Bennett Place, 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham, North Carolina, invites you to attend Thanksgiving: Culinary & Cultural History and join in celebrating and learning more about Thanksgiving. This special event takes place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bennett Place requests a $10 donation for entrance to support the site. However, visitors may attend for free.
Learn more about the holiday, its Civil War roots, women’s history, Indigenous foodways, and the cultural dishes that flavored this all American celebration. Participate in the recipe exchange (be sure to bring a hard copy of yours!), hearth cooking demonstrations, crafts, and historic games! Craft vendors will also be selling wares.
Did you know that our modern Thanksgiving holiday largely has its origins in 1863? During the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November to help heal the wounds of the nation and to restore peace and union.
Lincoln ultimately decided to make this Thanksgiving proclamation at the petition of Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, who had advocated for such a holiday for over 15 years. This started an annual tradition which has been celebrated nationwide ever since.
For Lincoln and the loyal states in 1863, this Thanksgiving holiday allowed Americans to give thanks for major campaign victories (like Gettysburg) that year, for continued union of the loyal states, and blessings upon those who had lost loved ones in the war.
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More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
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