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The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is pleased to announce that new materials from our generous partners at North Carolina Central University are now available for viewing and research purposes on DigitalNC! The materials consist of publications from historically Black Churches in and around Raleigh, Durham, Henderson and Oxford North Carolina, a handmade scrapbook consisting of newspaper clippings detailing Black law enforcement officers and agents in Durham and educational materials pertaining to The North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Inc and the North Carolina Teachers Association. These materials give insight into Black life in the region.
The North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Inc was founded in 1927 with the mission to improve student attendance rates, promote the overall health of students, lengthen the school year (NCpedia). Additionally local chapters raised money to buy land for schools, beautify campus grounds and to purchase musical instruments and other supplemental educational materials (NCpedia). In the 1950’s and 60’s local units garnered the support of radio and V ads along with a membership of over 300,000 participants to meet financial goals (NCpedia). The materials we have from the North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teacher’s, Inc. are from the mid to late 1960’s. During this time education was still racially segregated by law. However, in 1969 the organization merged with it’s white counterparts and became known as the North Carolina Parent-Teacher’s Association. History of the north Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers Inc. was gathered from NCpedia.
We have publications for the North Carolina Teachers Association as well. The North Carolina Teachers Association serve African American educators across the state of North Carolina. The organization originated as early as 1881. Educators from across the state would meet annually at various schools for networking and skill sharing sessions. The organization eventually merged with its white counterparts in 1970 when racial segregation ended (NCpedia). We have the a special edition souvenir program from 1970 honoring Mrs. Ruth Braswell Jones, who served as president from 1968-1970. The bulk of materials we have for the North Carolina Teachers Association are standard publications called the Teachers Record that document notable events and accomplishments of Black educators in North Carolina along with their annual conventions. The history of North Carolina Teachers Association was gathered from NCpedia.
You can also browse through materials from historically black churches in and around the region.
- St. Joseph A.M.E. Zion Church- Durham, NC
- New Hope Missionary Baptist Church- Durham, NC
- Russell Memorial C.M.E Church- Durham, NC
- Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church- Raleigh, NC
- Original Shiloh Missionary Baptist Association hosted at Olive Grove Baptist Church- Vaughn, NC
- Shiloh Baptist Church, Henderson, NC
- Kesler Temple A.M.E. Zion Church- Henderson, NC
- Holy Temple United Holy Church- Henderson, NC
- Lawson Chapel Baptist Church- Roxboro, NC
- United Holy Church of America, Inc- New York City
To check out all the materials from this batch including the Black law enforcement scrapbook and a publication on Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People you can visit DigitalNC! To see what other interesting collections NCCU has made possible please visit North Carolina Central University contributors page. If you are curious as to what is happening on campus visit North Carolina Central University direct website.
Student yearbooks from North Carolina Central University are now available on DigitalNC. The yearbooks, from the James E. Shepard Memorial Library, cover over a half-century of the school’s history, from 1939 to the present, with one early volume from 1929 also available. The image displayed here shows the yearbook staff from 1929.
Carolina Baptist newspaper masthead from September 2, 1857.
Thanks to our partner, Wake Forest University, there are 19 new newspapers added to DigitalNC. Dating from 1857 to 1925, these newspapers were written for Christian communities from the mountains to the Piedmont to the coast of North Carolina.
Most of the newspapers are affiliated with the Baptist denomination, and their audiences vary in size and geography. Some were published for specific churches, like the Broad Street Worker “Devoted to the interests of Broad St. Baptist Church” in Winston, N.C. Others were published for a wider audience by regional, state, or national organizations, like the North Carolina Baptist Missionary Worker and The Gospel Herald published by the Boards of the Baptist State Convention, and the Conflict published by the Anti-Evolution League of America.
To look through the 58 issues of these publications, click the links below:
- The Atlantic Messenger (New Bern, N.C.)
- The Baptist Messenger (Newton, N.C.)
- The Baptist Messenger (Wingate, N.C.)
- The Baptist Sunday School Monthly (Henderson, N.C.)
- The Baptist Worker (Gastonia, N.C.)
- The Blue Ridge Baptist (North Wilkesboro, N.C.)
- The Broad Street Worker (Winston, N.C.)
- Carolina Baptist (Hendersonville, N.C.)
- The Central Messenger (Wake Forest, N.C.)
- The Conflict (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Gaston County Baptist Messenger (Gastonia, N.C.)
- The Gospel Herald (Raleigh, N.C.)
- The Helper (Wilmington, N.C.)
- North Carolina Baptist Missionary Worker (Raleigh, N.C.)
- North Carolina Baptist Sunday School Chautauquan (Raleigh, N.C.)
- Southwide Baptist News and Ridgecrest Reporter (Marshall, N.C.)
- The Stanly Baptist (Big Lick, N.C.)
- The Vance County Union (Henderson, N.C.)
- West Chowan Baptist Messenger (Winton, N.C.)
To see other materials from Wake Forest University, visit their partner page or their website.
Another batch of photos from Central Carolina Community College is now available on DigitalNC. This new batch brings the exhibit, A Pictorial History of Central Carolina Community College, to just over 2,400 photos.
First graduates of the CCCC’s Nursing degree program
This batch documents the Nursing, Paralegal, Secretarial Science, Telephony, Associate in Arts and University Transfer Associate in Science programs.
Featuring photos from as early as their first graduating class in Lee County on March 25, 1964 and on into the 1990’s, the images from the Practical Licensed Nursing degree program demonstrates the evolving student body, curriculum, technology and, of course, nursing uniforms.
Secretarial Science student using a floppy drive
Likewise, the Secretarial Science program gives viewers a glimpse into how this profession evolved as technology did. In particular, these collection of images capture the exciting transition from typewriters to early desktops.
Telephony students training on telephone pole, 1966
In contrast to these programs, the Central Carolina Technical Institute Telephony and Electrical Linemen program’s set of photos display the waning profession of telephone linemen and women. These set of photos present the hands-on training students received as they worked with lines, wires, circuits and telephone poles.
Hands-on training is further demonstrated in many other class photos. One of interesting example, comes from a Psychology class that appears to be engaging in some kind of simulation activity that included persons in costume and law enforcement officers. While it is unclear exactly what the activity entails, it is clear that the students were having fun participating.
Pyschology class exercise
To learn more about Central Carolina Community College, please visit their contributor page or their website. To see more photos like this, check out the Images of North Carolina Collection.
Mascots are a complicated phenomenon. They inspire a spectrum of reactions: ridicule, ambivalence, or fierce loyalty. With thousands of yearbooks online, all of us here at the Digital Heritage Center have probably spent more time looking at yearbooks than anyone else you’re likely to meet. Mascots are a common theme.
I’ve been working on today’s post for quite some time; unable to find a history or comprehensive list of mascots in North Carolina I decided to compile one myself. So here’s a stab at a college mascot overview, drawn from yearbooks and other campus publications. Let me know what I’ve missed or gotten wrong!
Children
In the early 20th century, schools frequently chose children as mascots or sponsors, whether for a sports team or for a particular class. The earliest example we’ve found on DigitalNC is from a 1910 publication by Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, which shows Elizabeth Settle Caldwell as the Senior Class sponsor.
Elizabeth Settle Caldwell, First North Carolina Mascot? From the 1910 Pine Knot yearbook, Atlantic Christian College.
Ms. Caldwell was the daughter of Jesse Cobb Caldwell, the college president. From what we’ve been able to tell, children mascots were frequently younger siblings of students, teachers, or others associated with the school. Students mention that Ms. Caldwell brought “solace to many a lonely, homesick heart” and this may be why children were chosen – to foster a feeling of family and comfort among students. We’ve seen several references to mascots being elected or being chosen through competition, although what this might be we haven’t been able to discover. The trend of choosing children as mascots seems to continue through the 1960s. The latest one we found is Dawn, the Senior Class mascot at Peace College (now William Peace University) in 1966.
Animals
Animal mascots span schools across the state, whether it’s Rameses at UNC-Chapel Hill or WCU’s Catamount. The bulldog and different types of cats win out as most frequently adopted. Pictures of live animal mascots start to appear in yearbooks in the early 1900s, and continue today although much less frequently. For a variety of reasons, including concerns expressed by animal rights activists, schools have shifted away from actual animals to students dressing up like animals, as you’ll see later on in this post.
“Buc” is described here as East Carolina University’s first mascot. From the 1959 Buccaneer yearbook.
Characters
While about half of the four-year college mascots in North Carolina are animals, most of the others are characters that are historic, mythical, or extraordinary in nature. From what I’ve seen in NC yearbooks, humans dressing up as the school mascot really got traction in the 1960s. Initially, these costumes weren’t the fuzzy creations we think of today, but rather less complicated ensembles where the mascot’s identity (his or her face and body) was often apparent. Yosef the Mountaineer, beloved icon of Appalachian State University, was created sometime around 1942 and looked like this in the 1960s:
Yosef the Mountaineer, aka James Randle Tedder (we think). From the 1969 Rhododendron yearbook, Appalachian State University.
One of my favorites has to be this picture of Duke Blue Devil, from 1950:
The Blue Devil. From the 1950 Chanticleer yearbook, Duke University.
Perhaps it was too hard to maintain a degree of consistency as students graduated over the years, and mascot anonymity seemed like a better idea. Whatever the reason, you start to see fuzzy, oversized costumes with gigantic headpieces in the late 1970s.
The Big Costumes
Whether animal or character, plush mascots that include a single piece body suit with a large plastic or cloth-covered head is something most Americans can identify with, thanks to professional sports. Colleges in North Carolina really embraced these costumes through the 1980s. Here’s what the UNC-Wilmington Seahawk looked like in 1987:
The Seahawk. From the 1987 Fledgling yearbook, UNC-Wilmington.
Some schools have developed multiple mascots dedicated to different audiences. It seems like the difficulty with these types of costumes is how to pull off a fierce facial expression that doesn’t come off as goofy or too scary for children. I think this picture from Davidson College sums it all up:
The Davidson Wildcat and … friends. From the 1983 Quips and Cranks yearbook.
I will also take this opportunity to mention a mascot that routinely makes the “wait … what?” list – the Campbell University Fighting Camels:
The Campbell Camel. From the 1983 Pine Burr yearbook.
Even the humans and human-like creatures are clothed in oversized costumes these days. Wake Forest University’s Deacon is a dapper chap:
Wake Forest’s Deacon poses with fans. From the 1985 Howler yearbook.
In addition to the Demon Deacons and the Blue Devils, North Carolina boasts a number of other spiritual mascots: North Carolina Wesleyan’s Battling Bishops, Belmont Abbey’s Crusaders, and Guilford College’s Quakers. Meredith College’s teams are known as the Avenging Angels (formerly just the Angels). While Elon University’s mascot is now the Phoenix, before 2000 they were the Fighting Christians:
The Elon Fighting Christian mascot with cheerleaders. From the 1986 Phi Psi Cli yearbook.
Two schools break with the animal/human tradition in North Carolina. The Brevard College Tornadoes and the Louisburg College Hurricanes. Weather phenomena mascots are always difficult to pull off. I couldn’t find one for Brevard, but Louisburg, which currently has a bird mascot, had “Louie” up until 2006:
Louie, the former Louisburg College Hurricanes mascot. From the 1996 The Oak yearbook.
Who knows when the next mascot sea change will happen. Below is a list of mascots in North Carolina; let us know if we got anything wrong. Which one is your favorite?
School |
Mascot |
Notes |
Appalachian State University |
Yosef the Mountaineer |
First appeared in the yearbook in 1942 |
Barton College |
Bulldog |
|
Belmont Abbey College |
Crusader |
|
Bennett College |
|
Known as the Bennett Belles |
Brevard College |
Tornado |
|
Campbell University |
Fighting Camels |
The Hornets in the 1920s-1930s |
Catawba College |
Catawba Indian |
|
Chowan University |
Hawks |
The Braves until 2006 |
Davidson College |
Wildcats |
Also a bulldog (1929) and a bobcat (1939) |
Duke University |
Blue Devil |
|
East Carolina University |
Pirates |
Formerly Pee Dee the Pirate |
Elizabeth City State University |
Vikings |
|
Elon University |
Phoenix |
The Fightin’ Christians until 2000 |
Fayetteville State University |
Broncos |
|
Gardner-Webb University |
Runnin’ Bulldogs |
|
Greensboro College |
The Pride |
Formerly the Hornets |
Guilford College |
Quakers |
|
High Point University |
Panthers |
|
Johnson C. Smith University |
Golden Bulls |
|
Lees-McRae College |
Wily the Bobcat |
|
Lenoir-Rhyne University |
Joe and Josie Bear |
|
Louisburg College |
Hurricanes |
|
Mars Hill College |
Mountain Lion |
|
Meredith College |
Avenging Angels |
Formerly the Angels |
Methodist University |
Eagles |
|
Montreat College |
Cavaliers |
|
Mount Olive College |
Trojans |
|
North Carolina A&T |
Aggie Dog (Bulldog) |
|
North Carolina Central University |
Eagles |
|
North Carolina State University |
Wolfpack |
|
North Carolina Wesleyan College |
Battling Bishops |
Formerly the Circuit Riders |
Peace College |
Pacer |
|
Pfeiffer University |
Falcons |
|
Queens University of Charlotte |
Rex the Royal |
|
Saint Augustine’s University |
Mighty Falcons |
|
Salem College |
Spirits |
|
Shaw University |
Bears |
|
St. Andrews University |
Knights |
|
UNC Asheville |
Bulldog |
|
UNC Chapel Hill |
Rameses the Ram |
Also known as the Tar Heels |
UNC Charlotte |
Norm the Niner |
|
UNC Greensboro |
Spartans |
|
UNC Pembroke |
Braves |
|
UNC Wilmington |
Seahawk |
|
UNC School of the Arts |
Fighting Pickle |
|
UNC School of Science and Math |
Unicorn |
|
Wake Forest University |
Demon Deacons |
|
Warren Wilson College |
Owls |
|
Western Carolina University |
Catamount |
“Paws” |
Wingate University |
Bulldog |
|
Winston-Salem State University |
Ram |
|
The quote in this post’s title comes from a student who participated in a 1989 protest at UNC-Chapel Hill, pictured below.
One of the most historic student protests in the United States happened on this day in 1960 right here in North Carolina. NC A&T students protested segregation by sitting down at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro. The first images in this post were taken at that event and come from the 1960 Ayantee yearbook. Other images come from schools in all parts of the state, and date from 1960 through 2012.
North Carolina college students have passionately protested a variety of issues and events over the years. Looking back through yearbooks and student newspapers, you’ll find editorials with strong opinions and photographs of students standing up and speaking out in this most public of ways. Today we’re sharing the tradition of protest by students over the years, as reported in their own media.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, 1960, Segregation (Woolworth’s Lunch Counter, Greensboro)
North Carolina Central University, 1960, Segregation (Woolworth’s Lunch Counter, Durham)
Livingstone College, 1961-1962, Segregation (Capitol Theater, Salisbury)
Wake Forest University, 1969, Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saint Augustine’s, 1970, Vietnam War
UNC-Chapel Hill, 1977, B-1 Bomber and Nuclear Armament
UNC-Chapel Hill, 1989, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Mitchell Community College, 1990-1991, Hazardous Waste and Environmental Pollution
UNC-Chapel Hill, 1993, Racism
UNC-Asheville, 2012, Hate Crimes
Sixtieth Anniversary Convention of the North Carolina Federation of Negro Women’s Clubs, Page 27
Thanks to our partners at North Carolina Central University, DigitalNC has published a large batch of materials from the North Carolina Federation of Negro Women’s Clubs.
Founded in 1909 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, the North Carolina Federation of Negro Women Clubs, Young Adult & Youth Clubs, Incorporated is a social service organization focused on issues that affect women, children, and communities of color in North Carolina. The group still meets regularly and many of the materials date from the most recent conference. This exhibit contains materials relating the organization’s statewide activities, including conferences, fundraisers, and service activities.
The group’s motto, “Lifting as we climb,” helps to illustrate the philosophy that drove the generations of women who participated in the Federation’s various clubs throughout the state. Members fostered the importance and value of human life and the constant desire for acceptance and worth. The issues that are closest to the heart of the NC Federation include fundraising for educational scholarships, providing Braille resources for people who are blind, raising awareness for sickle cell disease and HIV-AIDS, advocating for children, youth and senior citizens, and supporting the NAACP.
Constitution and By-Laws of North Carolina Federation of Negro Women’s Clubs, Young Adult and Youth Clubs, Inc.; Page 1
These items, collected in a new exhibit, document more than 60 years of the organization’s existence. The batch includes several conference programs, highlighting the activities and people who embodied the “Lifting as We Climb” motto. Several highlights from this collection are listed at the links below:
To learn more about North Carolina Central University and to see all of their contributions to the site, please visit their contributor page or the website. To see more items like these, browse the North Carolina Memory Collection or the North Carolina Newspaper Collection.
Students at Shaw University, 1911.
With the recent addition of student yearbooks from Livingstone College, DigitalNC now hosts historic materials from ten different Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina. These materials document more than a century of African American higher education in North Carolina. From our earliest projects in 2010 to the present, the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center has worked closely with libraries and archives at historically Black colleges around the state, and we continue to add materials from these collections on a regular basis. Follow the links below to browse yearbooks, newspapers, photos, scrapbooks, and more materials by school.
Bennett College (Greensboro)
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte)
Livingstone College (Salisbury)
North Carolina A&T (Greensboro)
North Carolina Central University (Durham)
Saint Augustine’s University (Raleigh)
Shaw University (Raleigh)
Winston-Salem State University
Sophomore class officers at North Carolina Central University, 1963.
Film still from The Road to Carolina
In the early 1960s, North Carolina’s state government created a Film Board to “portray and illuminate the people, problems, themes, and life of the State” (Oettinger 1964/1965, p. 1). Championed by Governor Terry Sanford, the Board operated from 1962-1965 and created 19 films. As part of our recent audio-visual project, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library contributed eight of these films for digitization.
During the Board’s operation, “ideas and requests for the films came from various state departments, individuals on the Governor’s staff or historical associations from around the state” (Ferrara 1981, p. 23). Production costs for each film averaged $30,000. James Beveridge, a filmmaker from Canada, was brought in to head the Board. (The State Archives has shared film clips from Beveridge online as well.)
The Board aimed to produce films that were documentary in nature, looking at different industries, locations, or segments of the population. Some addressed politically charged issues; the Minority Report series is a stark exploration of race relations. “Goodbye to Carolina,” was coordinated with the help of the Intercollegiate Council for Human Rights, chaired by then A&T student Jesse Jackson.
Below is a list of the films produced by the Board that are currently available on DigitalNC*:
Film still from Welcome to Work
- The Ayes Have It (1963) A behind-the-scenes look at the North Carolina General Assembly.
- Minority Report: A Series Stating the Opinions and Experiences of Negro Students in North Carolina
- Goodbye to Carolina (1964) Interviews with North Carolina A&T College (now University) about their reasons for seeking jobs outside of North Carolina.
- A Knocking at the Gate (1964) Interviews with North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) students about civil rights.
- North Carolina’s Tribute to President John F. Kennedy (1964) Covers the memorial ceremonies for the late President held at UNC-Chapel Hill.
- The Road to Carolina (1963) Commissioned by the NC Tercentenary Commission and created for eight graders, this illustrated film recounts the first hundred years of the state’s colonial history.
- The Search for Excellence (1965) Follows rural residents’ experiences as communities around the state were consolidating educational resources and schools to a centralized model.
- The Vanishing Frontier (1963) The state’s Appalachian communities are documented through first-hand accounts with citizens, revealing the area’s “poverty and promise” (Ferrara, p. 28).
- Welcome to Work: The Siler City Story (1964) Describes the changes in Siler City as it transitioned from an agricultural-based to an industrial-based economy.
- Updated March 21, 2019
It’s interesting to see the film topics chosen during this time period. Instead of shying away from hot button issues or glossing over the widespread demographic, economic, and social changes of the era, the Film Board tackled them with a freer hand than might be expected. Such ambitious and frank efforts eventually contributed to the Board’s dissolution.
You can view additional items on DigitalNC from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Notes
*The other films are: Land of Beginnings; Minority Report: Vote and the Choice is Yours; Minority Report: We’re Not Alone; Nine Months To Go; The Outer Banks (possibly lost, according to Ferrara)
References
Ferrara, Susan E. “The Demise of the North Carolina Film Board: Public Policy Implications.” M.A. thesis., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1981.
Oettinger, Elmer. “The North Carolina Film Board: A Unique Program in Documentary and Educational Film Making.” The Journal of the Society of Cinematologists 4/5 (1964/1965): p. 55-65.
Mr. and Miss School Spirit, 1965, Junius H. Rose High School
We just finished working with East Carolina University to digitize over 60 high school yearbooks from the eastern part of the state. While predominantly from Pitt County, there are also yearbooks from Beaufort, Craven, Edgecombe, Franklin, Lenoir, and Wilson Counties, as well as the first yearbooks we have on the site from Greene, Halifax, and Washington counties. Below is a list of the schools represented, and the years added.
- Ayden-Grifton High School – 1949, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965
- Belvoir-Falkland High School (Belvoir, N.C.) – 1957, 1959, 1960, 1963
- Bethel High School – 1921
- Craven County Farm Life School (Vanceboro, N.C.) – 1942, 1953
- Farmville High School – 1962-1965
- Fountain High School – 1942
- Greene Central High School (Snow Hill, N.C.) – 1962, 1964, 1965
- Greenville High School – 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1937, 1938, 1942-1947, 1950-1957
- Grimesland High School – 1952
- Junius H. Rose High School (Greenville, N.C.) – 1958-1965
- Grainger High School (Kinston, N.C.) – 1924
- Louisburg High School – 1965
- Plymouth High School – 1957
- Roanoke Rapids High School – 1949
- Saratoga High School – 1958, 1959
- Southwood School (Kinston, N.C.) – 1956, 1957, 1961, 1963
- Tarboro High School – 1937, 1938
- Washington High School – 1944
- William Robert Mills High School (Louisburg, N.C.) – 1952, 1958
These are the first high school yearbooks contributed from East Carolina University. You can view more yearbooks, by school, on our North Carolina Yearbooks page.