Over 200 historic photos from the Transylvania County Library are now available on DigitalNC. These images are from the Transylvania County Library, primarily from the collection of local photographer William Austin. The image shown here depicts South Broad and Jordan Streets in 1940.

In addition to street scenes and aerial views, the photos include images of local businesses, photos of the Transylvania County courthouse, scenes from gatherings and parades, and, from 1884, the oldest known photo of Brevard.

More historic photographs of Masonic Picnics have been added to the Digital Davie exhibit on DigitalNC. The first annual Masonic Picnic was held in 1884, and over the years the picnic has raised funds to support educational opportunities for local students, Davie Training School, and the Oxford Orphanage. Some photographs from Digital Davie relating to Masonic picnics depict prominent politicians from North Carolina, such as Governors Charles Aycock and Clyde Hoey and Senators Sam Ervin and Jesse Helms.

Items in Digital Davie are shared by the Davie County Public Library.

Happy holidays from the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center. This photograph, from the Wilson County Public Library, depicts the First National Bank of Wilson, N.C. decked out in holiday finery in the 1930s.

Haywood County is home to the Plott family, the original breeders of the Plott Hound, North Carolina’s official state dog. The first Plotts (and hounds) came to North Carolina from Germany in the mid 18th century. The dogs were similar to hounds already in the colonies, but had larger heads and proved to be especially fierce fighters. When it was discovered that the dogs could hold their own against wolves and bears, they were in high demand among farmers who used them to protect their livestock.

In the 20th century, Plott Hounds were common in the mountains of western North Carolina and Tennessee. They gained national attention in the early 1930s when Life magazine ran a feature on the dogs, and then in 1946, when the United Kennel Club recognized them as a separate breed.

The Plott Hound was recognized as the North Carolina state dog in 1989, but the breed really hit the big time in 2008 when the first Plott Hound appeared in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

This photograph of an outdoor baptism is one of my favorites from the Haywood County Public Library photos available on DigitalNC. Click on the photo to get to the full version, where you can zoom in to see the fascinating details.

Hopefully your holiday preparations won’t include anything so arduous as shucking a mountain of corn. This photograph and other wonderful images of North Carolinians working (and playing) from the Haywood County Public Library are now available on DigitalNC – enjoy!

New photographs from the Tufts Archives (Pinehurst, N.C.) featuring professional and amateur golfers are now available on DigitalNC. These photographs bear witness to Pinehurst’s prominence as a mecca for golf enthusiasts during the early part of the twentieth century, and depict legendary figures such as Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Glenna Collett Vare, Jack Nicklaus, and Peggy Kirk Bell.

But while Pinehurst may be best known for golf, other photographs show a lot of other activity happening there as well, including horse racing, boxing matches, dog shows, archery, costume balls, and more. There’s even a picture of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wooden companion, Charlie McCarthy.

Several photographs from the William H. Sumner Collection at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are now available on DigitalNC. This is a great selection of photos from Charlotte and other parts of North Carolina in the 1940s. My favorite, shown here, is this shot of a family admiring a decorated window at the Belk store in Charlotte in 1946.

Learn more about the Special Collections in the J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC-Charlotte by visiting their website, or by keeping up with their excellent blog, “Living Charlotte.”

This great photo, taken around 1940, is from the Digital Davie collection. It’s the expression on the kid’s face that really caught my eye in this one. Given that his hog had just won the top prize, wouldn’t you think he’d look a little happier?

Digital Davie presents materials from our partner, Davie County Public Library.