Thanks to our new partner at the Railroad House Historical Association and Museum in Sanford, DigitalNC is pleased to announce that almost a hundred new records are now available online. The collection covers Lee County history from 1913 to the late 1990s, illuminating the history of “Brick City, USA.” Included in this batch are black-and-white images of the county, telephone directories, and the front page of the Sanford Enterprise, a Black owned newspaper that was published in the town.
The images included in this collection are black-and-white medium format film negatives, meaning that they’ve retained a ton of detail since they were taken decades ago. What’s more, almost all of these images have detailed identifications, place-names, and dates, revealing their connection to iconic locations within Lee County. They range across the county, from the miners taking lunch at Egypt Coal Mine in Cumnock, to candid shots of business fairs in Jonesboro and Sanford. At the core of this collection is the spirit of industry and manufacturing that filled Lee County in the twentieth century, encouraged by the railways and quarries constructed throughout the county.
The same industrious spirit fills the pages of sixty new telephone directories serving Lee County. These directories reflect the proliferation of technology throughout the twentieth century. Beginning in 1913 and continuing until 1960, the books get gradually wider and more polished as more homes and businesses install phones. Each issue is a wonderful example of artistic copywriting, advertising, and formatting. Many volumes instruct their owners to destroy old directories after purchasing a new one, a now ironic policy considering their historic value.
You can find the new images and telephone directories online at DigitalNC here. You can also find the first page of the Sanford Enterprise online at DigitalNC here. Interested in learning more about Lee County history? Visit our partners at the Railroad House Museum at their website online here.
