Michael = F. Easley, Governor &nb= sp; = = &nb= sp; = Lisbeth C. Evans, Secretary

North Carolina

Department of Cultural Resources

News Release

Contact : = Maryanne Friend, 919-807-7385 = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Release: Immediately

= &nb= sp; =

GIFT FOR N.C. MARITIME MUSEUM

(Raleigh, October = 4, 2006) -- The State of North Carolina accepted = a gift of 36 acres of land on the waterfront on Gallant’s Channel in Beaufort, N.C., o= n Tuesday, Oct. 3, to expand facilities for educational and cultural programs of the <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">N.C. Maritime Museum, administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The existing docks and facilities are currently used for the museum’s jun= ior sailing program, rowing programs and Cape Lookout Studies program. The location is also home for arti= facts from the shipwreck presumed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR), <= em>flagship of the pirate Blackbeard. = The property was purchased by the Friends of the N.C. Maritime Museum in 1997 for = future museum expansion.

Property improvements include bulkheads and dockage, gravel road access, fencing, security, and presentation cases for QAR artifacts and storage. Purchased for $3.6 million in 1997, today the estima= ted value stands at $36,000,000.

“Community leaders and the Friends of the Maritime Museum recognized a need for expanded educational and recreational opportunities f= or citizens of all ages so they went into action.” said Maryan= ne Friend, Cultural Resources, Director of Development and Marketing Communic= ations.

“The Friends acquired a natural site on the Intracoastal Waterway and put a 10-y= ear development plan into place for a natural and historic resource center to preserve and interpret the unique maritime heritage and coastal marine ecol= ogy of North Carolina= .

“There are few, if any, properties like Beaufort’s Gallant’s Channel t= hat are so well suited to fulfill the vision and serve the public for generatio= ns to come. We are grateful to the Friends of the Maritime Museum for the deeds of gift of 36= .6 acres at Gallant’s Channel and pleased to move forward to create an e= ver more exciting cultural institution,” she said.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resourc= es is a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history a= nd culture. For more information= about the Department of Cultural Resources visit www.ncculture.com