Battle Park has placed a student historical documentary on display with a QR code on a sign commemorating Potter’s Raid and the burning of Rocky Mount Mills during the civil war.
The advanced placement US History class at Nash Central High School decided to make a video during the last few weeks of school, rather than watching videos. They focused on a local historical civil war battle, the history of Potter’s Raid on Rocky Mount. “We still had a few weeks of school after the students took their AP history exams, and I decided that we could use the time to research and make a video rather than just watching videos in the last days of class,”said Coach Renny Taylor, who teaches the class. “We decided to research Potter’s Raid because it is a part of Rocky Mount history.”
Potter’s Raid took place on July 20, 1863. The result was the burning down of the largest textile operation in North Carolina, the Rocky Mount Mills. It was the second largest mill in the Confederacy. The train station and the telegraph office were also destroyed.
The creative efforts of the students were unveiled by city of Rocky Mount officials when they displayed a QR code for the documentary the students produced on two signs. The visitors can capture the code and watch the video on smartphones and tablets.