Lumbee Tribe joins other descendants who were forced to work at Ft. Fisher as N.C. begins excavation

Today the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. participated in an Acknowledgement Gathering at Fort Fisher in Wilmington along with other descendants, our sister tribes and other groups that were forced to work at the fort during the Civil War. The event was hosted by Michelle Lanier, Director, of the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites. The gathering was a time of reflection of the contributions of our ancestors before the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources began an archeological excavation of an air strip in the area of the original fort. The project is part of a new $25 million visitors center, which is expected to be completed by next summer and will replace the old visitors center which was built in 1965. The new Fort Fisher Visitors center will triple the size of the center. The archeological dig is expected to take two weeks.