The last batch from a set of photos contributed by the Benson Museum of Local History is now up on DigitalNC. We embarked on this digitization project in 2015, and the complete set of over 1000 images is now available. Benson is a town located in Johnston County with a current population of around 170,000 people.

This last batch includes photos of historic Benson residences, Benson businesses, and portraits of Benson community members. The set as a whole is comprised of a wide range of images documenting many aspects of life in Benson. The collection includes photographs of events like the State Annual Singing Convention and the Benson Mule Day Parade, as well as images of less formal group gatherings, such as family barbecues, school events, and church groups. Also included are class portraits, family portraits, individual portraits of town members, street scenes, photos of businesses, churches, homes and more. Most of the photographs date to around the 1920s, but the collection includes photos from as recent as 2003 and photos dating as far back as 1870. 

Click here to browse through the complete set of photographs. To read previous blog posts documenting additions of new batches along the way click here.

To see more materials from the Benson Museum of Local History, please visit their contributor page. To learn more about the museum and plan your next visit, please their homepage.

Crowd at the 1946 State Singing Convention

Honey Ellen and Itha Mae Stephenson, 1945asdasd

More photos from the Benson Museum of Local History are now available on DigitalNC. The subjects of this batch range from formal family portraits, to candid snapshots of daily life in Benson, to photos of community dinners and gatherings.

There are also many photographs documenting musical events in Benson, including WTVD’s “Saturday Night Alive” show during the 1940s and 50s, and Benson’s State Annual Singing Convention, an event that started almost a hundred years ago, and still occurs annually. According to the Convention’s website, “The State Annual Singing Convention… began modestly in a tobacco warehouse in 1921. About 200 people listened to two choirs that day. Since that time, the State Annual Singing Convention has grown and become one of the largest and oldest gospel sings in the United States.” In this new set of photos, you can see images of the Convention through the years.

To see other materials from the Benson Museum of Local History, visit their contributor page, or take a look at their website.

DigitalNC has published more than 700 photos from the Benson Museum of Local History in Johnston County. The photos document various aspects of the Benson community from as early as the mid nineteenth century through the 1990s. From family portraits to the “Mule Day” celebrations, these photos give a unique look into many aspects of life in Benson across the decades.

The most recent batch includes photos of little pageant contestants, community awards, family portraits, hog killings, and more.

To learn more about the Benson Museum of Local History please visit their contributor page, homepage or the DigitalNC blog.

Library Children’s Program

Charlie Gilbert and Otis Porter in the Barber Shop

Nearly 100 new photos are now available on DigitalNC thanks to our partner, the Benson Museum of Local History!

Many of these photos have excellent documentation of names, locations, and dates. Genealogists, local historians, or Benson residents may find these resources helpful.

These images add to the many others from this collection available online, documenting Benson and the surrounding communities. The photos depict individuals and families, schools and businesses, and many of the local traditions that shape the culture of this small community, like the Mule Day Parade.

To see more images from the Benson Museum of Local History, please visit their contributor page. To learn more about the museum and plan your next visit, please their homepage.

William G. McLamb family, Mary Stewart Community

Rufus Ira Pleasant Sr.

The Benson Museum of Local History has once again provided us with a new batch of unique and entertaining photographs from their collection! For those familiar with this collection, some old family names (Barefoot, Creech, Godwin, Medlin and more) are back, as well as some new looks into the lives of the residents of the town of Benson. In particular, this batch of photos contains a number of images related to the Benson Kiwanis Club.

Other photographs show the town’s citizens from the early 1900s up to the 1970s. Many are simple portraits or group photographs, but every once in a while a mischievous face or school-boy prank catches the eye.

To see what else the Benson Museum of Local History has offered for digitization, see their contributor page on DigitalNC and these previous blog posts.

Easter Egg Hunt, circa 1950.

More photographs from the Benson Museum of Local History have been added to DigitalNC. These 168 photographs join 339 previously uploaded images. They depict daily life in Benson, North Carolina, and many of the same families and places from previous uploads appear again. You can see a variety of people and places, including citizens of Benson, local businesses, homes, parades, performing arts, sports, students, churches, and drawings. Most of the photographs are from the twentieth century.

You can see more from the Benson Museum of Local History on their contributor page and learn more about them on their website. You can also view more blog posts about the Benson Museum of Local History.

First Mule Day Parade, circa 1950.

A woman stands in front of a railroad depot with cotton platform.

More photographs from the Benson Museum of Local History have been digitized and uploaded to DigitalNC. Like the photographs added in the past, these show citizens and everyday life in Benson, North Carolina. Many of the people and events are familiar from past uploads. Names such as Barefoot, McLamb, Parrish, and Woodall appear again as well as events like the Benson Singing Convention.

Jesse Stephenson with the mail wagon.

Young Sisters Trio at Benson Singing Convention.

All of the Benson Museum of Local History photographs can be viewed here. You can see our blog posts about previous uploads from the Benson Museum of Local History from November, September, and June. The museum’s website can be found here.