ECU host exhibits, lecture on historic town of Bath

East Carolina University’s Joyner Library will offer tours of several Bath tri-centennial exhibits and an archeology lecture April 20. These cultural events offer a historic look at North Carolina’s oldest town. The library’s four exhibits about Bath are located in the Music Library, the Verona Joyner Langford North Carolina Collection, the Special Collections Department and on the Internet.

The Bath Tri-Centennial Exhibit in Special Collections observes the town’s 300-year history with maps, documents, photographs and posters. Displays in the North Carolina Collection feature artifacts excavated in 2003 from land allegedly once owned by 18th-century explorer John Lawson. This exhibit also showcases several rare items connected with Bath including publications from the early 18th century.

The online exhibit aims to educate visitors about business and social activities in Bath from its founding to the mid-1980s. Starting April 20, viewers will have access to digitized rare text and images at http://www.lib.ecu.edu/exhibits/.

Tours of the three exhibits in Joyner Library’s main building are available at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 20. An additional exhibit in the Music Library presents the history of the outdoor musical drama “Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag.” The music exhibit, located in the Fletcher Music Building, is open to the community as well.

The April 20 celebration at Joyner Library will conclude with a public lecture at 7 p.m. by ECU archeology professor Charles Ewen on the excavation of the John Lawson site in Bath. The excavation was conducted by students at East Carolina University under the guidance of Professor Ewen.