Viewing entries posted in May 2018

Moore County Historical Association contributes Southern Pines High School yearbooks as a new partner

Southern Pines High School 1951 buildings

From the 1951 Southern Pines yearbook, showing the new school building.

 

A new batch of yearbooks from Southern Pines High School are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of new partner, the Moore County Historical Association. Included in this collection are over a dozen yearbooks from Southern Pines High School from 1951 to 1969.

These yearbooks give us a glimpse into what the high school experience was like for the students in Southern Pines at that time. These yearbooks feature individual and class portraits, photographs of activities, school clubs, and sports teams from Southern Pines High School, and more.

To see more from the Moore County Historical Association, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.


10 More High Point Scrapbooks Added to DigitalNC

From page 29 of High Point Scrapbook [1959]

From page 304 of High Point Scrapbook Vol. 52

10 more scrapbooks documenting news in and around High Point, North Carolina are now up on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Heritage Research Center at High Point Public Library. Materials in these scrapbooks range in date from 1957-1972 are comprised primarily of clippings from newspapers published in the Piedmont Triad. Papers represented include the High Point Enterprise, the Greensboro Daily News, and the Winston-Salem Journal. Five of the scrapbooks are from a volume set and join previously digitized volumes dating back to 1951. Many clippings from this set of scrapbooks deal with municipal and civic issues, and each scrapbook includes a handwritten index in the front.

The other five scrapbooks cover periods of time that overlap with the volume set. They are physically large scrapbooks, and occasionally include an entire page from a newspaper. Newspaper pages and clippings cover a wide array local and regional news.

To view the new scrapbooks, visit the links below:

To see more materials from our partner, the Heritage Research Center at High Point Public Library, visit their DigitalNC partner page or take a look at their website.


19th century papers from Davidson College trustees are now online

A bond certificate addressed to Jonathan D. Johnson, who purchased $100 Confederate dollars in March 1864.

Over three dozen 19th century and early 20th century Presbyterian Church sermons delivered by Robert Zenas Johnston are now digitized and available on DigitalNC. Also included are reports from 19th century Presbyterian Churches, documents from Rufus Johnston, and correspondence from Mary Gibson, both citizens of Mecklenburg County. All of these documents come to DigitalNC courtesy of our partner, Davidson College as part of their Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funded “Justice, Equality, Community: Reimagining Humanities Curricula” project, which is a three-year, campus-wide initiative. All materials digitized for the project by DigitalNC can be found on the exhibit page Nineteenth Century Family Papers and Plantation Records of Davidson College Trustees.

The cover of one of the notebooks used by the Presbyterian Churches of Mecklenburg County, made in roughly 1876.

Johnston’s sermons (over 550!) stretch from 1859 to 1907, until just before his death in 1908. He delivered them all across the state, from Asheville to Shelby, in different cities around Mecklenburg County, and even at the Unity Church in South Carolina. Approximately 61 of those sermons are undated, but they most likely date from the 1800s as well. In many of the earlier sermons, he discussed the Civil War on the local towns. We also have several of his student notebooks, a contract for a teaching position and pastoral position that Johnston was offered, and more.

Also included in this new collection of documents are financial records of Rufus Johnston, including receipts, bonds, and bills of payment. We also received correspondence and letters from Mary Gibson, one of which tells her brother Robert what she would like done with her property towards the end of the Civil War.

Another folder contains a few documents about Davidson College itself. One document was written by Reverend Jethro Rumple, reminiscing about life at the college in the 1840’s. Included is a small handwritten biography by Reverend Rumple about Reverend John Bunyan Shearer, the eighth president of Davidson College from 1888 to 1901. These documents help give us all a greater idea of what living as a student in those times was like. Also included in this batch is a letter written by Rumple to Brother McLaughlin about an 1878 Concord Presbytery Meeting in Statesville, North Carolina.

This collection also includes various reports to and about Presbyterian Churches across the state. A few letters are addressed to synods, while others are reports on new developments within the church. There are also several notebooks, copybooks, and ledgers used by the church.

An 1855 receipt from Rural Hill Plantation promising payment of $50.12 due the next day.

Finally, DigitalNC also received folders of papers and documents about several Mecklenburg County plantations. Stretching from the 1820s to the 1860s, many of the folders contain financial records and receipts from Rural Hill, a plantation in Huntersville that was built in 1788 by Major John Davidson. There are also documents from his grandson, Adam Brevard Davidson, who later became a Trustee of Davidson College, and financial records, ledgers and booklets from the Mt. Tirzah Plantation in Lincoln County.

To browse through these materials, feel free to visit Davidson College’s partner page, or check out their website.


New series of manuscripts from Edgecombe County Memorial Library dates back to 1777

A slip of paper that documents a tuition payment for Gaby Thomas

The receipt for a tuition payment from the Eason Thomas Papers.

Beginning of a letter in handwritten script addressed to Mr. James Johnson.

The beginning of the letter to James Johnson regarding the death of his son in 1861.

A collection of manuscripts provided by Edgecombe County Memorial Library is now available on DigitalNC. This collection is comprised primarily of personal financial papers from Edgecombe County residents dating back as far as 1777, with the most recent documents dating to 1917. The manuscripts are separated out by the name of the individual or family to which the documents pertain. Items like land deeds, receipts of payment, and court documents concerning the transfer of money and debt are frequently found in these collections. Additionally, some letters of personal correspondence are included. One striking letter was written from Redding W. Thomas and J. W. Gardner to James Johnson informing him about the death of his son Charles during the the Civil War.

These manuscripts are useful for tracking family history as well as land use and the economic activities of Edgecombe County during the last 1700s through the 1800s. Families represented include the Long, Woodard, Barnes, Thomas, Horn, Johnston, Johnson, Batts, Farmer, and Price families of Edgecombe County.

Make sure to browse through these new manuscripts on DigitalNC  and learn more about the papers on the Hugh Johnston Collection exhibit page. To see more materials from Edgecombe County Memorial Library, please check out their DigitalNC partner page and take a look a their website.


North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics student newspaper now available

Stentorian newspaper masthead

You can now browse through 175 issues of The Stentorian, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics’ (NCSSM) student-run newspaper. NCSSM is a residential high school located in Durham, NC. It was founded in 1980 to provide a two-year public education to high school students focusing on science, math, and technology. 

The Stentorian covers student life and school events spanning the last four decades, from 1981 to 2017. Highlights include drama productions, additions and changes to campus, sports, student government, staff news, and prom do’s and don’t’s. The student journalism also extended beyond campus boundaries to include current events, such as this article on the history of the Islamic State, and this article on the hazards of social media.

Clipping of graduation issue front cover with photograph of students

This special graduation issue highlights the graduating senior class of 1991

With a unicorn as their mascot, the paper is filled with unicorn-themed images, stories, and Uni-pride.

Image of Mr. Unicorn, a man at microphone wearing a unicorn horn hat

Mr. Unicorn, from November 1, 1982 issue of the Stentorian.

Article clipping on the mysteries of unicorns revealed.

Unicorn article from December 1, 2005 issue of the Stentorian.

These issues provide a glimpse into the lives of the students, teachers, and staff, and the activities that defined their time at NCSSM. From a student perspective, the Stentorian gives us a not-so-long-ago history of this unique campus and the world.

These student newspapers complement the already digitized yearbooks from NCSSM. To browse through the yearbooks and newspapers available from NCSSM, check out their partner page.


New Yearbooks from Elkin High Schol Now Available

From page 85 of The Elk [1967]

The 1949-1959 and 1964-1968 editions of The Elk, a yearbook from Elkin High School, are now available on DigitalNC thanks to our partner, Surry Community College. Elkin High School is located in Elkin, North Carolina, a town in Surry and Wilkes Counties. These edition joins previously digitized editions of The Elk from 1947-1948, and 1960-1963.

Elkin School Song

The Alma Mater, from the 1951 yearbook

 

These yearbooks contain class photos, photos of student life, and photos of clubs, sports and activities. Some of the yearbooks contain fun extras like class prophecies, tongue in cheek “last will and testaments” from the senior class, and even the school song! Yearbooks on DigitalNC are fully text searchable, and are a great resource for genealogy.

To see more materials from our partner, Surry Community College, visit their DigitalNC partner page, or take a look at their website.


World War II Scrapbooks and More from Randolph County Public Library Now Online at DigitalNC

A flyer celebrating the service of North Carolinians in the war effort, as well as information war bonds

Four new World War II era scrapbooks have now been digitized and are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Randolph County Public Library. Stretching from 1943 to 1945, three of the scrapbooks are made up of documents, programs and news clippings about Randolph County service members in the Army and the Navy.

A 1952 advertisement supporting a local vote to construct new buildings for Randolph County schools

Many of the news clippings found in these scrapbooks are of service members being stationed overseas, where they are deployed, soldiers being labeled missing or killed in action, awards given, and more. Looking through these scrapbooks reminds us of the sacrifice that these soldiers gave in support of our state and our country.

The fourth is a scrapbook from 1952 consisting of documents and photos of buildings located throughout Asheboro. Created by Toby Samet, an art student at Asheboro High School, this scrapbook contains photos and other important papers, like a report from the city Asheboro’s 1952 campaign to clean up the city. It is a fascinating look into the past to see what Asheboro was like at that time, and what was considered important by the city.

To see more of their materials and learn about the Randolph County Public Library, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.


General Store Accounting Ledgers and More Now Online at DigitalNC

A snapshot from the 1929 Malachi Bissette General Store ledger

A new batch of materials from Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount, N.C. is now online and available on DigitalNC. This collection contains several day books and ledgers, as well as a school yearbook and a school assignment dating back to 1913.

The four day books are all accounting ledgers from the Malachi Bissette General Store run by I. H. Eatman in Bailey, N.C. in Nash County. Looking through them, it is easy to see regular customers visiting the store for the things they need, giving us a glimpse of what life was like in Nash County at that time. Dating from 1928 to 1932, these ledgers were extremely well kept and exact. They include information about who came into the store, what they purchased, and how much items cost. For example, in 1929, a notebook and paper cost 15 cents, and a shirt cost 2 dollars.

The other documents in this batch include a school assignment from 1913. Completed by Leonard Morton, he wrote about where he lived, the date, and the weather. Also included is Morton’s yearbook for the year 1919-1920 from Rocky Mount High School, as well as assorted documents, like copies of dues payments to local organizations. These present a very interesting look at what schooling was like around a hundred years ago.

Follow the links below to browse the items included in this batch:

To learn more about the Braswell Memorial Library, check out their partner page or take a look at their website.


Yearbooks from several Greensboro schools are now online at DigitalNC

An exterior photo of Rankin High School, circa 1957

A new batch of yearbooks from Greensboro are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Included in this collection are nearly 30 yearbooks from schools across Greensboro during the first half of the 20th century. While some yearbooks are more sporadic than others, this batch does include the 1907 Annual from Greensboro High School, making it one of the oldest high school yearbooks on our entire website!

These yearbooks include individual portraits, class portraits, as well as photographs of activities, clubs, and sports. Some of the yearbooks also include notable events throughout the school year, poems dedicated to the classes, histories of the classes, and “class prophecies”, where the students imagined where they would be in the future.

A news clipping about the 1924 court case of the Greensboro Board of Education v. the Greensboro High School Senior Class of 1924

 

 

One of the most notable events found in these yearbooks is in the 1924 Reflector from Greensboro High School. In May of 1924, the senior class was actually sued by the Greensboro Board of Education, alleging that the class members had forfeited their right to graduate by reason that they had failed to maintain the high standards associated with the school. When one plaintiff was called to the stand, he said that he was “distressed with the high frivolous, jazzimated spirit of our young people. They are popularly known…as Teahounds, Cake-Eaters, and Flappers.” The jury delivered a verdict of “not guilty” to cheering and applause in the courtroom.

Follow the links below to browse the yearbooks from the schools included in this batch:

To see more from our partner who provided these yearbooks, visit UNCG’s partner page, or take a look at their website.


Over 40 Years of Salisbury High School’s yearbook The Echo from our new partner Rowan Public Library

An exterior photo of Boyden High School (later Salisbury High) 1926.

DigitalNC is proud to welcome our new partner, the Rowan Public Library. Located in Salisbury in Rowan County, having their content online adds to our growing list of contributors who represent the Piedmont region of our state.

Their first contribution is nearly four dozen editions of The Echo, the school yearbook from Boyden High School in Salisbury. Stretching from 1921 to 1967, this collection covers a great transitional period in the school’s history. In 1926, the school had been renamed from Salisbury High School to Boyden High School after a new building was built. It used that name for nearly 50 years, until 1971, when it reverted back to the Salisbury High School name, where it still stands today.

Looking through the collection, it is fascinating to see the changes over time. While many of the first editions of Echo were smaller yearbooks, with the 1921 annual even calling itself a magazine, they expanded over time, including many more photographs and writing more about the students, their hobbies, and what they liked to do. For example, the 1940 yearbook includes a small note about how an overwhelming majority of the students prefer Glenn Miller’s swing music over all else, “accounting for the many jitterbugs.”

To learn more about the Rowan Public Library, visit their contributor page, or their website. You can also visit their website for the Edith M. Clark History Room. To see more yearbooks from across North Carolina, you can click here.


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