The Eagle.

Thanks to funding from the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA Grant and our newest partner, Cherryville Historical Museum, addition issues of The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.) from 1942 to 1956 are now available on our website. The articles from this batch primarily focus on World War II, providing updates on local citizens in the military, battles, directives from the federal government, and advertisements for war fundraising efforts.

Look for the girl who sells war bonds and stamps for Christmas presents!

The Cherryville Historical Museum is located in Cherryville, North Carolina. Their mission is to preserve, protect, and exhibit the city’s history. The museum features several exhibits on the Cherryville’s history from the early 1800s to today. Some of the museum’s exhibits include toys made by Lloyd Stroup, the old jail, farm equipment, ladies wear, the potato house, and much more.

To learn more about the Cherryville Historical Museum, please visit their website.

To view all issues of The Eagle, please click here.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please click here.

Thanks to funding from the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA Grant and our partner, Halifax County Library System, new issues of The Roanoke News from 1923 to 1944 are now available on our website. This expands our current holding of the paper from 1878 to 1944. The paper, published weekly, primarily features articles on local, North Carolina news such as the completion of the Wright Memorial Bridge.

Wright Bridge Open to Public, April 1931.

Prior to 1931, individuals looking to visit North Carolina’s Outer Banks, or those wishing to visit Dare’s county seat in Manteo, would have had a rather long trip ahead of them. In 1921, the General Assembly passed a $50 million bond issue that was to be used for improving and paving roads that would connect county seats. In addition to these new roads, several concrete bridges were constructed that shortened the distance between places significantly. One of the bridges constructed under the bond was the Wright Memorial Bridge. In April of 1931, the Wright Memorial Bridge was finally opened to the public after 10 years of construction. The bridge spans the entire three mile width across Currituck Sound, connecting Point Harbor to the Outer Banks. The bridge still enjoys heavy usage almost 100 years later.

To learn more about the Halifax County Library System, please visit their website.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please click here.

Thanks to funding from the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA Grant and our partner Yadkin County Public Library, 1,204 issues spanning from 1893 to 1941 of The Yadkin Ripple are now available for viewing on our website. Starting with its first issue in 1892, The Yadkin Ripple has been publishing for over 130 years. While the paper includes national news stories, its main focus is the Yadkin community with articles on local events, community member accomplishments, weddings and deaths of community members, and other interesting articles related to the area such as murder mysteries.

Murder or Suicide?, January 11, 1934.

In early January of 1934, The Yadkin Ripple published a story about Leoda “Oda” Mae Childress, a 20 year old woman living with foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Tilley, near Benham, North Carolina. On Saturday, December 30, 1933, the family was set to make their usual trip to Elkin, but this time Oda was feeling unwell and decided to stay home. Later in the day, responding to a frantic call from Oda, neighbors Nathan Tharpe and Kelly Brown made their way to the Tilley house. Upon their arrival, they saw that Oda had been shot. Immediately Tharpe checked for signs of life and found that Oda’s heart was beating faintly. He called for a doctor, but by the time Dr. H. C. Salmons arrived Oda had passed away.

After arriving at the Tilley house, authorities noted that there were several signs that a struggle had taken place within the house—drawers were rifled through in multiple areas of the house, a window was smashed, a chair was overturned, and the phone receiver was dangling at the end of its cord. Later, after authorities had finished at the scene, Mrs. Tilley found a note in the pocket of the apron Oda was wearing that Saturday. The note, presumably written by Oda, mentions four men coming to the house who said she had 20 minutes to give them $500 or she would die. Instead of giving the intruders the money, she writes that she instead hides the money in cellar of the family’s tobacco barn. Oda ends the letter by asking Mrs. Tilley to tell her sweetheart Andrew Smoot (who was married to another woman) goodbye and that she wished to be buried in Benham. The note had no signature, but Mr. and Mrs. Tilley verified that it was in Oda’s handwriting and that they had found the cash where she said it would be.

Murdered Girl and Those Charged With Her Death, February 8, 1934.

Something felt off to many in the community including The Yadkin Ripple writer Alan Browning, Jr. who voiced his feeling of unease in an article, asking: Why did the intruders allow her to telephone for aid? Why did they allow her to write a lengthy note to Mrs. W. W. Tilley? If the rumor that the note was dictated after she was shot, how would the intruders know about the secret hiding spot for the money? Lastly, if the rumor is true that this was a suicide, why would Oda go through such elaborate preparations before ending her own life? The paper continues for several weeks after the publishing of the initial article to report any new developments in the case to the community.

To read the articles about the Childress case in their entirety and find out what really happened to Oda, begin here.

To learn more about the Yadkin County Public Library, please visit their website.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please click here.

Thanks to our partner, Greensboro History Museum, a batch containing over 100 additional issues of Grimsley High School’s student newspaper, High Life, as well as nine issues of the Greensboro Daily Workman from the 19th century are now available on our website.

A majority of the High Life issues from this batch are from the 1960s and 1970s. During these years the hippie movement, a movement which featured long hair, advocation of nonviolence and love, as well as folk and rock music, was taking place. Like many parents during this time, one student named Marcia Quigley had a lot to say about individuals, boys in particular, keeping their hair long.

Long Haired Boys Cause Many Unforeseen Problems, May 20, 1968.

The article begins with Quigley discussing the problems of boys having long hair which include them becoming traffic hazards due to their hair dangling in front of or blowing into their eyes, long hair leading to premature baldness, and denied entry to certain buildings. Quigley then goes on to dramatically assert that boys, simply by allowing their hair to grow out, turn from being “honest, dynamic, [and] all-American” to scroungy, upstart hippies with a reputation as a rat. If attacks on their character and driving abilities weren’t enough, the writer also makes sure to include the possibility of being bullied by fellow students and adults. Quigley’s complaint in the May 20, 1968 issue of High Life can be read in its entirety here on our website.

To learn more about the Greensboro History Museum, please visit their website.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please visit our North Carolina Newspaper Collection.

Thanks to funding from the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA Grant and our partners, Highlands Historical Society and Fontana Regional Library, a batch containing 283 issues of The Highlander are now available on our website. The paper was published weekly beginning August 6, 1937 in Highlands, North Carolina and continues to be published today under the same title in Highlands, North Carolina.

Stately pines and hemlocks covered in snow

The paper’s original aim was to “give unstintingly to the best interested of the community and city. To publicize Highlands as much as possible. To make our city [Highlands, N.C.] more attractive to our many and pleasant summer visitors.” Following their aim, these issues of The Highlander cover general community news topics such as fun events, big announcements for community members, town meetings, construction information, vaccine reminders, and more.

Rhododendron bloom

A prominent feature in The Highlander is photographs and articles highlighting the beauty of the region. Many of the photographs included in the newspaper focus on the waterfalls, mountain scenes, and native flowers such as the rhododendron. An article from the January 20, 1966 issue of The Highlander discusses the North Carolina mountain’s infamous “peak week” which occurs every autumn. During this week, the mountains are transformed from their summer green to a beautiful array of reds, oranges, and yellows as the leaves of the trees change as a result of the cooler weather. As the article notes, many people from all over come to experience peak week, resulting in bumper to bumper traffic and increased business for local merchants.

To learn more about the Highlands Historical Society, please visit their website.

To learn more about the Fontana Regional Library, please visit their website.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please click here.