Pat McCrory, Governor
Susan Kluttz, Secretary
Marketing and Communications Office
News Release
Contact : Fay Mitchell (919) 807-7389
Julia Rogers (919) 477-5498
Release: March 1, 2015
Duke Homestead Commemorates the end of the Civil War with ‘A
Soldier’s Walk Home”
DURHAM – Duke Homestead commemorates the end of the Civil War and the beginning of
reconstruction with “A Soldier’s Walk Home.” From May 11th to 23rd of 2015 Historian and Reenactor,
Philip Brown will be walking the 166 miles from New Bern, North Carolina to Durham, North Carolina.
This journey commemorates not only the walk Washington Duke made home from New Bern, but is
representative of all North Carolina soldiers who made a journey home after the war.
Philip will be making the journey in period clothing and will be accompanied along the way by fellow
reenactors, veterans, a support team, and any others who wish to join him for this symbolic walk.
The walk will begin at Union Point Park in New Bern, NC on May 11th. Philip will travel along a route
similar to that which Washington Duke himself would have taken 150 years before and will be making
11 distinct stops along the way. In each city or town where he stops there will be events which shine the
light on local history. He is scheduled to arrive in Durham on May 23rd at Duke Homestead State
Historic Site, as a part of the site’s annual Bull Fest Celebration.
“A Soldier’s Walk Home” takes place from May 11th to May 23rd. at Duke Homestead State Historic
Site. For more information contact: 919-477-5498 or visit: ASoldiersWalkHome.com for a detailed copy
of Philip’s route, stops along the way, events, and partner organizations. Duke Homestead is part of the
Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
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About Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Museum
Duke Homestead is the site of the Duke family’s nineteenth-century farm, where Washington Duke
started a tobacco business that later became the largest in the world. With the money generated by this
venture, the Dukes endowed Duke University, began what later grew into Duke Energy, and founded an
endowment that continues to contribute to charitable causes today.
About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader
in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina.
Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR's mission is to enrich lives and communities by creating
opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark
creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR
was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one
umbrella.
Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art,
NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the
economic stimulus engine for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of State Archives, Historical
Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North
Carolina's rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR's State Library
of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in
our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online
collections including genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.
NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history
museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library,
the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that
accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more
information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit “www.ncdcr.gov.