Thanks to the help of our partners at Chatham County Historical Association, we are pleased to announce the addition of exciting new material on DigitalNC. This latest batch includes six editions of Bennett High School’s yearbook Panther and three editions of Chatham Central High School’s Centralia. DigitalNC browsers can view these latest additions, here.

Also included is a 19th-century cipher book that belonged to Chatham County resident Thomas Swain Dowd (also known as Swain or even more simply, just T.S.). Dowd was born in Chatham County in 1802 and lived there throughout his life. Cipher books were commonly used as lesson books for students and instructors engaged in the study of mathematics. Although it is uncertain exactly where Dowd studied, the lesson dates in his cipher book range over ten years from January 6, 1823 to September 14, 1833. Modern-day viewers can find lessons on topics like “Inverse Proportion,” “Compound Interest,” and “Reduction of Currencies” alongside elaborately scrawled notes and practice problems. Like any good student, Dowd managed to sneak in some extra curriculum into his lesson book that includes a handwritten speech officiating the marriage of two people named Geo and Esther, pages from the Book of Numbers, and of course – doodles.

More information about Thomas Swain Dowd and his cipher book can be found on a Facebook post, linked here, from our partners at the Chatham County Historical Association.

More information about our partner, Chatham County Historical Association, can be found on their website here. 

Exhibits featuring Chatham County Historical Association include Chatham County Funeral Programs, which can be found here, and, North Carolina African American High Schools, which is linked here.

More materials, including more yearbook titles, maps, scrapbooks, and photographs can be found on Chatham County Historical Association’s contributor page, which is linked here.

Thanks to our amazing partners at the Hendersonville High School Alumni Association, DigitalNC is pleased to announce that a brand new collection of memorabilia is now available online! This fantastic batch features an amazing variety of formats, including yearbooks, Hendersonville High School Hall of Fame records, and a stunning wardrobe of vintage Bearcat clothing. The new materials showcase an amazing spectrum of Hendersonville High School life, from freshman yearbook photos to famous alumni in the height of their career.

The Hendersonville High School Hall of Fame binders are an amazing example of alumni engagement. This collection contains six issues of the binders, dating from 1999 to 2006. Each binder includes details on the year’s nominees, including letters of recommendations, newspaper clippings, CVs and resumes, and even full research papers! Hendersonville High School alumni are successful in a wide variety of careers. They are marine archaeologists, entrepreneurs, and even Super Bowl winners. Each nominee’s reflections on their time in high school are included in these binders, attributing their success to the lessons they learned at Hendersonville.

The spirit of Hendersonville High School pride is fully visualized in the clothing included in this collection. Bearcat pride is emblazoned on tee shirts, basketball uniforms, sweaters, and fleece pullovers. The clothing dates back as far back as the mid-twentieth century to the 21st; a wide span of time wherein Bearcat pride is a constant. The uniforms and sweaters are gorgeous examples of vintage school fashion, each displaying a level of detail-work and craftsmanship not often seen in modern schools. The basketball shorts, for example, have custom belts with embroidered belt-holes. Not impressed? The fleece pullover has a capelet! A full capelet!! Each piece of clothing exemplifies the attachment Hendersonville High School students, faculty, and alumni have to their school, and their presence online in DigitalNC is a special treat! You can find the new collection of Hall of Fame binders and clothing online now at DigitalNC here.

You can also find an amazing collection of new yearbooks from Hendersonville High School online now at DigitalNC here. Thanks again to our fantastic partners at the Hendersonville High School Alumni Association for making these materials available online. Interested in learning more about Hendersonville High School? You can find the Hendersonville High School Alumni Association partner page online at DigitalNC here, or visit the association’s website online here.