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New Partner Materials Highlight Life in Pink Hill

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Sophie Hollis

memorabilia newspapers photos scrapbooks yearbooks

A color portrait of a dance team posing in front of an old white house. The team consists of about 20 children wearing white uniforms and holding batons. The front row is holding a red banner that says "Twirlettes." — The Pink Hill Twirlettes.

Thanks to our new partner, the Pink Hill Public Library (a branch of the Neuse Regional Library), we’ve expanded our geographic coverage and added some new materials from the Lenoir County area. This batch includes an exciting variety of community-generated materials, including photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, and two newspaper titles that are new to our site.

A color photo of a brick, one-story house and a child's yellow car toy in the front yard. The photo is taped to a piece of white paper, and below, a child has written, "This is my house. And I like it!" — From Thomas Whitfield’s 1991 masterpiece, “My Community, Pink Hill”

Two of the most delightful items in this batch (besides the adorable Twirlettes, of course) are a couple of scrapbooks made by Michael and Thomas Whitfield in the early 1990s documenting some of the major landmarks around town. In addition to short newspaper clippings and the occasional map, these two young historians took care to document the local homes and businesses. Below a photo of the fire department, Thomas writes, “Pink Hill Fire Dept, was formed before World War II. George Turner was the first fire chief in 1946.” Similarly, under a photo of a brick storefront, he writes, “Classy Cats. Owned by Ronda Stroud. Started in May 25, 1986.” These scrapbooks are great resources for anyone wondering who the Town Clerk was from 1991-1993 (Carol Sykes) or wondering who the best dog in town is (Gibbet).

You can see the full batch of Pink Hill materials here. You can also browse both Pink Hill newspaper titles, The Chronicle (1966-1971) and The Pink Hill Review (1975-1980). To learn more about the Pink Hill public library, you can visit their partner page and their website.

Additional Firefighter Materials Reveal History of Women Firefighters in the City of Greensboro

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Ashlie Brewer

maps memorabilia photos scrapbooks

Thanks to our partner, Greensboro Firefighters History Book Committee, a batch of over 100 records documenting the history of firefighters in Greensboro are now available on our website. The materials in this batch include photographs, scrapbooks, issues of the City of Greensboro’s City Beat, and much more. Utilizing the various materials in this batch specifically, one is able to uncover the history of firewomen in the Greensboro Fire Department.

Prior to 1884, fire protection in the City of Greensboro was dismal. Although a fire protection became law in the city in 1833, there was no guaranteed protection from fire. Improvements in fire protection only came after devastating fires such as one in 1849 that nearly ended the business community and in 1872 that destroyed a large portion of the city. After the 1872 fire, a second volunteer fire company was created and equipped with a chemical engine. While they had a chemical engine, the company had not been equipped with horses. This meant that the firemen had to pull the engine to fires by hand on the City’s unpaved streets.

Two horses attached to a carriage carrying an old fire engine. — One of the City of Greensboro’s first fire engines

The Greensboro Fire Department began as a volunteer organization in 1884 after Harper J. Elam, future founder of the Greensboro Record, noticed the city’s lack of fire protection relative to his former home city, Charlotte. In an effort to upgrade the firefighting capabilities of the city, Elam put out a call of duty for firefighters. A group composed of around 100 white business and younger men answered the call, forming Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1 which was located at what was formerly known as 108 West Gaston Street.

Circa 1889, a Black volunteer fire company known as Excelsior Hose Company No. 2 was formed. Located at the City Market, the company was “well equipped with jumper, uniforms and other equipments” and always gave “good and satisfactory service in conjunction with the other companies for the city’s protection.” While segregated companies may have fought fires alongside each other at times, it was not until 1961 that the city’s fire department was integrated.

Headline about the fire chief being unopposed to female firefighters. — *August 23, 1974*

The earliest mention of “firewomen” in this batch comes from 1974. In August 1974, Fire Chief G. C. “Buck” Wuchae responds to an article for the paper stating he is not opposed to women joining the fire department nor should they fear being discriminated against by his office. The article’s writer seems to feel differently, asking the chief “But what if a woman meeting the requirements was hired and successfully completed the training—what would the fire department do with her?” Wuchae simple responds, “We would have to make some arrangements.” However, it is not until four years later, in 1978, under Greensboro Fire Chief R. L. Powell that the department actively began to recruit firewomen.

Headshots of three white women in fire department uniforms included hat. — September 29, 1978

On October 2, 1978, after 129 years, Dee Ann Clapp, Melanie Trado, and Sandra K. Pearman became the Greensboro Fire Department’s first firewomen after completing a 13-week training class with other trainees. Fire Chief Powell states his satisfaction with the success of their training stating, “I have no doubt at all that they (the women) are now ready to operate out of our fire stations and do the job well” and that one of the women was one of the top in the class. Clapp, Trado and Pearman were assigned to separate platoons at Station 8. In 1984, six years after joining the Greensboro Fire Department, Dee Ann Clapp makes history again as the first woman to receive the State of North Carolina’s “Outstanding Young Firefighter” award.

Image of a woman in her firefighter formal uniform posed next to a portion of a firetruck that reads "Greensboro Fire Department." — Photo of Dee Ann Clapp from “A City Firefighter Makes History As First Woman to Win State Honor,” The Greensboro Record, February 28, 1984

Information about the early history of the Greensboro Fire Department was compiled from the May 3, 1899 issue of The Greensboro Patriot, The History of the Greensboro Fire Department page, and newspaper clippings from this batch.

To view more materials from the Greensboro Firefighters History Book Committee, please visit their contributor page linked here.

To learn more about the Greensboro Firefighters History Book Committee, please visit their website linked here.

To view more newspapers from across North Carolina, please view our North Carolina Newspapers collection linked here.

Chatham County Scrapbooks Document Cultural Moments of the 1950s

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Sophie Hollis

memorabilia scrapbooks

Newspaper clippings describing a "weird incident" of "mental telepathy" during the Civil War. The article was published in the Sanford Herald in 1952. — Newspaper clippings from Chatham County Scrapbook [Book 1]. The article was published in the Sanford Herald on July 14, 1952.

Two more scrapbooks on the history of Chatham County are now available on our site thanks to the Chatham County Historical Association. These scrapbooks primarily include newspaper clippings from The Sanford Herald and The Chatham Record, many of which are authored by Esther Womble Adickes. These articles recount local events and histories, several of which are retrospective.

One of the striking things about this collection of articles is how often they reflect on the Civil War in a romanticized way. Adickes sometimes refers to it as the “war between the states” and reminisces about some of the institutions of Chatham county before the war, including the Taylor Plantation. These kinds of articles are significant because they are from the 1950s—almost 100 years after the Civil War ended—documenting a resurgence of racism during the Jim Crow era.

This kind of rose-tinted retrospection has been in the news recently in relation to Confederate statues and monuments, many of which were erected during the early 20th Century. These newspaper clippings give some context to the historical moment in which many of these monuments were constructed.

You can see both scrapbooks in this batch here. To see more from the Chatham County Historical Association, you can visit their partner page and their website.

New Materials Feature the History of the Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

Posted on April 11, 2023 by Ashlie Brewer

memorabilia photos scrapbooks underrepresented

Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Executive Committee Officers, 1993-1994.

Thanks to our newest partner, the Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., nearly 300 materials that relate to the history of the council are now available on our website. The materials in this batch include scrapbooks, rosters, meeting minutes, programs for a variety of events, awards, photographs, and much more.

The Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. was chartered on December 1, 1965. Since that time, they have been leading, developing, and advocating for African American women, their families, and communities through collaborative efforts of advocacy, volunteerism, service, and leadership. Programs highlighted in this batch include the annual Bethune Recognition Luncheon, Harambee Breakfast, and Mother’s Day program.

Individual wearing a purple head piece that matches the color of their top. — Eleventh Annual Harambee Breakfast Celebration, 2004.

“Harambee,” a Swahili term that originated in Kenya, means a community pulling and working together. But it also signifies determination, togetherness, love, and importance of knowing yourself according to member Dr. Louise J. Gooche. Although the breakfast program was created by Dr. Dorothy Irene Height earlier, it was not until 1994 that Louise Weeks introduced the Harambee Breakfast concept to the Durham Section. To this day, members of the Durham Section along with affiliated members gather together in beautiful African attire to enjoy food, hear stories, and recognize their members.

To learn more about the Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., please visit their contributor page or website.

To view more materials from the Durham Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. please click here.

More Mitchell Community College Scrapbooks Give More Glee (Club)

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Sophie Hollis

scrapbooks

A black-and-white group photo of about 30 college graduates sanding together. The front row is seated on a bench. — The commercial class of Mitchell College, 1935

Ten more scrapbooks full of newspaper clippings about Mitchell Community College have been added to our site thanks to the school. Adding to our set of ten previously digitized scrapbooks, this batch spans from 1930-1950 and includes several volumes focused on the 1940s.

Like in the previous batch, these scrapbooks focus on newspaper clippings from a variety of local papers that ran news about Mitchell. For example, in 1935, The Statesville Record ran a full page honoring the 26 graduates, which lists their names and photos in yearbook style. The accompanying article notes that Mary Logan King was awarded a “ten-dollar gold piece” for typing. Her typing speed was apparently 72 words per minute, which is still impressive by today’s standards—and then you remember she was doing it on a typewriter.

A photo of twenty-five adults in tuxedos posing on a stage, preparing to sing.

As a prequel to the praise of Mitchell’s traveling choir in 1939, there is also news of Davidson College’s glee club visiting to perform. According to the news bulletin accompanying the photo, “The Davidson College Glee club is well known all over the state and a large crowd is expected to attend the concert.” It sounds like the MCC choir had a little bit of musical competition.

You can see the full collection of Mitchell Community College scrapbooks here or explore all of their materials in our North Carolina Community College Collections. For more information about MCC, visit their partner page or their website.

Southwestern Community College Materials Showcase Student Talents

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Sophie Hollis

campuspublications memorabilia photos scrapbooks yearbooks

A black-and-white illustration of a campus building against a mountain range.

A batch of materials from our new partner, Southwestern Community College, is now online. This collection includes photographs of the school when it was known as Southwestern Technical Institute, scrapbooks from campus organizations, blueprints for some of the school’s buildings, yearbooks, and issues of the student literary magazine.

Southwestern Community College is based in Sylva, N.C., in Jackson county. Today, it advertises itself as the only community college with a scientific partnership with NASA. The materials in this batch also show its history of teaching technical skills, especially on this poster showing students modifying a car into a limousine. They also feature some of the academic accomplishments of students in the Phi Theta Kappa organization, a college honor society. The Alpha Eta Nu chapter at Southwestern had the opportunity to travel around the country for conferences, evidenced by the memorabilia in their 1985 scrapbook.

An illustration of a woman with curly hair dabbing. — From “Pen and Ink,” 1991

The artistic and literary talents of past Southwestern students and faculty are also on display in the issues of the school’s literary magazine. One poem, written by Eugenia L. Johnson and apparently published in World Treasury of Great Poems (1980), is called “Me.” It begins: “Me, me, me, / Who am me / I know me.”

Amazingly, it is accompanied by this illustration of a person dabbing, a reminder that the dance move was popular long before Cam Newton (quarterback for the Carolina Panthers) did it in 2015.

You can see all of the photos, scrapbooks, blueprints, and other Southwestern CC memorabilia here, and you can browse all of the yearbooks and literary magazines here. To learn more about Southwestern Community College, you can visit their partner page and their website.

Take a Special look into the Greensboro Fire Department!

Posted on January 26, 2023 by JoCora Moore

memorabilia scrapbooks

Photos from Greensboro Fire Department in action.

Greensboro Fire Department photo from 1950.

With special thanks to our new partner, the Greensboro Firefighters Historical Book Committee, Digital NC now has an extensive collection of photos that explore the daily life of a firefighter.

The images show the hard work and dedication many firefighters put into their jobs to serve their communities. The collection includes newspaper clippings from local stories in Greensboro, images of the firefighters in action over the years, scrapbooks, department photos, and so much more.

To learn more about the Greensboro Firefighter Historical Book Committee, check their website to learn about the rich history of the Greensboro Fire Department.

Check out our NC Memory collection full of images representing the State of North Carolina!

Scrapbooks: A Look Inside Haywood County Women’s Social Clubs

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Alona

memorabilia scrapbooks

Thanks to our new partner Museum of Haywood County History, a batch containing four new scrapbooks have been added to our website.

These scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings of club announcements like meeting time and place, upcoming community events, winners of annual awards, the election of officers, along with various accompanying photographs and other ephemera. These scrapbooks give insight into what life was like for some women, families and communities in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Black and White photograph with dispalys of recreation activities for women like canned food items, a bookshelf, gardening and crafting supplies.

Women’s Recreational Activities, (1958)

To explore more Haywood history, please visit the Museum of Haywood County History’s website.

Boy and Girl Scouts of America Photographs and Scrapbooks Now Available on DigitalNC

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Ashlie Brewer

photos scrapbooks

Thanks to our partner, Chapel Hill Historical Society, a batch containing three scrapbooks and over 100 slides featuring trips and experiences of Chapel Hill Boy Scout Troop 835 and Girl Scout Troop 59 are now available on our website.

The scrapbook topics include Troop 835 in the news; the life of Scoutmaster, Paul B. Trembley; and Troop 835’s trip to Europe in 1968. Traveling numerous places from North Carolina to Canada, the slides in this batch show stunning and silly images of the troop’s trips and experiences taken from the late 1950s to early 1990s.