A page in the 2012-2013 scrapbook dedicated to the annual hot do eating contest
Three scrapbooks and three photo albums from Nash Community College are now available on DigitalNC. Nash Community College was originally established as Nash Technical Institute in 1967. In 1987, Nash was given the authority to convert to a community college, enabling the college to offer a college transfer program, and to change the name to Nash Community College. From there, Nash Community College has continued to grow in size and program offerings.
Nash Community College has an active student life as depicted in three recent scrapbooks. Each scrapbook documents one academic year; one collecting images from 2012-2013, one from 2013-2014, and the last from 2014-2015. These scrapbooks were created by the Nash Community College Student Government Association to be entered in the North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association (N4CSGA) scrapbook contest held at the N4CSGA annual conference. The three scrapbooks are bright and colorful, and are filled with depictions of social and community events from throughout the year. One annual event that seems to be a favorite is the college-wide hot dog eating contest, complete with students in hot dog costumes. Other events shown in the scrapbooks include talent shows, holiday celebrations, athletic events, club activities, and community service projects. These scrapbooks capture fun memories at Nash Community College with glitter and flair.
A glittery page in the 2014-2015 scrapbook showing the NCC holiday Fashion Show
A portrait of Dr. Geneva Chavis in the 1978 Nash Community College Employee Photo Album
Three older photo albums give a glimpse into life at Nash while it was still a Technical Institute. An album from 1978 collects photographs of Nash Tech employees, and is replete with wonderful 1970s style. Two other photo albums, which cover the years 1978-1981, show photos of student life, including graduation celebrations, holiday parties, and photos of the annual kite flying contest.
To take a looks at items in this collection, click the links below:
To learn More about Nash Community College, take a look at their partner page, or visit their website.
Students and faculty members flying kites during the 1980 kite flying contest
A set of church, family, and county histories from the library at Edgecombe Community College are now available on DigitalNC. These papers were written primarily by students at the college at include several family histories and histories of churches in and around Tarboro.
My favorite is “We Recollect. . . .” An Anecdotal History of Nash County, which was compiled by seventh and eighth grade students at Southern Nash Junior High. The history contains excerpts from oral history interviews with older residents of Nash County. The interviews contain great anecdotes about life in mill villages, schools, and professions. One passage caught my eye when I was paging through:
Q: How do you kill hogs the old way?
A: First, you shoot them between the eyes.
It’s from an interview with Sherwood Smith, whose store at Dortches was renowned for its traditionally-processed fresh meat. The interview starts on page 10 and includes Smith’s method for curing ham and the recipe for his famous sausage.
DigitalNC is happy to announce the addition of nine scrapbooks about U.S. Congressman Itimous “Tim” Thaddeus Valentine to our online scrapbook collection. These items were made available to digitize by our partners at Nash Community College and we are grateful to them for their contribution.
Tim Valentine represented the 2nd district of North Carolina, an east central district that formerly included Durham and Raleigh, in the U.S. Senate from 1983-1994. These scrupulously maintained scrapbooks span the first two years of his position, beginning from January 8, 1983 until September 20, 1984. His congressional appointment was marked by a highly publicized electoral race with civil rights activist and attorney Henry McKinley “Mickey” Michaux. Michaux would have become North Carolina’s first black congressman of the twentieth century if Valentine hadn’t narrowly defeated him in a contested runoff, causing much of Valentine’s freshman year to be devoted toward gaining ground with black voters.
Labeled a Democratic conservative during the 80’s, Valentine’s voting favored moderation, as when voting against the nuclear freeze (which he later supported) but voting for a $5 billion jobs package. Most of the images in these nine scrapbooks are newspaper clippings relating to Valentine, his political rivals, or his politics. These scrapbooks also feature ephemera, such as a certificate awarded to Valentine to highlight his support of Adult Continuing Education Week and a holiday card from President Reagan and Mrs. Reagan.
A note to readers: these scrapbooks contain many clippings stacked on top of another- therefore if it looks like there are duplicates of pages, there are! The duplicated pages should have the covered clippings exposed (you may notice a bone folder in some of the images) for full ability to read the contents.
For a look at all the scrapbooks mentioned, click here. To view all material from Nash Community College, click here. To get more information on Nash Community College, please visit their homepage here.
Coverage of the Jesse L. Jackson Presidential Campaign in 1988.
DigitalNC now has new issues of The Carolinian from 1988 to 1992. The Raleigh, NC based newspaper was a popular source of information for the African American Community in the RDU area. Each Monday and Thursday, The Carolinian informed the African American community of issues and news that affected their daily lives.
The new issues include the 1988 Presidential campaign coverage of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, along with covering local stories from the Historical Black Colleges (HBCU) in the area, Shaw University and North Carolina Central.
Coverage of the Shaw University Divinity School Heritage Event in 1988.
Still in print today, The Carolinian provides the African American community with news that takes place on the national, regional, and local levels. To see what The Carolinian looks like today, please visit their website. To view other African American community newspapers in North Carolina, visit our website here and click on African American Papers.
Special thanks to our partner the Olivia Raney Local History Library for their assistance. Visit their homepage by clicking here.
Constance Matthews, age 14
Constance Matthews and Winks the cat, 1925
The Constance Matthews Collection exhibit from the Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount is now available on DigitalNC!
Constance Matthews (1912-1940) was an interesting young woman who grew up in Spring Hope, North Carolina and was an active member of the Nash County Community. Matthews was the only child of Mattie Lou Bolton Matthews and John C. Matthews, a prominent postmaster and businessman. A graduate of the North Carolina College for Women in Greensboro (now UNC-Greensboro), she was also the founder of the Spring Hope Alumnae Club.
Matthews was most notably known for being an active writer and the editor of the Nash County News in Spring Hope. She was one of the first female newspaper editors in the area during the early twentieth century. You can view some of Constance Matthew’s editing work on DigitalNC. Several issues of the Nash County News are available in the North Carolina Newspapers Collection.
Tragically, Matthews died at the young age of 28 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while riding her horse in Rocky Mount. You can view an obituary on page 22 of the July 1940 issue of the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina’s Alumnae News.
The genealogist Annie Pearl Brantley of Spring Hope acquired the Matthew family photos and gave them to the Braswell Memorial Library (Rocky Mount, N.C.). A selection of photographs of Constance, her friends and family, and her activities are now available on DigitalNC, capturing a glimpse into the short life of a remarkable woman.
The Blackboard [January 1908]
To learn more about Constance Matthews and see the full collection, please visit the exhibit page. To learn more about the Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount, please visit the contributor page or the website.
