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New additions to high school yearbooks from Wayne County

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yearbooks

A home economics club meeting captured in the 1967 Gohisca

Yearbooks from five high schools in Wayne County are now available on DigitalNC. Included in this batch are five years of The Chieftain by Nahunta High School from 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, and 1960, two years of Gohisca by Golsdboro High School from 1966 and 1967, two years of Valhalla by Southern Wayne High School from 1966 and 1967, the 1966 Nuhosca by New Hope High School, and the 1966 Governor by Charles B. Aycock High School.

A superlative from the 1966 Valhalla

These yearbooks feature student portraits, photographs of classes and clubs, fun senior superlatives, and 1950s and ’60s fashion in full swing.

A superlative from the 1956 Chieftain

To view the most recent additions visit the links below:

To learn more about our partner, Wayne County Public Library, visit their partner page or take a look at their website.

 

Fourth Batch of Central Carolina Community College Photos Now Online: Heavy Machinery, Adult Ed. Classes Featured

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photos

Machining tool and die student.

Machining tool and die student.

Machining student, 1965

Machining student, 1965

 

A fourth batch of photos from Central Carolina Community College are now available on DigitalNC. The overarching exhibit, A Pictorial History of Central Carolina Community College, now holds nearly 2,000 photos.

This batch documents the Machine Tool & Die program, the Motorcycle Mechanics program, the English-as-Second-Language program, the Industrial Maintenance program, Fire Fighter training program, Laser Optics program, and the Extension Courses.

Of particular interest in this set of photos are the amount of women who trained and studied in many heavy industry programs, like Machine Tool & Die and Motorcycle Mechanic courses. The photos above are just two of many women who broke into traditionally male-dominated fields.

In addition, the extension course photos document Central Carolina Community College’s important role in the city of Sanford and the surrounding areas. Students, both young and old, participated in a variety of classes– from pottery and other crafts to cooking and calligraphy. These photos demonstrate the far reaching benefits of community colleges with continuing education. They also often a window into hobbies and trends during the 1970’s and 1980’s. It’s hard to find classes in macrame and doll making today!

Student in a doll making class

Student in a doll making class

Motorcycle Mechanics Students

Motorcycle Mechanics Students

 

To learn more about Central Carolina Community College, visit the contributor page or the website. To view the entire collection of digitized photos from CCCC, please view the exhibit. To view more images from community colleges in North Carolina, browse the Images of North Carolina Collection.

 

May Day to Marion Anderson: Heritage of Black Highlanders Photo Collection Shared on DigitalNC

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moving images underrepresented

May Day, 1940s, from the Heritage of Black Highlanders Collection

This May Day, we’re pleased to introduce a collection contributed to DigitalNC from the Special Collections and University Archives at UNC-Asheville’s Ramsey Library. It’s the Heritage of Black Highlanders, a group of 216 photographs that document African Americans from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, particularly Asheville, in the early 20th to mid 20th century.

These photographs include many group and individual portraits, with a little less than half related to education (school classes, teachers, and administrators). Other photos are of important community leaders or those working for local organizations and businesses. To a lesser degree are snapshots of events and daily life, like awards being given to boy scouts, an early parade in downtown Asheville, or this visit by Marion Anderson to Stephens-Lee High School. 

If you head over to the Special Collections site at UNC-Asheville, you’ll be able to see the full scope of this collection. Ramsey Library has shared these photos with us as part of our call to increase the diversity of voices available through DigitalNC. You can see more from Ramsey Library on their contributor page or in their own collections.

The Roxboro Courier from our newest partner, the Person County Public Library

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newspapers

An announcement from the September 28, 1927 issue, urging Roxboro farmers to attend a meeting about plans to grow many varieties of soybeans side by side to help determine which variety grows best.

More than 200 issues of The Roxboro Courier are now available from our newest partner, the Person County Public Library.  These issues, dating from 1922-1927 were published on a weekly basis. They contain stories pertaining to life in Roxboro, North Carolina, the county seat of Person County, as well as national news. In fact, the newspaper’s tagline “home first, abroad next” indicates interest in both local and national stories. Local news includes birth and death announcements, descriptions and predictions of the economic climate in and around Pearson County, information on local elections and legislation, event announcements, and more. National news stories recount all sorts of national happenings, large and small, from statements by President Coolidge, to a story about a New England champion turkey raiser.

An image from a November 23, 1927 news story about a New England champion turkey raiser.

Although the issues up on DigitalNC are from a 6 year span, The Roxboro Courier has a long history. The paper changed it’s name three times, starting out as The Courier in 1896. In 1910 it changed to The Roxboro Courier, then in 1929 to Pearson County Times, and again in 1943 to The Courier-Times, which is still running today with both an online and print version.

To learn more about the Person County Public Library, visit their website, or take a look that their DigitalNC partner page.

Six years of Washington Daily News now online

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newspapers

A front page headline from September 2, 1909 celebrates Frederick A. Cook’s trip to the North Pole and subsequent return to Lervik, Norway.

Issues of the Washington Daily News, contributed by the George H. and Laura E. Brown Library, are now available on DigitalNC. The Washington Daily News is a newspaper published six days a week, that started in 1909. The 1,441 issues now available digitally, span 1909-1914. The paper focuses on news from Washington, a small city located in Beaufort County, North Carolina, but also includes news as from the nation as a whole. While front-page headlines tend to tackle breaking stories from the American South, the United States, and beyond, shorter pieces recount municipal issues, meetings, social gatherings, and more.

A brief update on the repair of a local school in the September 3, 1909 issue.

The Washington Daily News still exists in both print and online form, and in 1990 the paper won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for a series of articles exploring and exposing water contamination in Washington, North Carolina.

To learn more about the George H. and Laura E. Brown Library, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.

Murphy Public Library Offers 20 Years of the Cherokee Scout

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newspapers

The Cherokee Scout, January 26, 1923, page 1

The Cherokee Scout, January 26, 1923, page 1

20 years of the Cherokee Scout, from Murphy, N.C., are now available online. Murphy Public Library, located in Cherokee County, is a new partner on DigitalNC and the first from the county. 

Cherokee Scout, July 27, 1923, page 4

Cherokee Scout, July 27, 1923, page 4

Like many community newspapers, the Scout contains many stories of national importance, as well as local events and activities. The Scout documents and reflects stories of importance to the community, especially crop reports, sermons, humor, poetry, and serial stories. Newspapers like these are useful for researchers of all types as they are full of names, dates, and cultural data.

Murphy’s proximity to the Georgia border also offers information about that region– making this newspaper a unique resource for researchers interested in the economic and social links between North Carolina and Georgia mountain communities.

The Cherokee Scout is still an active newspaper with 9,600 readers. You can learn more about the history of this newspaper, it’s owners, and the happenings of this Western NC community by visiting the landing page.

To learn more about Murphy Public Library, please visit the contributor page or the website. Learn more about community newspaper and find information from your community by visiting the North Carolina Newspapers Collection.

Cherokee Scout, May 29, 1931, page 2

Cherokee Scout, May 29, 1931, page 2

The Future Outlook: Documenting African American Communities in Greensboro from WWII-1970’s

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newspapers underrepresented

The Future Outlook, July 14, 1967, page 1

The Future Outlook, July 14, 1967, page 1

The Future Outlook, a community newspaper from Greensboro, NC, is now available on DigitalNC. Thanks to our partner, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, nearly 25 years of the paper are now online and full-text searchable. The nearly 450 editions range from 1941-1947, 1949, 1952, and 1958-1972.

The Future Outlook served an African American community in Greensboro and documents major events from their perspective. Like community newspapers throughout North Carolina, the paper documented births, deaths, and events of its readership. Economic and business activities received a lot ink over the years, highlighting prominent Black leaders in Guilford County, as well as, members of clubs and professional organizations. Elections and voting related activities are also well documented. Before each election, including smaller city and county elections, the paper published extensive district maps and voting information.

The Future Outlook, June 13, 1942, page 6

The Future Outlook, June 13, 1942, page 6

Another area that might be of interest for researchers is the paper’s coverage of local educational institutions. Greensboro is home to several historically Black colleges and universities, including North Carolina A&T and Bennett College. Scholars and students at these universities are heavily covered, especially in during the 1960’s. Students on the Dean’s List, scholars who received grants (like the image above), fraternities and sororities,  and university conferences cover many front pages and serve as a record of university activities.

Also included in this batch are issues dating from 1941-1947, documenting the entirety of World War II and community reactions to it. Stories, advertisements, and political messages cover the pages during this period. The paper featured stories about locals who were working for the war effort, like Margaret Lanier. Lanier was a secretary in the Press Division of the Office of Facts and Figures. The Future Outlook published the photo on the left of her posing with seven new poster designs to be distributed for Flag Day in June 1942. In addition, there are many of the iconic war advertisements, posters and cartoons, featuring African American men and women.

 

The Future Outlook, September 12, 1942, page 4

The Future Outlook, September 12, 1942, page 4

The Future Outlook, September 26, 1942, page 4

The Future Outlook, September 26, 1942, page 4

 

To view all of the issues of the Future Outlook, please visit the following link. To view more community newspapers like this one, please visit the North Carolina Newspapers Collection and limit by “Community Papers.” You can also learn more about this partner, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, by visiting the contributor page or visiting the website.

New Partner! The State Port Pilot from Margaret & James Harper, Jr. Library in Brunswick County

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newspapers

The State Port Pilot, January 8, 1936, page 6

The State Port Pilot, January 8, 1936, page 6

 

DigitalNC is happy to welcome a new partner, the Margaret and James Harper, Jr. Library. Located in Southport, Brunswick County,  this partner adds to our growing list of contributors representing coastal communities.

This partner’s first contribution is a decade of editions of a community newspaper. The State Port Pilot documents community life in Southport and the surrounding areas from 1935-1945. The paper could be an excellent resource for those interested in agriculture at the coast, with many of the stories, advertisements, and images dealing with tobacco farming in that part of the state. This resources is also full-text searchable, allowing for quick research by name and location.

The Pilot also is unique in its advertising techniques, especially during the 1930’s. Full page ads address readers directly with clean simple statements that changed each week. 

To learn more about the Margaret and James Harper, Jr. Library, please visit the contributor page or the website. To find a digitized newspaper from your community, browse the North Carolina Newspapers Collection.

 

The State Port Pilot, May 8, 1935, page 4

The State Port Pilot, May 8, 1935, page 4

Over 100 issues of The Franklin Times now available

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newspapers

A column in the Feb 11, 1910 issue urging boys from Franklin County to enter an upcoming corn growing competition.

Over 100 issues of The Franklin Times, provided by our partner, Louisburg College, are now up on DigitalNC. These issues are from 1909-1911, and were published on a weekly basis. Louisburg is the seat of Franklin county, and The Franklin Times reports on news taking place in Louisburg, Franklin County, North Carolina, and the United States. In fact, the tagline printed at the top of the paper reads “the County, the State, the Union.” Although some large national news stories are covered, many of the issues focus primarily on Louisburg and Franklin County. For example, one weekly column, “The Moving People,” tracks “those who have visited Louisburg the past week” and “those who have gone elsewhere for business or pleasure.” The column lists individuals who returned from trips and those who visited from afar. This is indicative of the paper’s local interest. Local meetings, contests, municipal issues, social events, and more are recounted each week.

Part of the “Moving People” column from the February 11, 1910 issue.

The Franklin Times was established in 1870, but still runs weekly with a print and online version. The Franklin Times website states, “it is the only newspaper published in the county and its content is focused on local government, local schools, the communities and the people who call this rapidly growing area home.” Although many years have passed, the focus of the paper remains the same.

To see more materials from Louisburg College, visit their partner page, or website.

Additions to the Greenlee Collection of Scrapbooks Document the Doctors, Churches, and Events in McDowell County History

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memorabilia scrapbooks

People and Events in McDowell County News Volume I, 243

Scrapbooks are the newest additions to the North Carolina Memory Collection, courtesy of McDowell County Public Library.

Each scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and notes about various subjects relating to McDowell County, its residents, and its culture. This batch contains information about local churches, doctors, general events from the early to mid twentieth century. Because most of the text included is newsprint, the scrapbooks are full-text searchable, which can make research easier and more efficient.

Several of the highlights from this batch include stories that recognize notable women from McDowell County, including the scrapbooks’ creator Mary Margaret Greenlee. One example is represented in the story on the right about Mrs. Louise Cunningham Byron. Byron trained and worked as a mortician and was interviewed about her breaking the mold in a male-dominated field.

People and Events in McDowell County News, Volume II, page 123

Mrs. Greenlee is also prominently featured in the scrapbooks. Greenlee was a well known educator and advocate in several counties in Western North Carolina. These scrapbooks are excellent resources for learning more about her life, the lives of women and men throughout the county, and about the history of McDowell County.

You can view all of the new scrapbooks in this collection at the links below:

To see all of digitized scrapbooks from the Greenlee Collection, please use the following link. To learn more about McDowell County Public Library, please visit the contributor page or the 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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