Native American Canoes of Lake Phelps

Restoring Lost Treasures, New Bern Historical Society Lunch & Learn Sept. 3

NEW BERN, NC, Did you ever think of what it would be like to find and restore lost treasure? Elise Carroll, conservator for the NC Office of State Archaeology’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab in Greenville does just that, and she’ll tell you about it at the New Bern Historical Society’s Lunch and Learn on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 11:30 am at Carolina Colours Pavillion, 3300 Waterscape Way in new Bern.

Finding canoes from so long ago is exciting, but what is done to conserve them? And what do we know about the people that made them? Elise Carrol will explain.

The lakes in North Carolina have been an important maritime resource for Native Americans for thousands of years. In the 1980s, 23 dugout canoes were discovered in and around Lake Phelps, and four were recovered for further study. Elise Carroll, conservator for the NC Office of State Archaeology’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab in Greenville, is working on the re-conservation of three out of the four canoes recovered from Lake Phelps, alongside the conservation of newly recovered canoe from Lake Waccamaw. She will discuss the history of Native American activity around the lakes, the discovery of the canoes, and the efforts to stabilize the canoes so that they are preserved for generations to come.

Elise Carroll is originally from Greenville, NC and began volunteering and interning at the QAR Lab during her undergraduate studies in 2011, sparking a love for maritime history. Completing her undergraduate studies in history and anthropology at the University of Mississippi, Elise returned home to study maritime history and archaeology and received her MA from ECU in 2018. She has participated in field projects in Costa Rica, North Carolina, and Florida, worked in the lab and in the field at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum as an assistant conservator. Elise works for the NC Office of State Archaeology’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab as a conservator. Elise is a PADI Divemaster, a DAN Diving First Aid for

Professional Divers Instructor, and a Cultural Resources Emergency Support Team (CREST) responder.

Prepaid reservations for Lunch & Learn are required. The cost is $25 for Historical Society members, and $28 for nonmembers, which includes a buffet meal format. Two entrees are included along with salad, vegetables, rolls, and dessert. Iced tea, coffee, service, and gratuity are all included; wine and beer are available for purchase. Reservations open July 21 at www.NewBernHistorical.org or at the New Bern Historical Society Office at 511 Broad St. or by calling 252-638-8558.

The mission of the New Bern Historical Society is to celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education. Offices are located in the historic Attmore-Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern. For more information, call 252-638-8558 or go www.NewBernHistorical.org or www.facebook.com/NewBernHistoricalSociety.