This week we have another 40 newspaper titles and thousands of issues up on DigitalNC, including over 1,000 issues from The Messenger and Intelligencer from Wadesboro, the birthplace of Piedmont blues musician Blind Boy Fuller (read a brief biography about Fuller here). In this post we have some interesting new information regarding the blues legend’s birth!

Via John Edwards Memorial Foundation Records (PF-20001), Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Library

Blind Boy Fuller was born Fulton Allen to parents Calvin Allen and Mary Jane Walker in Wadesboro, North Carolina, but the actual date of his birth is very much up for debate. The date of July 10 seems to be generally agreed upon, but the actual year tends to differ. While there are some sources that put it at 1904, folklorist Bruce Bastin puts Allen’s date of birth at July 10, 1907 based on statements from the North Carolina State Commission for the Blind, the Social Security Board, and the Durham County Welfare records. However, his 1941 death certificate states that he was 32 years old when he died, putting the year of his birth at 1908.

Rockingham Post-Dispatch, July 28, 1921

What we found makes things a little interesting. After the family relocated to Rockingham sometime in the early 1900s, his father posted a notice in the July 28, 1921 issue of the Rockingham Post-Dispatch that would suggest that none of these are accurate. The notice supports the idea of a July birthday but implies that, being 16 years old, he would have actually been born in 1905.

Bruce Bastin is the author of Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast and Early Masters of American Blues Guitar: Blind Boy Fuller with Stefan Grossman. The Bruce Bastin and Stefan Grossman Collections are housed here at UNC as part of the Southern Folklife Collection.

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Charlotte

• Daily Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1892-1893
• The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1921
• Beasley’s Farm and Home Weekly (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1945

Edenton

• Biblical Recorder and Journal of Passing Events (Edenton, N.C.) – 1834

Greensboro

• The Greensborough Patriot (Greensboro, N.C.) – 1865
• Greensboro Evening Telegram (Greensboro, N.C.) – 1898

High Point

• High Point Reporter (High Point, N.C.) – 1860

Lexington

• The Davidson Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.) – 1882

Milton

• The Milton Chronicle (Milton, N.C.) – 1882

New Bern

• The Biblical Recorder (New Bern, N.C.) – 1835-1837

Raleigh

• The Biblical Recorder and Southern Watchman (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1838-1841
• The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1843-1903
• North Carolina Standard (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1868
• The Daily North Carolina Standard (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1868
• The Raleigh Student (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1924-1929
• North Carolina Christian Advocate (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1929-1930

Rocky Mount

• The Phoenix (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – 1889-1895
• The Rocky Mount Motor (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – 1900
• The Evening Telegram (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – 1921-1922
• Rocky Mount Weekly News (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – 1921-1922

Salem

• The People’s Press (Salem, N.C.) – 1860-1861

Salisbury

• The Rowan Whig and Western Advocate (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1855
• Republican Banner (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1856
• Daily Carolina Watchman (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1864-1865
• The Salisbury Press (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1888

Wadesboro

• The Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1888-1919
• The Messenger and Intelligencer and Ansonian (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1919-1923

Wilmington

• The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1852-1877
• Wilmington Journal (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1877

Winston

• Western Sentinel (Winston, N.C.) – 1857-1883
• The Twin-City Daily (Winston, N.C.) – 1885-1889
• The Winston Leader (Winston, N.C.) – 1885
• The Friend of Home (Winston, N.C.) – 1887
• The Winston Weekly Journal (Winston, N.C.) – 1897-1901
• The Twin-City Sentinel (Winston, N.C.) – 1892-1916
• The Union Republican (Winston, N.C.) – 1912-1922

Winston-Salem

• The Journal (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1898-1900
• The Daily Journal (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1900
• Winston-Salem Journal (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1902-1922
• Twin City Sentinel (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1916-1923

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.

This week we have another 70 titles up on DigitalNC including over 1,000 issues of The Robesonian, 1,000 issues of The Western Sentinel, 3,000 issues of The Reidsville Review, 4,000 issues of The News and Observer, and almost 4,000 issues of the Salisbury Evening Post!

In the March 8th, 1914 issue of The News and Observers we have an article detailing a practice game played by the Baltimore Orioles while in Fayetteville. This happens to be the game where a 19 year old George Herman “Babe” Ruth hit his first home run as a professional baseball player. Ruth was also given his iconic nickname “Babe” while in Fayetteville on this trip.

The News and Observer, March 8th, 1914

Image via The Fayetteville Observer

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Asheboro

• Asheboro Courier (Asheboro, N.C.) – 1902

Asheville

• Asheville Daily Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1891-1900
• The Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1900
• Asheville Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1906-1907

Belhaven

• Belhaven Journal (Belhaven, N.C.) – 1916-1923
• Beaufort-Hyde News (Belhaven, N.C.) – 1966-1980

Brevard

• Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.) – 1917

Charlotte

• Daily Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1893-1897

Cherryville

• The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.) – 1915-1919

Clayton

• The Clayton News (Clayton, N.C.) – 1914-1966

Concord

• The Bright Mason (Concord, N.C.) – 1873-1874

Cooleemee

• The Cooleemee Journal (Cooleemee, N.C.) – 1956-1962

Creedmoor

• Creedmoor Times-News (Creedmoor, N.C.) – 1913-1914

Durham

• The Morning Herald (Durham, N.C.) – 1913-1914

East Bend

• The Yadkin Ripple (East Bend, N.C.) – 1902

Elizabeth City

• The Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1916
• The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1916-1917

Forest City

• The Free Press (Forest City, N.C.) – 1913

Gastonia

• The Gastonia Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) – 1908

Goldsboro

• Goldsboro Daily Argus (Goldsboro, N.C.) – 1905-1920

Greenville

• King’s Weekly (Greenville, N.C.) – 1903-1905

Kenly

• The Kenly Observer (Kenly, N.C.) – 1927

Leaksville

• Leaksville Herald (Leaksville, N.C.) – 1861

Lenoir

• The Semi-Weekly News (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1900
• The Weekly News (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1902-1905
• The Lenoir Weekly News (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1905-1915
• The Lenoir News (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1906, 1914-16

Lincolnton

• Lincoln Progress (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1874
• The Lincoln Journal (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1903-1906

Lumberton

• The Robesonian (Lumberton, N.C.) – 1903-1923

Mocksville

• The Davie Times (Mocksville, N.C.) – 1902

Mooresville

• The Mooresville Enterprise (Mooresville, N.C.) – 1901-1902

Moravian Falls

• The Yellow-Jacket (Moravian Falls, N.C.) – 1928

New Bern

• The Sun (New Bern, N.C.) – 1911

Raleigh

• The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1906-1923

Red Springs

• The Farmer and Scottish Chief (Red Springs, N.C.) – 1890

Reidsville

• The Weekly Review (Reidsville, N.C.) – 1889-1899
• The Reidsville Review (Reidsville, N.C.) – 1899-1923

Rocky Mount

• Rocky Mount Mail (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – 1875-1876

Rutherfordton

• The Sun (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1911

Salisbury

• Salisbury Evening Post (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1905-1923
• Salisbury Post (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1908-1912
• Yadkin Valley Herald (Salisbury, N.C.) – 1918-1919

Selma

• The Johnstonian (Selma, N.C.) – 1925

Shelby

• The Cleveland Star (Shelby, N.C.) – 1902-1904
• The Highlander (Shelby, N.C.) – 1912-1920

Smithfield

• Johnston County Record (Smithfield, N.C.) – 1933-1934
• The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.) – 1977

Spruce Pines & Burnsville

• The Tri-County News (Spruce Pine & Burnsville, N.C.) – 1940

Statesville

• Statesville Landmark (Statesville, N.C.) – 1874-1875
• The Landmark (Statesville, N.C.) – 1875-1903
• The Statesville American (Statesville, N.C.) – 1878
• The Statesville Mascot (Statesville, N.C.) – 1902

Taylorsville

• The Mountain Scout (Taylorsville, N.C.) – 1902-1906

Washington

• Washington Dispatch (Washington, N.C.) – 1861
• The North State Press (Washington, N.C.) – 1880
• The Washington Gazette (Washington, N.C.) – 1884-1887
• The Evening Messenger (Washington, N.C.) – 1896-1899
• The Gazette-Messenger (Washington, N.C.) – 1900-1904
• Washington Progress (Washington, N.C.) – 1930-1931

Waynesville

• Waynesville Courier (Waynesville, N.C.) – 1914-1915
• The Carolina Mountaineer and Waynesville Courier (Waynesville, N.C.) – 1921

Wilmington

• Wilmington Weekly Chronicle (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1840-1841
• Wilmington Chronicle (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1841-1845
• The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1851-1852
• The Daily Wilmington Herald (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1866

Windsor

• Windsor Ledger (Windsor, N.C.) – 1913

Winston-Salem

• The Western Sentinel (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1903-1922
• Twin City Sentinel (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 1922

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.

This week we have tens of thousands of issues up on DigitalNC! In this batch we have over 1,000 issues of The High Point Enterprise and Lenoir News-Topic, more than 4,000 issues of The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer, 5,000 issues of the Goldsboro Daily Argus, over 5,500 issues of The Kinston Free Press, 7,000 issues of the Asheville Citizen, and more!

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Asheville

• The Daily Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1889
• The Asheville Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1889
• Asheville Daily Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1891-1899
• Asheville Citizen (Asheville, N.C.) – 1900-1922

Charlotte

• The Charlotte Journal (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1835-1851
• The Charlotte News (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1892
• Charlotte Daily Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1911-1916
• The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1916-1922
• The Charlotte Chronicle (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1891
• Semi-Weekly Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1892
• Weekly Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1892

Concord

• The Sun (Concord, N.C.) – 1881-1882

Davidson

• The Davidsonian (Davidson, N.C.) – 1921-1926

Durham

• The Morning Herald (Durham, N.C.) – 1913-1919
• Durham Morning Herald (Durham, N.C.) – 1919-1921

Edenton

• The Edenton Gazette, and North-Carolina General Advertiser (Edenton, N.C.) – 1818

Elizabeth City

• Tar Heel (Elizabeth City N.C.) – 1911
• The Weekly Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1911-1913
• The Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1913
• The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1919-1923

Elkin

• The Elkin Times (Elkin, N.C.) – 1895-1897

Fayetteville

• The American (Fayetteville, N.C.) – 1814-1818
• Fayetteville Gazette (Fayetteville, N.C.) – 1820-1822

Gastonia

• Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) – 1922

Goldsboro

• Goldsboro Daily Argus (Goldsboro, N.C.) – 1885-1922

Graham

• The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.) – 1896-1910

Greensboro

• Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, N.C.) – 1921

Halifax

• Halifax Compiler (Halifax, N.C.) – 1818

Hickory

• Hickory Mercury (Hickory, N.C.) – 1892-1897
• The Hickory Times (Hickory, N.C.) – 1896
• The Times-Mercury (Hickory, N.C.) – 1898

High Point

• The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.) – 1918-1922

Kinston

• The Daily Free Press (Kinston, N.C.) – 1898-1923
• The Kinston Free Press (Kinston, N.C.) – 1899-1923

Lenoir

• The Caldwell Messenger (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1875-1876
• The Lenoir Topic (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1876-1919
• The Lenoir News, and The Lenoir Topic (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1919
• Lenoir News-Topic (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1919-1924
• The Semi-Weekly News (Lenoir, N.C.) – 1898

Raleigh

• The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1880-1890
• The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1906-1914

Shelby

• The Cleveland Star (Shelby, N.C.) – 1905-1923

Wilmington

• Wilmington Chronicle (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1845-1851
• The Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1922

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.

This week we have another 35 newspaper titles up on DigitalNC including thousands of issues from the Greensboro Daily News and Charlotte Daily Observer!

In the January 7^th, 1898 issue of the Charlotte Daily Observer, we have a story about a little girl who had swallowed a thimble and was saved by a new invention: the x-ray machine. Dr. Henry Louis Smith, a physics professor at Davidson College, was an early pioneer in x-ray technology. Smith’s machine was used in some of the first clinical applications, such as this, and allowed doctors to safely find and remove the foreign object from the ailing girl’s body.

Charlotte Daily Observer, January 7, 1898

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Asheville

• The Western Enterprise (Asheville, N.C.) – 1908-1910

Burlington

• The Burlington News (Burlington, N.C.) – 1887-1917
• Burlington Daily News (Burlington, N.C.) – 1923
• Burlington Daily Times (Burlington, N.C.) – 1924-1926

Charlotte

• Charlotte Daily Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) -1897-1911
• The Daily Journal (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1883
• The Daily Journal-Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1883
• The Journal-Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1883

Durham

• Durham Tobacco Plant (Durham, N.C.) – 1886
• The Tobacco Plant (Durham, N.C.) – 1886-1888

Graham

• The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.) -1881-1907

Greensboro

• Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, N.C.) – 1909-1922

Highlands

• The Highlander, Macon County and Western North Carolina Advertiser (Highlands, N.C.) – 1885-1887

Milton

• Milton Gazette & Roanoke Advertiser (Milton, N.C.) – 1828
• The Milton Chronicle (Milton, N.C.) – 1874

Salem

• The Weekly Gleaner (Salem, N.C.) – 1828-1829

Southport

• Southport Standard (Southport, N.C.) – 1897-1905
• Southport Herald (Southport, N.C.) – 1905-1909

Spencer

• The Spencer Crescent (Spencer, N.C.) – 1908-1914

Statesville

• Iredell Express (Statesville, N.C.) – 1858-1865
• The Intelligencer (Statesville, N.C.) – 1872-1874
• Statesville American and Tobacco Journal (Statesville, N.C.) – 1886

Tarboro

• Weekly Dispatch (Tarboro, N.C.) – 1897
• Political Synopsis (Tarboro, N.C.) – 1814-1815
• The Tarborough Guide (Tarborough, N.C.) – 1883
• The Tarboro’ Scaevola (Tarborough, N.C.) – 1837

Thomasville

• The Davidsonian (Thomasville, N.C.) – 1910-1915

Wadesboro

• People’s Literary Casket (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1874
• The Plow Boy (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1895-1897
• Wadesboro Courier (Wadesboro, N.C.) – 1896-1902

Waynesville

• The Haywood Enterprise (Waynesville, N.C.) – 1908

Wilson

• The Wilson Advance (Wilson, N.C.) – 1880-1899
• The Wilson Times (Wilson, N.C.) – 1923-1929

Windsor

• The Orient (Windsor, N.C.) – 1896-1897
• The Windsor Herald, and Bertie County Register (Windsor, N.C.) – 1833

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.

Another 40 newspaper titles up on DigitalNC this week! In this batch are many titles from all over the state (including nine from Rutherfordton) and a little local baseball history.

Featured in the May 5, 1902 issue of the Durham Daily Sun is the very first game of the Durham Tobacconists, the baseball team that would go on to become the Durham Bulls in 1913. While they lost their inaugural match to the Charlotte team 12-2, the author is optimistic and writes that “everything may soon be going their way.” They dropped out of the season two months later.

Durham Daily Sun, May 5, 1902

Durham Daily Sun, May 6, 1902

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Charlotte

• The Charlotte Chronicle (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1886-1892
• The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) – 1922

Durham

• Durham Daily Sun (Durham, N.C.) – 1889-1913
• The Durham Sun (Durham, N.C.) – 1911-1925

Elizabeth City

• The Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1914-1916
• The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) – 1916-1919

Fayetteville

• Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) – 1901-1919
• Fayetteville Daily Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) – 1917-1920
• Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) – 1920-1922

Gastonia

• The Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) – 1880-1919
• The Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) – 1919
• Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) – 1920-1921

High Point

• The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.) – 1915-1919

Kinson

• The Evening Free Press (Kinston, N.C.) – 1900-1902

Oxford

• Oxford Public Ledger (Oxford, N.C.) – 1902

Plymouth

• Roanoke Cresset (Plymouth, N.C.) – 1859-1861

Raleigh

• Daily Sentinel (Raleigh, N.C.) – 1871

Roanoke Rapids

• Roanoke Rapids Herald (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) – 1914-1922

Rockingham

• The Southern Index (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1896
• The Richmond Rocket (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1884-1885
• Rockingham Rocket (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1885-1897
• Piedmont Dispatch (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1915-1917
• Rockingham Post-Dispatch (Rockingham, N.C.) – 1926-1959

Rutherford College

• The Pen and Plow (Rutherford College, N.C.) – 1881

Rutherfordton

• The Democrat (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1896
• The Western Vindicator (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1869
• The Rutherford Enquirer (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1860
• The Rutherford Banner (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1881-1887
• The Sun (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1903-1922
• The Rutherford Star (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1866-1872
• The Republican (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1844-1845
• Western North Carolina Republican (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1847
• Mountain Banner (Rutherfordton, N.C.) – 1848-1850

Southern Pines

• Sandhills Daily News (Southern Pines, N.C.) – 1936-1937
• Southern Pines Bulletin (Southern Pines, N.C.) – 1902

Southport

• The Southport Leader (Southport, N.C.) – 1890-1894

Troy

• The Montgomerian (Troy, N.C.) – 1908-1922

Wilmington

• The Commercial (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1846-1850
• The Tri-Weekly Commercial (Wilmington, N.C.) – 1850-1858

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.

The February 4, 1910 evening edition of The Charlotte News.

From the December 19, 1888 front page of The Charlotte News.

We’ve added a whopping 10,000+ issues of The Charlotte News to DigitalNC. The paper was published daily, and these issues date from 1888-1922 (minus 1911, which has been on our website since 2012). In its first years, you’ll find front-page news under the column “Local Ripples” that would probably surprise Charlotteans today – such small details as the names of people renting certain houses, the number of people being married on the next day, or the specific ailments of local residents. The front page from December 19, 1888 even details a confrontation between a local resident and a billy goat (at right). 

Starting in 1909 you will find not only the News but also The Evening Chronicle, which was published separately for a number of years and then merged with The Charlotte News to become The Charlotte News and Evening Chronicle. In 1910 the front page boasted that it was “the only paper between Atlanta and Washington to issue morning, evening, and Sunday editions.”

With so many editions to fill, it’s not surprising that the paper covered a wide variety of international, national, and local topics. You’ll find a lot of syndicated content, but also statewide and Charlotte-area news and advertisements. When there are multiple issues per day, the morning paper contains more local and statewide news and advertisements, whereas the evening paper includes financial reports, sporting news, the women’s page, and syndicated content. 

You can view all of the issues we have online of The Charlotte News on its landing page, or browse our entire newspaper collection here.