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New Partner and New Yearbooks from Buncombe County!

A student waves in a high school hallway.

A very animated Charles D. Owen High School student featured in the 1968 edition of The Warhorse.

The first materials from our new partner Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center are online now. This batch features 28 yearbooks from Black Mountain and Swannanoa, both located in Buncombe County (N.C.).

These yearboooks are from Swannanoa High School, Black Mountain High School, and Charles D. Owen High School and capture the years 1948 to 1968.

Swannanoa and Black Mountain High Schools merged to form Charles D. Owen High School in 1955. Swannanoa and Black Mountain’s final yearbooks — the 1954 editions — are included in this collection, as is the very first yearbook for Owen High School.

All of the yearbooks included in this upload can be accessed here.

Hand-drawn high school entryway.

An illustration of Black Mountain High School featured in the 1949 Skirmisher.

 

To learn more about the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center, visit their partner page or their website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


1904-1909 Issues of Asheville Gazette-News Now on DigitalNC!

1,691 issues of The Asheville-Gazette News are now available on the site, thanks to our partners at Buncombe County Public Libraries. This paper was published daily and is an incredibly rich resource for information on life in early 1900s Asheville. 1904-1909 were years of rapid growth, as Asheville grew from a small mountain town to a major hub for the region. The arrival of railroads in the 1880s transformed Asheville into a popular resort town for travelers seeking the healthful mountain air and beautiful landscapes. Just a few years before these issues were published, George W. Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate was completed as the largest private residence in the United States, cementing the city as both a tourist destination and a desirable place to live. While trains and electric cars still reigned as the main method of transportation, these newspapers show the advent of the automobile and its early adoption by some residents.

Making the case.
One of many railway company advertisements.

The city was growing in population, commerce, and technological advancement. Asheville in the early 1900s was maturing into a real urban center, with 14,000 permanent residents in 1901. As such, the issues in these newspapers are concerned with matters ranging from hyper-local to international. Readers could see which of their neighbors was traveling and to where, and on the next page get the latest updates on the 1905 Russian Revolution. Elections, both regional and national, were covered in The Asheville-Gazette News. Advertisements reveal the many businesses operating in town and speak to the needs and interests of residents, including many promoting various elixirs and compounds for healing illness. The content in these newspapers is wide-ranging and reveals a great deal about the history of Western North Carolina and its place in the world.

Local issues of the day.
An early incidence of coal mining and labor conflict.

Researchers can view all of The Asheville-Gazette News issues on DigitalNC here. See all of the materials contributed by Buncombe County Public Libraries here, and visit the digital collections on their site here. Lastly, visitors to our site can see all of our digitized newspapers on the North Carolina Newspapers page.


Community Connections, LGBTQ+ Publication from the 1980s-2000s, Encouraged and Mobilized Community

Front page of October 1996 Community Connections newspaper with black and white photo of smiling African American man behind microphone and smiling crowds with campaign signs

Issues of CLOSER and it’s successor, Community Connections, have been shared online thanks to Buncombe County Public Libraries and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The issues date from 1987-2002.

CLOSER is the acronymn for Community Liaison Organization for Support, Education and Reform. According to a newspaper article from April 2020 published in the Mountain Xpress, this organization’s mission was “to serve as a liaison organization between the gay/lesbian community and the larger population, to provide mutual support, education and information regarding problems and concerns of the gay/lesbian community, to work for reform of social prejudices and discrimination practices and attitudes, and to foster for individuals and the community a sense of gay/lesbian identity.”

The paper, particularly in the earlier issues, includes very heartfelt reflections over the accomplishments of those involved in CLOSER. There are always announcements about events, and even lists of birthdays for that month. Coverage of the community members grappling with and documenting discrimination and hate speech is unfortunately a thread. However the paper shows local efforts to mobilize and provide mutual support. Through the 90s and early 2000s, the paper covers even more statewide and national news of impact to those in the community.

Many issues were scanned by the Pack Library in Asheville, which houses the organization’s archives. Some additional issues from the early 90s were added from the collections at UNC-Chapel Hill. You can view other newspapers on our newspaper landing page. Additional materials from the Pack Library can be found on our site as well as in their own digital collections.


New Additions of the Green Line Newspaper Now Available!

GreenLine Newspaper

Title of GreenLine Newspaper

Digital NC is happy to announce the new additions of the Green Line Newspaper, 1987 – 1994. The Green Line newspaper was a local newsletter in Asheville, North Carolina, part of the North Carolina Green Party for the Western NC Green Movement. While many of their initiatives surrounded environmental causes within the community and the state and aligned with the NC Green Party, the newsletter was editorially independent. Within the newsletter, stories ranged from discussing the local election and potential candidates to environmental issues such as water issues and conservation within the community.

The newsletter was released once a month to interested parties. Individuals could also write into the newsletter and submit their thoughts and questions as part of the “The Green Line Effect.” The newsletter was free to individuals in 70 different locations or could be mailed for the year.

To learn more about the Green Line Newspaper, check them out here. To view more newspapers, visit our North Carolina Newspaper Collection.

Special thanks to our partner, the Buncombe County Public Library. To view more from Buncombe County Public Library, please visit their partner page.


1951-1976 Black Mountain News Issues Now Available

Black Mountain News title

Thanks to a nomination by our partner, Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center, 1,357 issues of Black Mountain News from 1951 to 1976 are now available to view on our website. Black Mountain News is published in Black Mountain which is located in western North Carolina in Buncombe County near Asheville. This batch of Black Mountain News issues builds on our current collection of the paper which originally spanned only from the paper’s first issue on September 6, 1945 to 1950. 

Article detailing information on the 1972 Folk Festival held at Owen High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Dancing, Singing, and Clogging This Friday, March 23, 1972

Articles published in Black Mountain News center the stories, announcements, and advertisements of the Black Mountain community along with other surrounding communities such as Swannanoa. These articles provide readers with more information on Black Mountain’s community and history during the period. Featured articles include an ad for a 1955 Tupperware partyinformation on the 1972 Owen High School Folk Festival, and a call for donations from the Buncombe County community for the preservation of the U.S.S. North Carolina (which currently resides in Wilmington).

Digitization of these issues was funded in part by the North Caroliniana Society

To learn more about the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center, please visit their website.

To view more newspapers from around North Carolina, please visit here.


Microfilmed Newspaper Nominations Selected for Digitization, 2020-2021

Back in December, we announced our annual call for microfilmed newspaper digitization. We asked institutions throughout North Carolina to nominate papers they’d like to see added to DigitalNC. As it is every year, it was an incredibly tough choice – we are typically able to choose between 40-60 reels out of over 500+ nominated. This year we’ve chosen the following titles and years.

Title Years Nominating Institution
The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.) 1942-1949 Elkin Public Library
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) 1943-1954 Martin Community College and Martin Memorial Public Library
Gates County Index (Gatesville, N.C.) 1942-1956 Gates County Public Library
Green Line (Asheville, N.C.) 1987-1994 Buncombe County Public Libraries
The News of Orange County (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1944-1964 Orange County Public Library
The Pamlico News (Bayboro, N.C.) 1976-1987 New Bern-Craven County Public Library
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1965-1968 Southern Pines Public Library
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.) 1911-1925 Johnston County Heritage Center
The Wallace Enterprise (Wallace, N.C.) 1931-1955 Thelma Dingus Bryant Library
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Charlotte, N.C.) 2017-2018 Forsyth County Public Library

For our selection criteria, we prioritize newspapers that document underrepresented communities, new titles, papers that come from a county that currently has little representation on DigitalNC, and papers nominated by new partners. After selection, we ask the partners to secure permission for digitization and, if that’s successful, they make it into the final list above.

We hope to have these titles coming online in the first half of 2021. If your title didn’t make it this year don’t despair! We welcome repeat submissions, and plan on sending out another call in Fall 2021. 


The Black Mountain News Now Online

DigitalNC has added a new title to our newspaper collection: The Black Mountain News. Covering the initial five years of publication, from 1945 to 1950, 272 issues of The Black Mountain News are now available to view online. We would like to thank our partners at Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center for contributing the microfilm that made this possible.

Located on the western side of North Carolina, Black Mountain is settled in the mountains of Buncombe County, not far from Asheville. As stated previously, The Black Mountain News was a new periodical in 1945.  Marketed as the first newspaper created specifically for the Black Mountain and Swannanoa communities, the newspaper initially divided space by township. Different nearby towns occupied specific sections of the newspaper, such as the Swannanoa Section and the Old Fort News. Interestingly, the size of these town sections visibly decreased as time went on, moving to shorter news letters, and room was made for general weeklies such as This Week’s Editorial.

Notably, the date range of these additions also covers the period immediately after World War II ended, with the first printed issue dating September 6th, 1945. Victory bond advertisements can be found in these early issues.

For a look at all of the front pages of The Black Mountain News we have so far, click here. For more information on Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center, click here.


Earliest Asheville Newspaper Now Available On DigitalNC

Early issues of the Highland Messenger, the first newspaper to be published in Asheville, are now available in the North Carolina Newspapers project.  The Messenger began publication in 1840, when there were just a few thousand people living in Buncombe County.  The initial goals of the paper were quite lofty.  Here they are, as stated in the first issue:

“Our paper shall be devoted to Religion, Morality, Science, Politics and General Intelligence, having for its leading object the instruction and advantage of the people, wherever it shall be attentively read.”

Like most papers published in this period, much of the content relates to national news and politics interspersed with a wide variety of features and short pieces, with little space given to local reports.  However, it is possible, through the many advertisements, court notices, letters, and editorials to get a sense of the issues and concerns of the village that would, by the early 20th century, grow into what another paper would come to call the “mountain metropolis.”

The Highland Messenger was nominated for digitization by the Buncombe County Public Libraries.

Newspapers Selected for Digitization, 2011-2012

The following newspapers were digitized from microfilm in 2011 and 2012.

Title Years Nominating Institution
The Mebane Leader 1911-1915 Alamance County Public Library
Highland Messenger (Asheville) 1840-1851 Buncombe County Public Library
The Standard (Concord) 1888-1898 Cabarrus County Public Library
Daily Concord Standard 1895-1899 Cabarrus County Public Library
Mecklenburg Jeffersonian (Charlotte) 1841-1849 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Miners’ and Farmers’ Journal (Charlotte) 1830-1834 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Catawba Journal (Charlotte) 1824-1828 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Western Democrat (Charlotte) 1856-1868 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
North Carolina Whig (Charlotte) 1852-1863 Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Fayetteville Observer 1851-1865 Cumberland County Public Library
The Carolina Times (Durham) 1951-1964 Durham County Library
The Lincoln Republican (Lincolnton) 1840-1842 Gaston County Public Library
The Lincoln Courier (Lincolnton) 1845-1895 Gaston County Public Library
The Roanoke News (Weldon) 1878-1922 Halifax County Public Library
The Marion Progress 1916, 1929, 1940 McDowell County Public Library
Marion Record 1894-1895 McDowell County Public Library
Marion Messenger 1896-1898 McDowell County Public Library
The Pilot (Southern Pines) 1920-1945 Southern Pines Public Library
Sylvan Valley News 1900-1911 Transylvania County Library
The Pinehurst Outlook 1897-1923 The Tufts Archives
The Goldsboro Headlight 1887-1903 Wayne County Public Library
The Elm City Elevator 1902 Wilson County Public Library
The Wilson Advance 1874-1899 Wilson County Public Library

Explore Enchanting Mountain Views in Latest Southwestern Community College Materials!

Thanks to our partner, Southwestern Community College (SCC), a new batch of materials are now available on DigitalNC! This batch has over 190 new records that include a Great Smoky Mountains trail map, local histories, previous course catalogs, various newsletters, SCC program pamphlets, over 100+ photograph slides showcasing the college campus and nearby beautiful mountain views.

Located in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, Southwestern Community College held its first classes on December 1, 1964 under the name “Jackson County Industrial Education Center.” During that time, the school was a satellite of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute. In September 1967, however, the satellite became an independent school and was renamed Southwestern Technical Institute (STI). The school’s name changed once more in 1979 to Southwestern Technical College before becoming Southwestern Community College in 1988.

The years following STI’s independence from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute were filled with construction of buildings, receiving accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, their first on-campus commencement ceremony, establishment of the Cherokee Center, and much more. Today, SCC has facilities across several counties as well as on the Qualla Boundary, is the only community college in the nation to enter into a cooperative science agreement with NASA, and offers over 40 academic programs for students to choose from.

To learn more about Southwestern Community College, please visit their website linked here.

To view more materials from Southwestern Community College, please visit their partner page linked here.

To view more materials from community colleges across North Carolina, please view our North Carolina Community College Collections exhibit linked here.

Information about SCC was gathered from the college’s College History page located on their website linked here.


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