— One of North Carolina's most famed barbecue restaurants is almost ready to reopen its doors.

Wilber's Barbecue closed just over a year ago after the Department of Revenue seized it after filing six tax liens against the restaurant, totaling more than $70,000 dating back to 2018.

In November, it was sold to a group of local investors, including Willis Underwood.

"We just felt like it was part of the fabric of North Carolina and known far and wide, for sure, and it was worth saving this part of history as well as the heritage of cooking whole hog over oak wood," Underwood told the WRAL Out and About Podcast. "It's been a meeting place for many years."

The restaurant has been undergoing repairs, but Underwood said that phase is nearing completion. He hopes the restaurant will open this spring - possibly in May. He said they are preparing for a possible take-out only menu depending restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wilber Shirley and Carl Lyerly purchased Hill's Barbecue in 1962 and renamed it Hwy. 70 Barbecue. Within a year, Lyerly sold his share in the business to Shirley, who changed the name to Wilber's.

The restaurant was a 2015 WRAL.com Voter's Choice Award finalist for best Eastern N.C. barbecue and served many famous figures, including Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Govs. Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford and U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

Wilber's closing last year was not alone, as a string of other historic barbecue restaurants in the area closed, including Allen and Son Barbecue in Chapel Hill and Bill Ellis Barbecue in Wilson.