Vera Cecelski, the site manger from the Historic Stagville Foundation. I’m hoping to learn about how the folks at Stagville have gone about…

Hello all! This week I began my research on the history of Duke Forest. You, like me, have probably walked, ran, or hiked in Duke Forest before, but never known how the University came to own this land. I live right by the Al Buehler Trail and have grown up walking there with my family.…

Hello and welcome to my blog! This week I started my research. The end goal for this independent study is to put together a journalistic piece based on interviews from people who know the local land very well. But before I can get to the “interview-phase,” I need background information. I began my research in…