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Recipes, Records, and More Now Available from Edgecombe County Memorial Library!

Thanks to our partners at Edgecombe County Memorial Library, we are pleased to announce DigitalNC now has over two hundred new records to explore! Pore over records from Tarboro’s history of shipping and manufacturing, read through decades of magazine club programs, or get inspired by dozens of new recipes! This new batch covers a truly dazzling array of subjects, from as far back as 1878 to as recent as 2022. They include correspondences, legal ledgers, and even uniforms! Whatever your historical interest, this collection likely has something for you.

The back of a postcard from Tar River Oil Company.

Locals from or around Tarboro will be pleased to find a great quantity of photographs, publications, and records relating to downtown Tarboro’s historic structures. Historians have taken painstaking efforts over the years to preserve the history of this beautiful town, and the fruits of their labor are now easily seen. Many storefronts, churches, and civic buildings have carefully curated profiles, containing detailed photographs, preserved newspaper clippings, and written histories. Perhaps the most detailed of these profiles is Tarboro’s old town hall building, which served as a fixture of community politics before it was demolished in the late-twentieth century. The destruction of the building is detailed in full, even including detailed photographs of its demolition!

Readers interested in women’s history will be elated to discover over a century’s worth of documents related to the Tarboro Magazine Club, a collective of women dedicated to intellectual growth and community. The Magazine Club has graciously provided decades of correspondences between members, detailed lists of membership records, and magazine subscription lists. A vast number of programs are also included, which list the annual theme of the club alongside a schedule of lectures and talks given by members of the Magazine Club. Educational “learn-at-home” courses were also used by the club, and even include materials from UNC Chapel Hill!

A recipe card for Strawberry Satin Pie.

Locals may also fondly remember DeBerry’s Colonial Dining Room, a traditional southern kitchen that served the community for years before its unfortunate closing. Fortunately, our collection now includes a host of photographs, postcards, and menus from the dining room. We even have detailed photographs of the famous uniforms worn by the waitresses! Perhaps most tantalizing of all is the inclusion of over one hundred recipes carefully recorded by Ruby DeBerry, the matriarch of the restaurant. The recipes are an absolute gem, reflecting mid-century southern cuisine in a new way. Miss a dish? Now you can recreate it at home!

Hungry for more? You can find this collection (and more) here. Want to know more about Tarboro? Contact our partners at Edgecombe Memorial Library at their website here. Want to test some recipes? Let us know how they turn out!


Lena Martin Photo Collection along with Wide Variety of Items Added from Edgecombe County Memorial Library

black and white photograph of a snowy downtown with adults sitting in a boat drawn by two horses
“A Boat Put in Service”https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/242258

Photos, genealogical research, and a scrapbook make up this latest batch from Edgecombe County Memorial Library. The images were scanned by the library’s staff, who requested they be added to DigitalNC.

Over 500 loose photos of Edgecombe County document people, town scenes, architecture, views of the Tar River, the tobacco industry, and notable events. There are some really compelling 19th century images, including a bird’s eye view of Tarboro, Princeville during one of the Tar River floods, and the burning of the Bryan House Hotel.

The Lena Martin Pennington photo collection is an additional 384 photos of Edgecombe County dating from the late 1800s-early 1900s. Almost all of the photos were annotated by Pennington with brief descriptions.

Here are some additional items in this batch:

You can view all of the items Edgecombe County Memorial Library has shared on DigitalNC through their contributor page.


New Edgecombe County Memorial Library Materials Including Additional Photographs of Edgecombe County’s Historic Architecture Now Available

Thanks to our partner, Edgecombe County Memorial Library, new materials including a 1955 Leggett High School yearbook, Magazine Club of Tarboro minute books, and architecture research materials for houses in Edgecombe County are now available on our website.

This batch of photographs adds 48 new homes to our architecture research materials for historical houses and buildings in Edgecombe County. In addition to photographs of the houses, some folders contain in-depth documents about the properties including family histories, property history, appraisals, renovations, and more. The Joseph Pippen House record is an example of an information-rich folder. It included photographs and slides from before and after the house’s renovation (pictures seen below), a letter from one of Joseph Pippen’s ancestors, information on the Pippen plantation property, newspaper clippings related to the selling of the house, and detailed information about the house’s architecture.

Black and white photograph of an older looking two story house.

Joseph Pippen house before renovation

A photograph of a renovated two story house.

Joseph Pippen house after renovation

To learn more about the Edgecombe County Memorial Library, please visit their website.

To view more architecture research from Edgecombe County, view previous posts here.

For more yearbooks from across North Carolina, visit our yearbook collection.


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.


Learn About Dr. Moses Ray of Tarboro With New Edgecombe County Materials

Thanks to our partners at the Edgecombe County Memorial Library, Digital NC has digitized new materials from Tarboro and Edgecombe County, North Carolina. These documents include architectural photographs; minutes, photographs, invitations, and other records from the Edgecombe Magazine Club; a new W.S. Clark ledger from 1909; a scrapbook from the Gettysburg Veterans Reunion of 1913; and a family Bible from the Bridgers family of Edgecombe County.

Additionally, we have added a new collection of materials from Dr. Moses A. Ray (1920-1995), a dentist, mayor, community advocate and leader in Tarboro. Dr. Ray was a graduate of Shaw University and Howard University, where he earned his doctorate in dentistry. After settling in Tarboro in 1946, he helped establish the Edgecombe Credit Union for African-Americans, was a trustee of the Edgecombe Technical Institute, led the East Tarboro Citizens League, was a member of the North Carolina Board of Transportation, and served on the Tarboro Town Council and as the first post-Reconstruction African-American mayor of Tarboro. This list comprises only a portion of the many leadership roles he held in Tarboro over the second half of the twentieth century. His community service was honored with many certificates and plaques that are now available as a part of the collection on Digital NC.

Visitors to the site can also see photographs from throughout Dr. Ray’s life depicting some of his work in the Tarboro community. We have also added a program from a 2015 Phoenix Historical Society educational program honoring his life of service, which further details some of his accomplishments like helping establish low-income housing and paved roads in East Tarboro. The Phoenix Historical Society records and promotes the African-American history of Edgecombe County; researchers can learn more online or in the East Carolina University Manuscript Collection. View the Dr. Moses Ray Collection here and see the rest of our Edgecombe County Memorial Library materials here.


Historic Edgecombe Architecture Showcased in Latest Batch From ECML

A view of the front and side of a gray, two-story house

404 E. Park Avenue, 2001

A view of the front and side of a yellow, two-story house

404 E. Park Avenue, 2002

Some excellent photos of the historic homes of Tarboro have just been added to our site thanks to our partner the Edgecombe County Memorial Library. These photos document many of the buildings of downtown Tarboro—some of which are no longer standing—and include some information about the structure’s history. 

While many of the photos from the early 2000s are standard color prints, several of the older buildings, which have since been demolished, are preserved on color slides.

Black-and-white photo of a large wooden house

The Dennie Cox (?) House (1880s). Located on Highway 64, “half way to Rocky Mount,” before it was demolished.

A photo of a red brick school building set against a blue sky. A large tree takes up the left third of the image.

Bridgers School (demolished)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This batch also included another ledger from W. S. Clark’s store. This ledger, from 1913, joins five other ledgers already on our site from Clark’s Tarboro store. Additionally, we’ve uploaded six minute books from the Edgecombe Magazine Club ranging from 1911-1952, as well as the 1928 Maccripine yearbook from South Edgecombe High School.

You can see the full batch of photographs, minute books, and the store ledger here. To see more materials from Edgecombe County Memorial Library, visit their partner page and their website.


More architecture research materials from Edgecombe County now on DigitalNC

Thanks to our partner Edgecombe County Memorial Library, another batch of architecture research materials for structures in the county are on DigitalNC.  This batch covers 58 buildings in Edgecombe County, including Norfleet Plantation, the supposed oldest house in Tarboro, and the African American Masonic Lodge in Tarboro.  Photographs, research notes, maps, and other materials are included for many of the buildings.  

Two color photographs of the same building, a white clapboard two story structure

Photographs of the African American Masonic Lodge in Tarboro

To view more architecture research from Edgecombe County, view previous posts here.  To view more architecture materials on DigitalNC, go here


Additional Photographs Showcasing Edgecombe County’s Historic Architecture Online Now

A newly digitized batch of photographs of historic homes and structures in Edgecombe County has been added to our website, courtesy of our partner, the Edgecombe County Memorial Library. Follow this link see the previously published batch of photos and this link to see the blog post about the previous batch of photographs.

One of the houses exhibited in these photographs is the Hart House, built by William A. Hart, a well-known Edgecombe County businessman and farmer, in 1909. This home is a rare example of a columned house in the Neo-Classical style in Tarboro.

The M. A. Hart House, located at 1109 Main St. in Tarboro, N.C.

Another house that can be seen in the batch of photographs is the J. J. Green House. This two-story home with its blend of Queen Anne and Neo-Classical architectural themes was built around 1900 by Rocky Mount architect John C. Stout, the cashier of the Bank of Tarboro.

A photograph of the J. J. Green House, located at 800 Main St. in Tarboro, N.C.

For more about the Edgecombe County Memorial Library, visit their partner page or check out their website.


Newly Digitized Photos Reveal the Historic Architecture of Edgecombe County

Hundreds of photographs, documents, and other materials have been newly digitized at DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Edgecombe County Memorial Library. This batch covers over a hundred historic homes and buildings throughout Edgecombe County and Tarboro.

An undated photo of The Barracks, a historic 19th century home in Edgecombe County.

Encompassing over a hundred locations dating from the 18th to the 20th century, this batch highlights many of the historic homes, buildings, bridges, and more found throughout Edgecombe County. Every folder found within this batch contains something different about a different house, and includes a depth of knowledge about Edgecombe County history hardly found elsewhere. For example, one folder photographs of and information about the Whitney Bridgers House that highlights its architecture style from several angles and history.

An undated postcard photo of Bracebridge Hall, known for its “architectural excellence”

Many of the other folders contain other documentation and detail topics like the specific house’s ownership history. For example, the folder for the Bynum-Sugg House has material relating to its historic preservation and need for restoration in the late 20th century. The folder for the famous Bracebridge Hall highlights how it was the 19th century home for North Carolina Governor Elias Carr in Edgecombe County, including information about its construction, design, and the stories behind certain specific rooms. Many of the folders in this batch contain both black-and-white and color photographs of the houses, as well as interior and exterior shots.

A photo of the historic marker at Peacocks Bridge in Stantonsburg, N.C.

This batch also contains photos, materials and information about other important locations besides just homes, too. A few postcards are included, like a 1909 postcard of the Baptist Church in Wilson, North Carolina. Other assorted photos are included, such as a photo of the 8th grade class from Charles L. Coon High School in 1923. There is also a photo of the historic marker placed beside Peacocks Bridge in Stantonsburg, North Carolina, as well as a brief history of its importance.

This batch introduces a wealth of knowledge about historic homes and important places in Edgecombe County, and is invaluable to our collection. To see more from the Edgecombe County Memorial Library, visit their partner page or check out their website.


Oral histories and photos from Edgecombe County now available

The cover of the Agriculture in Edgecombe County event program

New materials from Edgecombe County Memorial Library are now online and include additions to the M.S. Brown Photography Collection as well as sound clips, transcripts, and photographs from the Oral History of Agriculture in Edgecombe County project.

The Oral History of Agriculture in Edgecombe County project was completed in 1987 and is comprised of interviews from farmers and those who worked in farm-related industries in Edgecombe County. This project culminated in a live event held at the Edgecombe Community College Auditorium on October 11, 1987 that included a lecture and discussion about topics covered in the oral history interviews. The event program reads, “the interviews vividly tell the story of how the country’s farmers, farm women, merchants, manufacturers, and extension agents helped shape farm life during a period of time characterized by involvement of the federal government, mechanization, the growth in size of farms, the decline of tenancy, and the loss of farm-related jobs.” The original cassette tapes containing the interviews have been digitized and transcripts are available for many of the interviews. These oral histories give a wonderful glimpse into the daily life of farmers in Edgecombe County, and speak to how farm life changed from the Depression-era through the late 1980’s.

Additions to the M.S. Brown Collection include more images of school life, events and parades, and houses and businesses in Edgecombe County, all taken by Tarboro citizen M.S. Brown.

To view these materials visit the links below:

To see more materials from Edgecombe County Memorial Library, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.

A photograph from the M.S. Brown collection showing people at the Tarboro tobacco market.


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