A 1930 illustration to celebrate that year’s July 4 anniversary

Courtesy of our partners, the Murphy Public Library and the Nantahala Regional Library, almost 30 more years of the Cherokee Scout have been newly digitized. That brings our collection to nearly 2500 issues, stretching from 1923-1971! These are brand new to DigitalNC and we are proud to present them. Published weekly, The Cherokee Scout serves Cherokee County, where it remains a staple to its readership of nearly 10,000.

A Nov. 1938 article announcing UNC President Graham’s visit to the local Murphy Library

Because of the long time-span of papers now in our collection, it is fascinating to see what sort of issues were being discussed throughout the community’s history. For example, in 1938, UNC’s President Dr. Frank Graham visited Murphy and toured the construction of the Hiwassee Dam and the village set up by the Tennessee Village Authority to bring electricity to the county. As World War II began a few years later, many men from the county enlisted in the different branches of service.

Later, in the 1950s, many of Cherokee County’s children were vaccinated for polio. Inventor Jonas Salk was written of very fondly in the Scout, as Cherokee County had to have numerous money drives for polio in the prior decade. Unusually for newspapers in North Carolina, the Scout also included news from Georgia, including market prices in Atlanta, due to its close proximity.

An April 1955 announcing polio vaccination treatments for local Cherokee County children

Having this newspaper in our collection brings us a wealth of valuable knowledge about how Cherokee County residents interpreted important events at the time and how they were affected. To browse through other materials from the Murphy Public Library and the Nantahala Regional Library, visit their partner pages, or visit their websites here.

Headline from August 10, 1945

Headline from August 3, 1945

Five more years of The Farmville Enterprise, from 1942-1947 are now up on DigitalNC. These new additions were provided by our partner, Farmville Public Library, and join previously digitized issues dating from 1914-1941. The Farmville Enterprise was established in 1910, and was published on a weekly basis out of Farmville, North Carolina in Pitt County.

Every Friday, The Farmville Enterprise provided Farmville residents with national and local news. The paper’s headlines and front page tended to be dedicated to national news, while the interior reported local stories and contained local advertisements, information on town events, and news from surrounding towns and counties. During the newly digitized span covering the 1940s, many of the paper’s front page headlines featured updates on World War II and its aftermath.

To see more materials from our partner, Farmville Public Library, visit their DigitalNC partner page, or their website.

Advertisement from August 24, 1945