Most of the newspaper issues available on DigitalNC are digitized from microfilm. While runs can be very comprehensive, there are often missed issues. We love it when those missed issues get filled in so we were especially excited when staff at Appalachian State University’s library offered to gather and digitize fill-in issues of Blowing Rock’s wonderfully named Blowing Rocket newspaper.

Issues were provided for digitization from App State, Blowing Rock Community Library, Blowing Rock Historical Society, and Watauga County Historical Society. You can easily see the new issues in this search, as they are in full color. The issues include the first issue of the paper, shown above, and scattered issues through 1948. You can view all of the newspapers available on our site at the newspapers home page.

We have just added issues of the Tryon Daily Bulletin from 1951-1953, 1980-1982, 1990-1992. These join the issues already on our site from 1928-1951. Contributed by the Polk County Public Libraries, the issues from the 50s were added from microfilm. In addition, the Libraries’ staff scanned print issues from the 80s and 90s to add to our site. “The World’s Smallest DAILY Newspaper” is a true example of a local paper, with contents created locally and confined mostly to county or regional news.

Published 5 days per week, the Bulletin from these different time periods have things in common! On the left side of every front page is the column “Curb Reporter.” Starting with the day’s weather, it has brief snippets of local to international news.

In all decades, you’ll find classified ads, committee and government meeting reports, and personal notes and mentions that have all but dropped off of newspapers today.

View all issues of the Tryon Daily Bulletin on the newspaper’s home page.

Thanks to Buncombe County Public Libraries, we have added issues of the North Carolina Citizen newspaper to DigitalNC. Digitized from microfilm, these papers include the North Carolina Citizen, The Weekly Citizen, and two surprise issues of the Asheville Spectator, and the curiously named The Exlavigator.

In 1883, the Citizen covers the establishment of Asheville’s Free Library. Free libraries were an increasingly popular idea in a time where use of many libraries required a paid membership. For the Asheville Free Library, memberships were encouraged to support the purchase of books, the rent, and the librarian’s salary, but were not required for use of the library. The articles mention the purchase or donation of Scientific American, Harper’s, and other long-standing periodicals. Calls for support like the one in the image below mention the sentiment that even if contributors never set foot in the library, the presence of one improved their community as a whole. This sentiment is still shared by many today.

Another fun find is a picture of the proposed Central Methodist Church (now Central United Methodist Church) found on the front page of the August 2, 1901 issue of the Citizen. R.H. Hunt, the architect, had recently presented plans to the congregation. The article describes the proposed church in detail, including the various rooms and the materials to be used. If you’ve been to Asheville, this church is a striking part of downtown near Pack Square.

On July 25, 1889, The Weekly Citizen published an illustrated edition which focused entirely on highlighting the beauty of western North Carolina along with Asheville’s development. The sketches, some of which are below, feature Hickory Nut Gap, Mount Mitchell, a viaduct near Round Knob, Asheville Female College, and Arden Park.

You can view additional newspapers from Asheville by using the filters on our newspapers home page. For all of the materials on DigitalNC for Buncombe County, try the county page.

Issues of The State’s Voice, published in Dunn, NC from 1933-1935, have been added to DigitalNC. Published by O. J. (Oscar J.) Peterson, this paper is much more of an editorial vehicle than many other papers at the time. The entire front page is devoted to his thoughts on one or more news items or topics of the day. His other interest was in writing informational essays about various parts of the state, like the one in this issue about Orange County and Hillsboro(ugh).

Over the years, Peterson managed a number of newspapers besides The State’s Voice including the Chatham Record, the Sampson Democrat, and the Lumberton Argus. Aligning with the Democratic platform of the time, Peterson expresses strong opinions in his paper about prohibition, public education, and economics. His editorials are so pointed that they are alternatively lauded or criticized in other papers.

In the final issue of the paper, Peterson says: “The publication of the State’s Voice has been an interesting experience, or experiment, in several respects.” The paper was intended to be read statewide, and was launched upon a “highly intellectual basis with a confessed non-public appeal.” He seems to attribute the demise of the paper in part to a lack of intellectuality amongst his subscribers, despite many of them being prominent in the state.

This paper was added on behalf of the Harnett County Public Library. You can view all of the materials contributed to DigitalNC from Harnett County Public Library on their contributor page.

We’ve just added newspaper issues from 37 titles, dating from 1819-1968, with the majority dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From a variety of cities, most of these additions are only 1-5 issues per title. Thanks to the State Archives of North Carolina and its preservation of newspapers, we’re pleased to include these fill-in issues. The State Archives provided them to us as part of their newspaper microfilming workflow.

Below is a list of titles, their cities of publication, and the years from which the issues date.

• Southern Citizen, Asheboro – 1873
• The Asheboro Courier, Asheboro – 1888
• Bayboro Sentinel, Bayboro – 1902
• Beaufort Halcyon, Beaufort – 1855
• The Carteret County Telephone, Beaufort – 1882, 1884-1885
• The Weekly Record, Beaufort – 1886
• The Tobacco Plant (Durham), Durham – 1872, 1882-1883
• The Durham Daily Globe (later the Herald-Sun), Durham – 1891
• The Edenton Transcript, Edenton – 1908-1909
• The Albemarle Observer, Edenton – 1911
• The Edenton News, Edenton – 1922
• The North Carolinian, Fayetteville – 1856-1857
• Western Reporter, Franklin – 1880
• Our Farms, Franklinton – 1896
• Weekly Message (later The Olive Branch), Greensborough – 1855
• The Gold Leaf, Henderson – 1885
• The Herald of Truth, Hendersonville – 1855
• The High Point Enterprise, High Point – 1968
• The Lincoln Courier, Lincolnton – 1867
• The Visitor (paper of the Littleton Female College), Littleton – 1902
• The Littleton Dispatch, Littleton – 1928
• The Franklin Times , Louisburg – 1879
• The Robesonian, Lumberton – 1872, 1876-1877, 1880-1881
• Milton Intelligencer, Milton – 1819
• The Milton Chronicle, Milton – 1860, 1883
• The Monroe Enquirer, Monroe – 1881
• The Norlina Headlight, Norlina – 1919
• The Granville Free Lance, Oxford – 1880
• The Oxford Torchlight, Oxford – 1881
• Spirit of the Age Raleigh – 1855
• The Spy, Raleigh – 1875
• North Carolina Spectator and Western Advertiser, Rutherfordton – 1834
• The Rutherford Banner, Rutherfordton – 1888
• The Democrat, Rutherfordton – 1895
• The Sun, Rutherfordton – 1918-1919
• North Carolina Argus, Wadesboro – 1855

The State Archives has an exhibit of Early North Carolina Newspapers here. Their microfilming efforts are behind almost all of the digitized microfilmed papers available through DigitalNC. Search or browse all of our newspapers on the newspaper landing page.