Historical Society of Topsail Island https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/ Preserving the Past, Enjoying the Present, Building the Future Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:31:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Scholarship Awards Luncheon April 9, 2026 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/scholarship-awards-luncheon-april-9-2026/ Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:17:36 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3884 April 9, 2026 - The Historical Society of Topsail Island is proud to present the 2026 Scholarships recipients during the luncheon lecture series.

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HSTI Scholarship Awards 2026

Scholarship Awards 2026
Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

Scholarship Awards Luncheon April 9, 2026

Historical Society of Topsail Island Announces 2026 Scholarship Contest Winners

Luncheon Lecture
April 9, 2026 11:00 AM

The Historical Society of Topsail Island is proud to announce the winners of its 2026 scholarship contest!

Eligible applicants included graduating seniors from Dixon High School and Topsail High School attendance areas, as well as Early College and homeschooled students residing within these districts. To qualify, students needed an unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Participants showcased their historical knowledge by selecting a significant event from Onslow or Pender County and presenting their research in one of four formats: a written essay (750 words or more), an original piece of art, an original song, or original poetry. Each submission was evaluated based on its depth of understanding and its ability to convey the historical importance of the chosen event.

We commend all students who took part in preserving and celebrating local history through their creativity and scholarship!
The students this year are seniors from Topsail High School. Below are their names and
project titles:

  • Camren Reaves – Essay – The Legend of the Washington Oak: How Ham and a Tree Shaped Hampstead’s Identity
  • Lily Rumley – Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Linocut Art Prints and Essay
  • Anna Swan – Essay – Anchored to the Past – The Sloop Point Plantation
  • Shane Taylor – The William H. Sumner: A Shipwreck, A Death, and a Mystery Buried in the Sands

Register by Monday, April 6th 8:00pm
Save the date April 9, 2026

Contact us to be added to the Luncheon Lecture Mailing List

Historical Society of Topsail Island | Scholarship Awards | 2026 Scholarship Winners | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> Women In The Whaling Industry | Christine Brin https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/women-in-the-whaling-industry-christine-brin/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:21:16 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3869 March 12, 2026 - A History of Women In The Whaling Industry. Christine Brin is an experienced museum educator, maritime historian, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience in the museum education field. She is an associate education curator with the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort where she primarily oversees the museum’s public programming.

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Portrait of Adrienne de Lafayette | Arleen Fields | Luncheon Lecture

Christine Brin
Museum Educator
Maritime Historian
North Carolina
Maritime Museum
Luncheon Lecture
Mar 12, 2026

Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

Trying Women: a History of Women in the Whaling Industry
Christine Brin

Luncheon Lecture

March 12, 2026 11:00 AM

Christine Brin is an experienced museum educator, maritime historian, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience in the museum education field. She is an associate education curator with the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort where she primarily oversees the museum’s public programming.

Christine Brin earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has held educator positions at several institutions, including the N.J. Museum of Agriculture on the Rutgers University campus and Plimoth Plantation ( Plimoth Plantation is now called Plimoth Patuxet Museums and is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.). Career highlights include working as an interpreter aboard Mayflower II, coordinating the N.C. Maritime Museum’s annual Murder Mystery Dinners, and engaging with the museum’s many visitors each year.

Program Description: “Trying Women: a History of Women in the Whaling Industry” Using information gathered from whaling communities around the North Atlantic, Associate Curator of Education Christine Brin will discuss the history of women in the whaling industry. These roles included net mending, running stores, processing whale meat, and occasionally even joining their husbands at sea. Join us for an interesting insight into the world of women in the early 17tt century North Atlantic maritime community.

Register by Monday March 9th 8:00pm

Save the date, March 12, 2026

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Historical Society of Topsail Island | Christine Brin | Women In Whaling | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> A Shared Fight for Liberty | Arleen Fields | Archives and Special Collections https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/a-shared-fight-for-liberty-arleen-fields/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:39:39 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3852 February 12, 2026 - Arleen Fields is the Assistant Director of Library Services and Archives and Special Collections Librarian at Davis Memorial Library, Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A graduate of the School of Information and Library Science at UNC Chapel Hill, she has worked at Methodist University since 1999, which is home to the largest collection of materials related to the Marquis de Lafayette south of Philadelphia. She has long been active with the Lafayette Society of Fayetteville and the American Friends of Lafayette, and outside of her professional work, she participates in backyard bird counts, helps organize Sandhills Beer & Hymns, keeps a watchful eye on the Fayetteville City Council, and shares a home with her mother, her 21-year-old son, and Angel, a chihuahua–terrier with a big personality.

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Portrait of Adrienne de Lafayette | Arleen Fields | Luncheon Lecture

Portrait of Adrienne de Lafayette

Arleen Fields
Assistant Director of
Library Services
Davis Memorial Library
Methodist University in
Fayetteville, NC
Luncheon Lecture
Feb 12, 2026

Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

A Shared Fight for Liberty | Arleen Fields |
Archives and Special Collections

Luncheon Lecture

February 12, 2026 11:00 AM

“My Dear Heart…”: Adrienne de Lafayette and the Marquis de Lafayette—A Shared Fight for Liberty

Arleen Fields is the Assistant Director of Library Services and serves as Archives and Special Collections Librarian at Davis Memorial Library, Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A graduate of the School of Information and Library Science at UNC Chapel Hill, she has worked at Methodist University since 1999. Methodist University is home to the largest collection of materials related to the Marquis de Lafayette south of Philadelphia.

Arleen has long been active with the Lafayette Society of Fayetteville and the American Friends of Lafayette. Outside of her professional work, she participates in backyard bird counts, helps organize Sandhills Beer & Hymns, and keeps a watchful eye on the Fayetteville City Council. She shares a home with her mother, her 21-year-old son, and Angel, a small chihuahua–terrier with a big personality.

THE PRESENTATION: Adrienne de Noailles Lafayette and her husband, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, were partners—personally and philosophically—in one of the great transatlantic struggles for liberty in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While history often centers on Lafayette’s battlefield exploits, Adrienne’s courage, sacrifice, and steadfast belief in freedom were equally remarkable.

Born in 1757 into French nobility, Gilbert du Motier inherited wealth, title, and prestige—but chose a far more dangerous path. Inspired by Enlightenment ideals and the American colonies’ struggle against tyranny, he secretly sailed to America in 1777 at just 19 years old.

Lafayette believed deeply that liberty was a universal right, not confined to one nation. After the American Revolution, he returned to France determined to apply those same principles at home.

Register by Monday February 9th 8:00pm

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]]> NC Maritime Museum System | John Moseley | Curator of Education https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/nc-maritime-museum-system-john-moseley-curator-of-education/ Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:22:08 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3798 January 8, 2026 - John Moseley is the Curator of Education for the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, SC with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1989. In 2001, he returned to school to work on his master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While there, he was awarded the 2003 North Carolina James Madison Fellow and graduated in 2005, with a master’s degree in American history focusing on the Colonial and Early Republic period.

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Aerial image of the Wilmington, NC shipyard on December 29, 1941 | NC Maritime Museum System | John Moseley | Curator of Education

Aerial of the Wilmington, N.C. shipyard, December 29, 1941; 23 days following the launch of the first vessel

NC Department of Cultural and Natural Resources logo | | January 8, 2026 | Luncheon & Lecture | John Moseley | Curator of Education
North Carolina Maritime Museum logo | January 8, 2026 | Luncheon & Lecture | John Moseley | Curator of Education

John Mosely
Curator of Education
North Carolina
Maritime Museum
at Southport, NC

Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

North Carolina
Maritime Museum System
John Moseley

Luncheon Lecture

January 8, 2026  11:00 AM

John Moseley is the Curator of Education for the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport.  Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, SC with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1989. In 2001, he returned to school to work on his master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While there, he was awarded the 2003 North Carolina James Madison Fellow and graduated in 2005, with a master’s degree in American history focusing on the Colonial and Early Republic period.

After graduation, he became a high school and middle school educator specializing in United States History, North Carolina History, and the United States Constitution. In April 2011, John began working at Fort Fisher State Historic Site in charge of the on-site and off-site educational programming, the Volunteer Coordinator and trainer, Safety Officer and instructor for 18th,19th, and 20th Century Historic Small Arms and Artillery. In September 2022, he transferred to the State Division of Museums in Southport to overhaul their educational programming and develop new avenues of community support.

His proudest professional moment occurred in October 2019 when he submitted a recommendation for the emplacement of a NC Highway Marker to honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots at Camp Davis. On September 24, 2021, the North Carolina Highway marker was dedicated in the community of Holly Ridge, North Carolina to recognize this unique World War II story. Currently, he continues researching the Cape Fear area’s activities during World War II, its Medal of Honor recipients, and the Women Airforce Service Pilots in North Carolina.

Register by Monday Jan 5th 8:00pm

Save the date, January 8, 2026

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From the Website:
North Carolina Maritime Museum Systems

Welcome to the North Carolina Maritime Museums

The three North Carolina Maritime Museums preserve, protect and present North Carolina’s coastal history. They paint a picture of the history and maritime culture that includes fishing, boat building, piracy, decoy carving, life-saving, war,  underwater archaeology, shipwrecks, boating, the seafood industry, and marine life, science and ecology. Each of the museums is unique, and offers year-round public programming, and free admission.  Donations are appreciated.

Our brief history with longstanding maritime traditions

The North Carolina Maritime Museum began as a collection of natural history specimens in the U.S. Fisheries Laboratory on Pivers Island, N.C. circa 1904, but did not become the North Carolina Maritime Museum in its present incarnation until 1984.The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center was added in 1992.

In July of 1997 the North Carolina Maritime Museum was transferred from the N.C. Department of Agriculture to the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

In late summer and early fall of 1999, the N.C. Maritime Museum expanded operations to include branch museums on Roanoke Island and at Southport.

In February 2007 the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Roanoke was transferred to Roanoke Island Festival Park. Also in 2007, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum was brought into the Department of Cultural Resources.

The new maritime museum system now is comprised of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport.

Today, the North Carolina Maritime Museums are part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

One historic coast…Three unique museums!

Historical Society of Topsail Island | John Moseley | NC Maritime Musuem System | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> NC Maritime Museum System | Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center | David M. Bennett https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/nc-maritime-museum-system-harvey-w-smith-watercraft-center-david-m-bennett/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:42:47 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3769 December 11, 2025 - David M. Bennett is the Curator of Maritime History for the North Carolina Maritime Museum System, and he oversees the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center. He is originally from Morehead City, North Carolina. David has a B.A. in History from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.A. in Maritime History from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. His research interests focus on North Carolina's commercial fishing industry as well as traditional workboats.

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November 11, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: North Carolina Maritime Museum System One Historic Coast David M. Bennett

North Carolina
One Historic Coast
David M. Bennett

November 13, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources David M. Bennett
December 11, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Watercraft Center logo

Watercraft Center
David M. Bennett
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

North Carolina
Maritime Museum System
One Historic Coast
David M. Bennett

Luncheon Lecture

December 11, 2025  11:00 AM

David M. Bennett is the Curator of Maritime History for the North Carolina Maritime Museum System, and he oversees the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center. He is originally from Morehead City, North Carolina. David has a B.A. in History from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.A. in Maritime History from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. His research interests focus on North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry as well as traditional workboats.

Register by Monday Dec 8th 8:00pm

Save the date, December 11, 2025

Contact us to be added to the Luncheon Lecture Mailing List

From the Website:
North Carolina Maritime Museum Systems

Welcome to the North Carolina Maritime Museums

The three North Carolina Maritime Museums preserve, protect and present North Carolina’s coastal history. They paint a picture of the history and maritime culture that includes fishing, boat building, piracy, decoy carving, life-saving, war,  underwater archaeology, shipwrecks, boating, the seafood industry, and marine life, science and ecology. Each of the museums is unique, and offers year-round public programming, and free admission.  Donations are appreciated.

Our brief history with longstanding maritime traditions

The North Carolina Maritime Museum began as a collection of natural history specimens in the U.S. Fisheries Laboratory on Pivers Island, N.C. circa 1904, but did not become the North Carolina Maritime Museum in its present incarnation until 1984.The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center was added in 1992.

In July of 1997 the North Carolina Maritime Museum was transferred from the N.C. Department of Agriculture to the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

In late summer and early fall of 1999, the N.C. Maritime Museum expanded operations to include branch museums on Roanoke Island and at Southport.

In February 2007 the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Roanoke was transferred to Roanoke Island Festival Park. Also in 2007, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum was brought into the Department of Cultural Resources.

The new maritime museum system now is comprised of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport.

Today, the North Carolina Maritime Museums are part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

One historic coast…Three unique museums!

Historical Society of Topsail Island | David M. Bennett | NC Maritime Musuem System | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> Museum of the Southeast American Indian | Contemporary Native Art | Nancy Strickland Chavis https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/museum-of-the-southeast-american-indian-contemporary-native-art-nancy-strickland-chavis/ Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:31:52 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3701 November 13, 2025 - Nancy Strickland Chavis, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, is director and curator of The Museum of the Southeast American Indian at UNC Pembroke. With over 20 years of experience in museum education and curation, she has worked with the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the First Americans Museum. Her work centers on sharing authentic Indigenous stories through art and history, including guest-curating To Take Shape and Meaning at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

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November 13, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Image depiction of Chief Pontiac meeting

 “Visit of Chief Pontiac and the Indians to Major Henry Gladwin” — from Our Greater Country (1901) by Henry Davenport Northrop.

A vivid depiction of the tense and historic meeting between Chief Pontiac, leader of the Ottawa, and British Major Henry Gladwin at Detroit in 1763.

November 13, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Museum of the Southeast American Indian logo
November 13, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Museum of the Southeast American Indian logo

Museum of the Southeast American Indian
Contemporary Native Art
Nancy Strickland Chavis
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

First Americans Museum
Museum of the Southeast
American Indian
Nancy Strickland Chavis

Luncheon Lecture

November 13, 2025  11:00 AM

Nancy Strickland Chavis, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, is the director and curator of The Museum of the Southeast American Indian at UNC Pembroke. With over two decades in museum education, curation, and administration, she has worked at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the First Americans Museum. Chavis’ curatorial work emphasizes sharing authentic stories of Indigenous peoples through art and history, notably guest-curating the To Take Shape and Meaning exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Chavis holds a Bachelor’s in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts, a Master’s in History from UNC Wilmington, and is completing her PhD in Public History at NC State University. She serves as a commissioner for the North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission, was a trustee for the North Carolina Humanities Council, and has been elected to the Roanoke Island Historical Association. Chavis lives in Rowland, NC with her husband Harlen, her daughter, stepdaughter, and granddaughter.

Register by Monday Nov 9th 8:00pm

Save the date, November 13, 2025

Contact us to be added to the Luncheon Lecture Mailing List

Historical Society of Topsail Island | Nancy Strickland Chavis | Museum of the Southeast American Indian | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> Fort Fisher During WWII | Civil War | Cliff Tyndall | Becky Sawyer https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/fort-fisher-during-wwii-civil-war-cliff-tyndall-becky-sawyer/ Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:11:38 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3677 October 9, 2025 – Together, Tyndall and Sawyer bring deep expertise in the history of southeastern North Carolina. Tyndall, author of five books on Civil War and World War II history, and Sawyer, Collections Manager and Programs Coordinator at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, share a strong commitment to preservation and research. Their combined experience includes academic study, extensive archival work at the National Archives, and leadership in public history through educational programming, staff development, and historic interpretation.

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October 9, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Fort Fisher During WWII: Civil War Icon Revisited
October 9, 2025--Luncheon & Lecture: Fort Fisher During WWII: Civil War Icon Revisited

Cliff Tyndall
Professor & Historian
Becky Sawyer
Collections Manager & Programs Coordinator
at Fort Fisher State Historic Site
Special Presentation & Book Signing
Fort Fisher During WWII:
Civil War Icon Revisited
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

Book Signing & Special Presentation

Historical Society of Topsail Island
Cliff Tyndall
Professor & Historian
Becky Sawyer
Collections Manager & Programs Coordinator
at Fort Fisher State Historic Site

Luncheon Lecture

October 9, 2025  11:00 AM

Cliff Tyndall & Becky Sawyer; co-authors of “Fort Fisher During WWII: Civil War Icon Revisited”

Cliff Tyndall is a recently retired History and Geography professor who now works as an author, historical consultant, WWII memorabilia collector, and historic prop procurer/locator for television, film, and stage productions.

He is the author of five books focusing on Civil War and World War II history specific to southeastern North Carolina. Before his academic career, Tyndall served with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources as an Educational Specialist, where he conducted research, led staff development, and supervised the state’s historic weapons program.

Currently, he is actively consulting on several upcoming 80th anniversary WWII commemorative events in southeastern North Carolina.
Tyndall lives in Wilmington, NC, with his wife and a clowder of cats.

Becky Sawyer serves as the Collections Manager and Programs Coordinator for Fort Fisher State Historic Site. She holds degrees in history from Southeast Missouri State University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. With a deep commitment to historical preservation, Sawyer has conducted extensive research on World War II-era Fort Fisher at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, significantly expanding the site’s WWII collection. Her work includes the acquisition of original uniforms, photographs, period publications, and other artifacts personally owned or created by soldiers.
An accomplished writer, Sawyer has contributed articles to several historical periodicals, including a recent feature in Civil War Navy that highlights Fort Fisher’s naval history.

She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, with her husband Randolph, their three daughters, and a lively household of cats and a dog.

Register by Monday Oct 8th at 8:00pm

Save the date, October 9, 2025

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Historical Society of Topsail Island | Cliff Tyndall | Becky Sawyer | Fort Fisher State Historic Site | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> The Sand Spit has History | Wayne Peale https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/the-sand-spit-has-history-wayne-peale/ Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:52:16 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3665 September 11, 2025 – Historian Wayne Peale shares his presentation, “The Sand Spit Has History,” highlighting Topsail Island’s unique story. This talk promises to share both well-known and surprising chapters in the story of the island we call home.

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Historical Society of Topsail Island | Charles Wayne Peale | The Sand Spit has History | Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island | Charles Wayne Peale | The Sand Spit has History | Luncheon Lecture

Charles Wayne Peale
Historian
The Sand Spit has History
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

“The Sand Spit Has History”

Historical Society of Topsail Island
Charles Wayne Peale
Historian

Luncheon Lecture

September 11, 2025  11:00 AM

Our guest speaker today is Charles “Wayne” Peale.

Local historian Wayne Peale brings Topsail Island’s past to life in his presentation, “The Sand Spit Has History.” Drawing on stories, research, and first-hand accounts, Mr. Peale explores how this narrow barrier island has been shaped by nature, war, and community. From its early days as a remote sand spit, to its role in fishing, recreation, and even secret military projects, Topsail Island holds a rich history that continues to influence the present. This talk promises to share both well-known and surprising chapters in the story of the island we call home.

Wayne was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and is a graduate of Brown University, where he earned his degree in electrical engineering, as well as the Royal College of Defense Studies in London, England.

Following his graduation from Brown, Wayne began a distinguished 35-year career with the CIA, retiring in 1998. During his service, he held numerous key positions, including Deputy Director of the CIA’s central R&D organization and Deputy Director for Physical and Technical Security. He also provided direct support to senior congressional policy makers and represented the Intelligence Community on Vice President Al Gore’s National Performance Review—“Reinventing Government.”

Beyond his professional achievements, Wayne is most proud of his family. He is the father of a son and daughter and the grandfather of four.

Wayne first purchased his home on Topsail Island 25 years ago, and he and Carrie have been permanent residents since 2022—with no plans of leaving anytime soon.

Save the date, September 11, 2025

Contact us to be added to the Luncheon Lecture Mailing List

Historical Society of Topsail Island | Charles Wayne Peale | The Sand Spit Has History | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> Connecting Visitors with North Carolina’s Rich Maritime Heritage | Shannon Walker https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/connecting-visitors-with-north-carolinas-rich-maritime-history-shannon-walker/ Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:20:55 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3579 May 8th, 2025 – Ms. Shannon Walker talks about her conservation efforts, including the rescue and relocation of the iconic Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), a rare carnivorous plant found only in the wild in parts of southeastern North and South Carolina.

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Historical Society of Topsail Island | Shannon Walker | Curator of Programming and Education At the North Carolina Maritime Museum | Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island | Shannon Walker | Curator of Programming and Education At the North Carolina Maritime Museum | Luncheon Lecture

Shannon Walker
Curator of Programming and Education
At the North Carolina Maritime Museum
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

History and the Natural World
Shannon Walker

Luncheon Lecture

May 8, 2025  11:00 AM

The Historical Society of Topsail Island is proud to present Shannon Walker, Curator of Programming and Education at the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport, NC.

About our speaker…

Shannon Walker is originally from southeastern North Carolina.  Shannon brings a deep-rooted passion for history and the natural world to her work. She holds undergraduate degrees in both History and Studio Art from Meredith College and earned her master’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Shannon began her career in public history as a historic interpreter and assistant site manager at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site. In 2010, she joined the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as a historian. Since 2022, she has served as the Curator of Programming and Education at the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport, where she continues to create engaging educational experiences that connect visitors with the region’s rich maritime heritage.

Her professional and personal interests often intersect—Shannon has a particular passion for both medical and environmental history. She volunteers as a Green Swamp Ambassador and is actively involved in conservation efforts, including the rescue and relocation of the iconic Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), a rare carnivorous plant found only in the wild in parts of southeastern North and South Carolina.

Save the date, May 8, 2025

Contact us to be added to the Luncheon Lecture Mailing List

Historical Society of Topsail Island | Shannon Walker | Venus Flytrap | Missiles and More Museum | Autumn With Topsail Festival | Topsail Island Events

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]]> Anne Bonny and Mary Read | Christine Brin https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/anne-bonnyand-mary-read-christine-brin/ Sun, 16 Feb 2025 14:07:04 +0000 https://topsailhistoricalsociety.org/?p=3449 March 13, 2025 – Ms. Christine Brin will discuss the Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Golden Age of Piracy.

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Historical Society of Topsail Island | The Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read | By Hook orBy Crook | Maritime Historian Christine Brin | Luncheon Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island | The Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read | By Hook orBy Crook | Maritime Historian Christine Brin | Luncheon Lecture

Christine Brin
Maritime Historian
The Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read
By Hook or By Crook
Luncheon & Lecture
Historical Society of Topsail Island

The Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read | Christine Brin
By Hook or By Crook
Christine Brin

Historical Society of Topsail Island
Christine Brin
Maritime Historian

Luncheon Lecture

March 13, 2025  11:00 AM

 The Historical Society of Topsail Island is proud to present Christine Brin, associate education curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC
About our speaker…

Christine Brin is an experienced museum educator, maritime historian, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience in museum education. She is currently an associate education curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, where she primarily oversees the museum’s public programming. She has a special interest in the Golden Age of Piracy and women’s history.

Christine earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has held educator positions at several institutions, including the N.J. Museum of Agriculture on the Rutgers University campus and Plimoth Plantation ( Plimoth Plantation is now called Plimoth Patuxet Museums and is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.).  Career highlights include working as an interpreter aboard Mayflower II, coordinating the N.C. Maritime Museum’s annual Murder Mystery Dinners, and engaging with the museum’s many visitors each year.

Christine is passionate about creating educational and engaging programs that combine history and science by exploring the influence of culture and environment on maritime history. When she is not at the museum, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two wonderful children—who are quickly growing into involuntary maritime historians.

Presentations Offered by Christine Brin:
By Hook or By Crook: The Stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read
Trying Women: A History of Women in the Whaling Industry
A Pirate’s Table: The True Pirate Treasure
Maritime Myths and Legends: Sea Monsters
Maritime Myths and Legends: Mermaids
Civil Air Patrol: Coastal Patrol of WWII
Love at Sea
History of Santa Claus
Golden Pirates of the Silver Screen
Going at Sea: A Brief History of Maritime Waste Management

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