Luminary & Freedom Stories at Bennett Place Historic Site on Sept. 18

Photo courtesy of North Carolina State Historic Sites Bennett Place State Historic Site, at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, North Carolina, is the site of the largest surrender of the Civil War. On September 18, 2026, Bennett Place is hosting Luminary and Freedom Stories from 7 to 9:30 p.m. This is a free event. Please reserved a free timed ticket here. During this special luminary program, Bennett Place invites you to reflect on the end of the Civil War as a momentous step towards freedom for all Americans and the end of chattel slavery in the United States. Walk among 3,310 luminaries – one for every 1,000 enslaved people in North Carolina – and reflect on experiences of enslavement and freedom. Historians dot the path and share stories of people's pathways to freedom and life after slavery & the Civil War. Harriet Ann Daves recalled just how monumental Civil War surrenders were for her family: "When the surrender came my grandfather came to my mother and told her: 'Well, you are as free as I am.'" Claiming freedom was not so straightforward for the 331,059 enslaved women, children, and men in North Carolina during the Civil War. Some took enormous risk to reach Union lines before the federal government made any promise of abolishing slavery. Others left their homes and plantations to follow Sherman's army as they marched through the southeast. Some believed home was where they already lived and worked and waited patiently for freedom to extend to them.

Last updated September 11, 2026