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A view into school segregation: Durham City Schools Slide Collection now online

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photos underrepresented

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Elementary school class portrait on steps of an unidentified building

The William Franklin Warren Durham City School Slide Collection, featuring almost 600 lantern and Kodachrome slides, is now available on DigitalNC. This collection is from Durham County Library, and show images of Durham city schools, both White and African-American, from the 1930s and 1940s. The slides include images of classroom scenes, school celebrations, exterior shots of school buildings, a high school class trip to Williamsburg and Richmond, VA, group portraits of sports teams, portraits of teachers and school administrators, and more.  Schools highlighted include Hillside High School and Durham High School, as well as many elementary and junior high schools that no longer exist.  Rosenwald schools are also featured in the images.  In addition there are slides from various school presentations that report district valuations and statistics, and images of other locations in Durham such Duke University, downtown Durham, mills and factories, the Durham Athletic Park, and residential neighborhoods, including Hope Valley. These slides provide rich documentation of segregated Durham school life through the Great Depression and World War II.

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Elementary school students taking care of class rabbits

The slides were most likely taken by William Franklin “Frank” Warren (1887-1979), the superintendent of Durham city schools from 1933-1947. In the early twentieth century, Durham’s schools were organized in two separate systems, the county schools and the city schools. Durham city schools originated with the establishment of a graded school system in 1882, with the first white graded school opening in 1882 followed by the first Black graded school in 1885. As elsewhere in the South, the schools at this time were segregated.

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Durham High School girls’ gym class

Click here to browse all of the slides in this collection, and here to take a look at Durham County Library’s finding aid. Learn more about Durham County Library by visiting their partner page or website.

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Students studying at the library

Additions to the R. Kelly Bryant Obituary Collection from Durham County Library

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memorabilia underrepresented

More funeral programs and obituaries that are part of the R. Kelly Bryant Obituary Collection are now on DigitalNC. This collection is housed in the the Durham County Library North Carolina Collection. R. Kelly Bryant (1917-2015) was a historian with an extensive knowledge of Durham, North Carolina who collected the stories of thousands of African American residents told through funeral programs and obituaries. The collection is organized alphabetically by surnames, and this batch includes the names Keith through McLean, which means collectively the names Adams through McLean are now available on DigitalNC.

Included in this batch is the funeral program for Jean Hopkins Lucas (1935-2007), the first African American woman to serve in North Carolina’s state Senate. Also included are the funeral programs for civil rights activists Floyd McKissick (1922-1991) and Evelyn Williams McKissick (1923-2004). There are countless amazing stories and tributes captured in this collection, making it a great source for research.

To learn more about R. Kelly Bryant and his archival collection at Durham County Library, visit their finding aid. To see all of the digitally available programs and obituaries, visit the  R. Kelly Bryant Obituary Collection exhibit page.

Also please take a look at other materials from the Durham County Library that are up on DigitalNC by visiting their partner page.

Christmas card photos on DigitalNC

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photos

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A couple tries out different poses for their Christmas card photo

Waiting until the last minute to get out your holiday cards?  Perhaps these photographs from the Albert Rabil, Jr. Collection from Braswell Memorial Library will provide some inspiration.  Is it better to be peeking out from behind a door, or standing next to it? How about dressing up like a cowboy? Click here to browse through some other Christmas themed photos on DigitalNC.

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A family poses for a Christmas card photo on their front steps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional McDowell County scrapbooks now available

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memorabilia scrapbooks

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A 1961 newspaper headline from an article about foreign language classes being introduced to the school curriculum

A new batch of scrapbooks from the McDowell County Public Library are now available on DigitalNC. These scrapbooks include three volumes about McDowell County schools and two volumes about hospitals in McDowell county. Mary Margaret Greenlee (1892-1965), an educator and historian who began her career in McDowell County, began the compilation of these scrapbooks, which were then continued and completed by her family members.

The McDowell County School scrapbooks span 1960-1992, and include newspaper clippings about school facilities, administration, student activities and clubs, and more. The Hospitals in McDowell County scrapbooks span 1908-1992 and include clippings about hospital staff, expansions, programs and news.

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A newspaper clipping showing school children performing a puppet show about car safety

To view these scrapbooks, click the links below:

To take a look at other materials from the McDowell County Public Library, including the first five volumes of McDowell County school scrapbooks, visit their partner page. You can also learn more about McDowell County Public Library at their website.

Richmond Community College course catalogs now available

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college-connections

Fall quarter 1990 course catalog

Richmond Community College course catalogs from 1984-2009 are now up on DigitalNC. These catalogs were published four times a year and include descriptions and schedules for degree and certification focused courses, as well as continuing education classes in a variety of subjects. The catalogs also contain articles focusing on students and faculty members from Richmond Community college.

In this collection, it’s interesting to look at the trends in course offerings from 1984-2009. One can see drastic changes in the role of computer technology in Richmond Community College’s curriculum by comparing the DOS and word processing classes offered in the late 1980s, to the fully online classes and programs offered in the 2000s. One can also see changing recreation trends with continuing education classes in tailoring, flower arranging, and basket weaving being offered in the 1980s, and classes like digital photography, mixology, and sign language being offered in addition to more traditional craft classes in the 2008 catalogs.

Take a look at the new and previously added Richmond Community College catalogs by clicking here.

To learn more about Richmond Community College, take a look at their partner page, or visit their website.

Building a better Bailey — scrapbooks from Braswell Memorial Library

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memorabilia scrapbooks

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Johnson’s Supermarket, completed in 1956

Three new scrapbooks from the Braswell Memorial Library explore the history of Bailey, North Carolina. Two of these scrapbooks focus on improvement initiatives in Bailey in 1956, and from 1958-1959. The two scrapbooks document construction of new community buildings including a new fire house, a new Boy Scout hut, and a grocery store. Landscaping and other beautification projects are also documented with before and after shots of many improved areas around town. The scrapbooks also include promotional materials focused on getting “Baileyites” excited about these projects.

The third scrapbook includes news clippings about the Bailey Library from 1939-1975. The articles discuss new acquisitions, library open houses, book club meetings, and more.

To learn more about Braswell Memorial Library, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.

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Students helping to landscape Bailey High School

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Part of a bulletin urging Baileyites to attend a meeting about the improvement campaign

 

What were students reading in Wilson 100 years ago?

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The circulation records of an ambitious student

What books were popular in school libraries over 100 years ago? New material from the Wilson County Public Library give us a fascinating glimpse into the reading habits of young people around the turn of the century. A book of circulation records from Wilson School’s Spring 1899 term details loan records from more than 250 students, showing what they read and when. Popular choices included books still well-known today such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, as well as less currently read volumes such as Young Maids and Old by Clara Louise Burnham.

Wilson County Public Library has also contributed a set of portraits of Reverend Owen L.W. Smith, and his wife Dora Oden Smith. Reverend Smith was born as an enslaved person 1851, but as a young man ran away to join the Union Army when General Sherman marched through the south. He had an impressive and varied career as a school teacher, a Justice of the Peace, a lawyer, a preacher, and the Consul General to Liberia for two terms. He passed away in 1926 in Wilson County.

To learn more about Wilson County Public Library, and see other materials they’ve contributed to DigitalNC, visit their partner page.

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Reverend Owen L.W. Smith

Newest batch of Benson Museum photos

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Crowd at the 1946 State Singing Convention

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Honey Ellen and Itha Mae Stephenson, 1945asdasd

More photos from the Benson Museum of Local History are now available on DigitalNC. The subjects of this batch range from formal family portraits, to candid snapshots of daily life in Benson, to photos of community dinners and gatherings.

There are also many photographs documenting musical events in Benson, including WTVD’s “Saturday Night Alive” show during the 1940s and 50s, and Benson’s State Annual Singing Convention, an event that started almost a hundred years ago, and still occurs annually. According to the Convention’s website, “The State Annual Singing Convention… began modestly in a tobacco warehouse in 1921. About 200 people listened to two choirs that day. Since that time, the State Annual Singing Convention has grown and become one of the largest and oldest gospel sings in the United States.” In this new set of photos, you can see images of the Convention through the years.

To see other materials from the Benson Museum of Local History, visit their contributor page, or take a look at their website.

High Point High School newspapers now online

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newspapers

pointer

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Two students are named the “most-typical” teenagers in a Pointer sponsored contest

50 issues of The Pointer, a student newspaper published by the High Point High School senior class, and provided by the High Point Museum, are now on DigitalNC. The issues span 1921-1954 and provide a glimpse into the lives of students in the High Point area. Although the newspaper was published by the Senior class, it was expressly written for the whole district, including town members, to read. In the November 21, 1921 issue, there’s even a short article about Principal Ada Blair of the Grimes street school using the newspaper as a reading text for her 6th grade class.

Articles highlight topics that include changes in faculty, athletic events, and information on school clubs. Some articles talk about school sponsored social events. In the January 17, 1923 issue of The Pointer, rules are laid out for what activities can occur at a school sponsored party. The rules state that dancing is not allowed as “the majority of the people in High Point disapprove of dancing”, but “suitable games and other similar activities to engage the attention of students attending must be prepared” in order for the High School to sponsor a social event. In accordance to these rules, the Sophomore class came up with an interesting party idea described in the February 14, 1923 issue of The Pointer. Members of the class attended an automobile themed party that included tire changing and radiator filling contests.

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Headline from January 17, 1923

For more information about our partner, the High Point Museum, visit their contributor page, or take a look at their website.

Rockingham County Architecture Slide Collection now complete

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Newnam Tenant House, front 1982

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Pritchett House, side 1982

DigitalNC has added the last set of slides from the Early Rockingham County Architecture Collection. This collection of slides, provided by Rockingham Community College, was taken in the 1980s and includes images of homes, schools, businesses, factories, mills, farms, churches, and many other historic buildings in Rockingham. While some of these buildings have since been demolished, many are standing today and information on dates of the buildings as well as location are included in the image descriptions. The new set of slides focuses mainly on images of historic homes and plantations like the Thomas Ratliffe House, Willow Oaks, and the Lower Sauratown Plantation. While most of the slides show the exteriors of buildings, there are also many interior shots of architectural details, like stairways and fireplaces.  To learn more about previous sets we have put online, view blog posts here and here.

Check out the newly added and previous slides in the Early Rockingham County Architecture Collection, and learn more about Rockingham Community College on the contributor page or by visiting their website. If you are interested in Rockingham County history, also take a look at the Rockingham County Legacy exhibit.

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This blog is maintained by the staff of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and features the latest news and highlights from the collections at DigitalNC, an online library of primary sources from organizations across North Carolina.

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