Country Doctor Museum hosts 2nd annual African-American Heritage Day Oct. 4

The Country Doctor Museum will celebrate the contributions of eastern North Carolina’s African-American physicians on Oct. 4 with free admission, events and refreshments.

African-American Heritage Day will be held 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Stories of African-American physicians are highlighted throughout the museum. “We thought this would be a great event to share them,” said Jennie Schindler Graham, site manager. “This year will be another interesting and informative event. We have some great speakers lined up.”

At 1 p.m., Edith Harris will talk about her great, great-grandmother, who was a midwife in Nash and surrounding counties. Items used in her midwifery practice will be on display. Dr. Todd Savitt, professor of medical humanities in East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, will present “Entering a ‘White’ Profession: Black Physicians in the Early 20th Century South” at 1:30 p.m.

At 2:15 p.m., motivational speaker Tawana Williams, who was born without arms, will speak on overcoming life’s challenges with a disability in “Unarmed but Dangerous.” Carol Quigless of Tarboro will speak at 2:30 p.m. about “Community Responsibility for Health.” She will address how family and community do not play the role they once did in monitoring someone’s health. With an epidemic of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, a proactive approach needs to be taken regarding preventive measures, such as diet. Quigless is the daughter of well known African-American physician Milton Quigless.

Daughter of Praise, Zebulon First Baptist Church’s praise team, will perform throughout the afternoon. Children will have a chance to decorate their own African ceremonial mask.

The museum is the oldest in the United States dedicated to the history of America’s rural health care. It was created in 1967 by a group of North Carolina women whose initial interest was to build a lasting memorial for rural physicians. As the museum’s collection grew to more than 5,000 medical artifacts and volumes of historic texts gathered from across the nation, the focus expanded to include topics such as nursing, pharmaceuticals and home remedies. Exhibits highlight the practice of medicine between the late 18th century and the first half of the 20th century.

The museum is managed as part of the History Collections of ECU’s Laupus Library through an agreement with the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation. To visit the museum, travel U.S. 264 to the Bailey/Spring Hope exit and turn south toward town on N.C. 581. At the first traffic light, turn right on Deans Street (U.S. 264 Alternate). Take the first left onto Peele Road. The museum’s parking lot entrance is on the left.

Normal operating hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students. For more information, call (252) 235-4165 or go to www.countrydoctormuseum.org.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at (252) 328-6799 (V) or (252) 328-0899 (TTY).