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New Photographs and Documents from Randolph County Now Online

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Outside view of the Strieby Congregational Church in Asheboro, N.C.

A new batch of photographs from Randolph County have been digitized and are now online at DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner Randolph County Public Library. Included is nearly a dozen photos from various people and places in Randolph County, including Strieby and Asheboro.  The materials are part of our effort to highlight underrepresented groups in North Carolina.  

A 2013 newspaper article announcing a plaque to memorialize the sit-ins in Randolph County

There are also several documents that have been digitized, including interviews and newspaper articles that stretch from the 1950s to 2013. They primarily cover the civil rights movement in Randolph County, including sit-ins at the Walgreens, Hop’s Bar-B-Que and a theatre in Asheboro.

Several of the articles are about the commemoration of a plaque in Asheboro to memorialize the sit-in campaigns throughout Randolph County. Reading these articles help give us perspective on the long lasting change and impact of the civil rights movement in North Carolina.

Articles about the growing Latino community in Asheboro and Randolph county are also included and can be seen here.

The photos from Randolph County are available here, and the articles are available here. To view more photos and documents from Randolph County Public Library, click here to view their partner page, or take a look at their website.

 

Even More Scrapbooks from the Francis B. Hays Collection Now Online

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Photos of different buildings by Mrs. Addie Wood. The church (top right) was built in 1754.

Volumes 135 through 140 of the Francis B. Hays Collection of scrapbooks from Granville County Public Library are now up on DigitalNC. These scrapbooks add to the extensive collection of volumes compiled by Mr. Hays, an avid local historian from the Granville area. Each scrapbook contains a wealth of information relating to a specific subject, and many contain notes and letters written by Mr. Hays himself. This batch of scrapbooks focuses mainly on family genealogies.

1957 letter addressed to Francis B. Hays.

Letter to Mr. Hays about ancestral information on the Duty family.

Volume 135 is the church book for Granville Circuit, including rolls of congregants dating back to 1836. Also included are the church programs for Oxford Methodist Church in Oxford, NC from September 1941 to June 1942. Volumes 136 through 140 are various genealogies for local families, including information on family records, marriages, newspaper clippings, and photographs dating back to the 17th century. Also included are various personal letters to Mr. Hays.

For more scrapbooks compiled by Francis B. Hays, you can visit the DigitalNC page for the Francis B. Hays Collection or view our previous blog posts on the collection. You can also see more materials from the Granville County Public Library partner page.

New Scrapbooks, Letters, Minute Books, and More from Grand Lodge of North Carolina

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A new batch of materials from our partner, The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina are now up on DigitalNC. This set includes minute books, scrapbooks, historical manuscripts, letters and charters, some dating back to the 18th century. Several physical artifacts have been digitized, including a commemorative apron and a souvenir pin from the turn of the 20th century.

A celebration for the installation of James Brewer as Grand Master in 1961.

The minute books are from all around the state, including Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Statesville and Boone. Also included is a letter from Edward K. Graham, President of UNC, to Grand Master Andrews inviting him to the 1916 University Day ceremony. There are also several scrapbooks included, with photographs including receptions and various programs, including the 275th Anniversary of the United Grand Lodge of England in West London in June 1992.

UNC President Edward K. Graham inviting Grand Master Andrews to wear his Masonic regalia to the 1916 University Day ceremony

 

Commemorative apron honoring the services of Walter Scott Liddell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see more materials from The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, visit their partner page or take a look at their website or our previous blog posts.

New Batch of Photos from Central Carolina Community College Featuring the Veterinary Medical and Welding Programs

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A new set of photos from Central Carolina Community College is now available on DigitalNC. This is our sixth batch of photos and it brings the exhibit A Pictorial History of Central Carolina Community College, to nearly 2,800 photos!

A veterinary student holding a python

This batch covers the veterinary medical technology program and the welding program from Central Carolina Technical Institute.

Featuring photos from the 1960’s to well into the 1990’s, the collection for the veterinary medical program contains exciting photos of students holding and working with many different types of animals, including cats, dogs, snakes, cows, horses, and goats. Many of the students worked directly with the animals themselves, although several of the photos also show exhibit presentations and technology of the time.

A veterinary student clipping a cat’s claws

The welding program collection also has photos over the course of thirty years and shows off many of the technology and welding tools of the time, as well as how students also used hands-on learning in their classes.

A welding student working on a project

To learn more about Central Carolina Community College, please visit their contributor page or their website. To see more photos like this, check out A Pictorial History of Central Carolina Community College Collection and the Images of North Carolina Collection.

Hurricane Hazel Photographs From Braswell Memorial Library Now Online

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New photographs of damage from 1954’s Hurricane Hazel, provided by Braswell Memorial Library, are now online at DigitalNC. These photos show some of the damage from the Category 4 storm in Dortches, North Carolina, just northwest of Rocky Mount in Nash County. Most of the photos are of the house belonging to Sidney H. Shearin, and you can even see before and after photos of his home.

Hazel brought wind gusts of around 120 mph to cities like Goldsboro and it caused heavy tree damage throughout the state. The NOAA says that in North Carolina alone, around 39,000 buildings were damaged, and a few are shown in this collection. To this day, it is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit the state.

To check out the new photos, click here. To learn more about Braswell Memorial Library, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.

 

 

Two Dozen South Piedmont Community College Insiders and More Now Online

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Two dozen editions of the South Piedmont Community College Insider are now online on DigitalNC. They date back to 1998, when it was still called the Anson Community College Insider, before SPCC was created in 1999 to service both Anson and Union County.

SPCC was named one of the nation’s best community colleges in September of 2007

The Insider served as a campus newsletter for SPCC students, including articles on local events, new developments and programs that are being offered on campus, and news about campus staff, faculty, and grants. It also advertised educational help for writing term papers and assistance with using the computer labs on campus.

Employee Elizabeth Kersey received an award for Excellence in Community College Support

Also included are a few press clippings from the Anson Record and the Charlotte Observer to advertise the school’s programs and to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the creation of SPCC.

The Anson Record celebrates 5 years of SPCC

To check out more of the SPCC Insiders, they are available here and the press clippings are here. To learn more about South Piedmont Community College, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.

 

Three YMCA Scrapbooks from Braswell Memorial Library Now Online

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Three new scrapbooks from the Rocky Mount YMCA provided by Braswell Memorial Library are now online at DigitalNC. These scrapbooks collect newsletter information, newspaper clippings, and documents about the Rocky Mount YMCA. One scrapbook contains newspaper clippings from August 1935 to August 1937, the second has clippings from August 1937 to March 1939, and the third has photos and newsletters from 1936 to 1954.

The scrapbooks celebrate the YMCA teams’ achievements

Many of the newspaper clippings celebrate the local YMCA teams and their achievements. They had softball, baseball, basketball teams, and more for boys and girls alike. The scrapbooks also contain newspaper articles about local events, YMCA educational programs, and visits by important figures, including the North Carolina Governor at the time, Clyde Hoey.

NC Governor Clyde Hoey spoke to the YMCA in 1937

 

To check out the scrapbooks, click here. To learn more about Braswell Memorial Library, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.

Celebrate With Over A Dozen Barbecue Festival Posters Now Online

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A collage of photos showing events and crowds at the Barbecue Festival

Posters advertising and commemorating the Annual Barbecue Festivals in Lexington, NC, are now digitized online at DigitalNC. There are nearly twenty of these posters included, stretching from 1998 to 2017, with most of these starring the barbecue and pigs around town that Lexington is known for. Local businesses that sponsored the events are featured prominently on the posters.

The poster announcing the 2001 Barbecue Festival

The Barbecue Festival is an annual event held in Lexington and is one of the country’s most popular festivals dedicated to food. Lexington, home of Lexington-style barbecue, uses a red sauce seasoned with ketchup, vinegar, and pepper, using only the pork shoulder. Beginning in 1984 and bringing in around 30,000 people that year, it is a celebration of all things barbecue, including hundreds of exhibitors selling handmade craft goods, a 50-ton pig-themed sand sculpture, and chances to watch expert cooks work their magic. 2014 had a record number of attendees, with an estimated 200,000 people coming to celebrate.

To learn more about the Barbecue Festival, you can visit the festival’s website. To see more of the items from Davidson County Public Library, visit their partner page or visit their website.

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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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