NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1963 SESSION
CHAPTER 1040
SENATE BILL 169
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO PRESERVE AND RESTORE HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS.
WHEREAS, recent discoveries of remains of British and Confederate Blockade Running vessels in the waters off the coast of North Carolina have been made, and
WHEREAS, there have been recovered from said vessels several thousand artifacts of great historical interest and value, and
WHEREAS, these artifacts are in danger of deterioration beyond recovery unless they are preserved immediately, and
WHEREAS, preservation and retention of these artifacts is vital to interpretation of naval operations during the Civil War to the many thousands of tourists who annually visit North Carolina, and
WHEREAS, in addition to these artifacts which have been and are being recovered from sunken blockade runners, hundreds of historically significant materials which have been acquired from historic properties such as Fort Branch, Old Brunswick Town, Bentonville Battleground, the Zebulon Baird Vance Birthplace and others require restoration and preservation, and
WHEREAS, artifacts recovered from the Confederate Ram Neuse, and the vessel itself, are in need of restoration and preservation, and
WHEREAS, the work conducted to date has elevated the State of North Carolina to a position of leadership in the field of preservation of historical artifacts, and
WHEREAS, unless funds are made available to continue the preservation of the aforementioned artifacts, the Archives and History Preservation Laboratory located at Fort Fisher will have to be closed down resulting in the loss of an initial investment of approximately forty thousand dollars ($40,000.00) made by the State of North Carolina and the various counties, and the irreplaceable loss of valuable historical materials: Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:
Section 1. Twenty-five thousand seven hundred and eighteen dollars ($25,718.00) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Archives and History for the purpose of continuing the work in the field of preservation of historical artifacts at the Preservation Laboratory of the Department.
Sec. 2. All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.
Sec. 3. This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 1963.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 20th day of June, 1963.