“It was very overwhelming. My grandmother's house got flooded, and my other grandmother's house got flooded too, and they had to leave their homes. (Our family) lost two different homes. It really hurt my heart.”

Seth Shenall

“We're so proud to be Princevillians, so we are excited about the prospects of us coming back and building an even better town that it ever has been before. As a resident, I'm home and I'm thankful to be home, but as a mayor I could never be completely satisfied until all of our citizens are back home.”

Bobbie Jones

Mayor of Princeville

“I came home, and my home was a total mess. There was nothing that could be saved. It was just horrible. I just looked around and realized it was gone. My home was destroyed. We had a red sign on the door, and it said do not enter.”

Q’Onna Cherry

“Princeville, North Carolina was established out of the literal ruins of the civil war and now in the beginnings of reconstruction. They just want to be able to acquire land, build their own home, chart their destiny and have their own families and really fold into part of what we call, or what President Lincoln called, the last great hope on earth - America, USA - And that's in large part what Princeville, USA represents.”

Earl L. Ijames

Curator, North Carolina Museum of History

“These are sacred and holy grounds in Princeville. There is a line in the Princeville national anthem that says from thy bosom Princeville came. Birthed from the hallowed grounds and these grounds and Princeville are hallow. These grounds were developed through blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors.”

Linda Joyner
Mayor Pro Tem

“There's a lot of history here. People will feel a connection to Princeville.  They'll be inquisitive about what role did it play. People will come and get not only an African American perspective but an American perspective.

A lot of people don't want to leave, not because they don't have anywhere to go, but they're attached to the legacy."

Milton Bullock
Commissioner