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For over 50 years, Forsyth Technical Community College has been providing higher education across 12 locations in Forsyth and Stokes counties. DigitalNC is excited to add our first Forsyth Tech materials with a large batch that includes newspapers, catalogs, handbooks, magazines, yearbooks, and scrapbooks. These documents provide a comprehensive look into Forsyth Tech’s history and how it became a community staple. With documents dating back to the 1960s, visitors to the site can read articles by longtime president Dr. Bob H. Greene, follow legislative debates concerning education funding, or revisit President Obama’s visit to the campus in 2010.
Peruse the Forsyth Technical Community College Student Newspaper here, and see all of the Forsyth Tech materials at their contributor page here. To view more materials from community colleges across North Carolina, please view our North Carolina Community College Collections exhibit here.
North Carolina’s thespians will be pleased to know that, thanks to our new partner Temple Theater, DigitalNC is now hosting four massive theater scrapbooks online! These scrapbooks cover the rich history of Sanford’s Temple Theater, a historic venue that was founded in 1925 as a vaudeville theater and soon became a center for all arts and culture in Lee County. The scale of these scrapbooks are monumental, and they hold every possible detail a dramaturge could hope for: from play programs to color photographs of productions, from newspaper clippings to blueprints.
One scrapbook contains original records from the theater’s early days in the 1930s, and includes original video rental invoices from studios such as Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, Universal, and Fox. The rest of the scrapbooks cover the theater’s revitalization efforts, which began in 1981, as well as the early days of the theater’s status as a National Historic Site. Interested readers can see the variety of acts and events that took place during this period: including street carnivals and Dungeons & Dragons tournaments to raise money for theater. Almost every page is suffused with color and includes color photographs of the stage, complete play programs, or even posters advertising the theater’s productions. You’d be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive record of a historic theater’s operation, or more convincing evidence of the love and effort that goes into play production.
You can find these four new scrapbooks online at DigitalNC here. Interested in learning more about Temple Theater? Visit their partner page online at DigitalNC here, or find them online at their website here.
Thanks to our partners at the Burwell School Historic Site and the Historic Hillsborough Commission, DigitalNC is proud to announce that two new scrapbooks are now available online! These scrapbooks cover a pivotal period in the preservation of Hillsborough’s history, chronicling the formation and initial efforts of the Historic Hillsborough Commission during the town’s bicentennial celebrations.
One of the main missions of the commission’s early years was the renaming of then “Hillsboro” to a more accurate “Hillsborough.” The scrapbooks chronicle the efforts of the commission as they lobbied local politicians, raised awareness of the town’s history, and celebrated their eventual victory in time for the town’s two-hundredth birthday. Later clippings in the scrapbook record the organization and commencement of a “colonial pageant” on the bicentennial, wherein Hillsborough residents dressed in period garb and celebrated the town’s history.
You can find the new scrapbooks online here. Interested in learning more about Hillsborough’s history? Find the Historic Hillsborough Commission’s partner page online at DigitalNC here, or visit the Burwell School Historic Site’s website online here.
Together with our partners at the Museum of Haywood County History, DigitalNC is proud to announce the addition of six new scrapbooks! This collection exemplifies the grand variety of content that can be found within scrapbooks, covering American news during the second world war, postcards and souvenirs from across the world, and the operation of home demonstration clubs. This astonishing array of subject matter and material from across the world exemplifies the increasing global awareness of North Carolinians throughout the mid-twentieth century, reflecting the growing perception of Americans as global citizens. And, as is typical for many of Haywood County’s scrapbooks, some are beautifully bound in engraved local leather.
Cover of the Morning Star Club scrapbook from 1976, a beautiful example of the leather engraved covers found on many scrapbooks from Haywood County
Perhaps the most colorful example of global citizenship within this batch is the scrapbook of Mrs. Maggie Ellen Morgan, a world traveler that collected a vast array of postcards during her travels across Europe, America, and Africa. Each postcard has a beautiful illustration or photograph of the sights seen by Mrs. Morgan, along with occasional notes on her travels. These postcards not only reflect post-war tourism, but are in many cases historical artifacts that portray important cultural and historical sites during a time of reconstruction and reinterpretation.
You can discover these colorful (and oftentimes whimsical) postcards, along with the other new scrapbooks, online at DigitalNC’s website here. Interested in learning more about Haywood County history? Find our collection online here, or visit our partners at the Museum of Haywood County History at their website here.
Thanks to our partners at the Hendersonville High School Alumni Association, DigitalNC is proud to announce that a collection of student life records are now available online for the first time! High school archetypes of all kinds are represented within this collection, which has something for Buellers and Ringwalds alike. Three new scrapbooks and seventy-six issues of the student newspaper are now available online!
Two of the scrapbooks featured in this collection were created to record the epic highs and lows of the drama club from 1969 to 1978. The scrapbooks feature all aspects of the drama club’s operations, from color photographs of rehearsals to annotated play festival programs. Each year encapsulates a journey, from auditions in August to the performance in the North Carolina Theater Conference festival. A personal highlight of these books are the handmade felted harlequins and jesters, which often point out key moments or important documents.
A different high school experience is represented in the third scrapbook, composed by a member of the Hendersonville High School Student Council in 1990. The scrapbook records the high school’s event planners, meeting organizers, and sock-hop decorators at the advent of the decade. A corresponding hope and vigor runs through the scrapbook, and the slogan “Bearcats are Putting It Together in the 90’s!” can be seen throughout the pages. The scrapbook contains an excellent series of photographs of the school’s clubs, which have some truly spectacular 90s fashion.
You can find these new scrapbooks online now at NC Digital here, and the new issues of the student newspaper online here. Interested in more content from Hendersonville High School? You can find their associated page at DigitalNC here, or visit the Hendersonville High School Alumni Association online at their website here.
Thanks to our partners at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, DigitalNC is proud to announce that two new scrapbooks are now available online! The scrapbooks commemorate two major administrators of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College: Director C. Merrill Hamilton and Chairperson Harold Kenerly. They are the first of their kind to be added to NC Digital’s repository of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College records, and highlight the college’s vivid history from a brand new light.
C. Merrill Hamilton was the first president and director of the community college from 1962 to 1977, during a period when the school was still known as the Rowan Technical Institute. He presided over a period of growth for the institution, and his scrapbook records newspaper articles announcing scores of new programs hosted by the school. Aerial photography records the sometimes controversial land-acquisitions bought under Hamilton’s tenure, upon which many new buildings were constructed to host the school’s growth.
Chairperson Harold Kenerly’s scrapbook records just a single night of celebration for the administrator and Marine, but holds a wealth of fascinating information on the commemorative banquet. The scrapbook celebrates Kenerly bringing an “esprit-de-corps” to campus, and is decorated in Marine regalia. Highlights of this scrapbook include color photographs of the feast held at Salisbury Country Club, a full six-course menu, written invocations of the grace, and rules written for “proper Marine mess etiquette.”
You can find both scrapbooks online at DigitalNC here. If you’d like to learn more about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s history, you can find their partner page at DigitalNC here, or their website here.
The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is pleased to announce that new materials from our generous partners at North Carolina Central University are now available for viewing and research purposes on DigitalNC! The materials consist of publications from historically Black Churches in and around Raleigh, Durham, Henderson and Oxford North Carolina, a handmade scrapbook consisting of newspaper clippings detailing Black law enforcement officers and agents in Durham and educational materials pertaining to The North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Inc and the North Carolina Teachers Association. These materials give insight into Black life in the region.
The North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Inc was founded in 1927 with the mission to improve student attendance rates, promote the overall health of students, lengthen the school year (NCpedia). Additionally local chapters raised money to buy land for schools, beautify campus grounds and to purchase musical instruments and other supplemental educational materials (NCpedia). In the 1950’s and 60’s local units garnered the support of radio and V ads along with a membership of over 300,000 participants to meet financial goals (NCpedia). The materials we have from the North Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teacher’s, Inc. are from the mid to late 1960’s. During this time education was still racially segregated by law. However, in 1969 the organization merged with it’s white counterparts and became known as the North Carolina Parent-Teacher’s Association. History of the north Carolina Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers Inc. was gathered from NCpedia.
We have publications for the North Carolina Teachers Association as well. The North Carolina Teachers Association serve African American educators across the state of North Carolina. The organization originated as early as 1881. Educators from across the state would meet annually at various schools for networking and skill sharing sessions. The organization eventually merged with its white counterparts in 1970 when racial segregation ended (NCpedia). We have the a special edition souvenir program from 1970 honoring Mrs. Ruth Braswell Jones, who served as president from 1968-1970. The bulk of materials we have for the North Carolina Teachers Association are standard publications called the Teachers Record that document notable events and accomplishments of Black educators in North Carolina along with their annual conventions. The history of North Carolina Teachers Association was gathered from NCpedia.
You can also browse through materials from historically black churches in and around the region.
Thank to our partner, Lee County Libraries, batches containing five scrapbooks,1962 yearbook from Sanford High School, and 15 Sanford city directories are now available on DigitalNC! The scrapbooks in this batch adds three Sanford Woman’s Club scrapbooks spanning from 1964 to 1968; a North Carolina’s Finer Committee’s 1955 community projects; and one filled with newspaper clippings related to various Sanford, North Carolina topics from 1957 to 1958. In the second batch are 15 Hill’s Sanford city directories from 1954; 1964; 1966-1978. Included among the city directories are is a yearbook: the 1962 Sanford High School.
In 1955, the Finer Carolina Committee’s head, Dr. J. F. Hulin, reported on the five different community projects from that year. The Sanford, North Carolina’s Finer Carolina Committee Community Projects [1955] scrapbook provides a look into these projects as they were happening using newspaper clippings as well as photographs. Before each new section is a document that provides a detailed list of accomplishments, news, and tasks completed related to that project.
The photographs featured in this post provide a visual for an accomplishment under Project Number Three: General Clean-up and Beautification where neighbors worked together to clean up a littered field and turned the area into a park which featured playground equipment contributed by local Sanford merchants.
Always fun are the photographs from events attended and held by the NCNW Durham Section such as the 2016 Harambee Old School Gala! The Gala pictures feature members along with their friends and families dressed up and having a great time.
In collaboration with our partners at the Museum of Haywood County, we are pleased to announce that four new scrapbooks from Haywood County are now available on our website! Set in Western North Carolina, these books combine newspaper clippings, photographs, booklets, and other assorted materials into one cohesive work. All of these different materials form a gestalt that allow the reader to glimpse into the author’s lived experience. What could be better than dozens of primary sources wrapped up into one?
Two of these scrapbooks are massive, leather-bound books that collect a comprehensive record of Haywood County’s home management clubs. These societies were formed and managed by local women, and would meet to raise funds for local organizations, provide education for new homeowners, and host dinners and functions for the entire community. Both of these scrapbooks were created in the sixties and reflect the traditional expectations for women during the period, including newspaper columns on attracting potential husbands and raising a family. Near the back of each book are sections on state and national events, including advertisements for polio drives, plans for the North Carolina state fair, and detailed programs on a convention for mental health.
Another scrapbook in the new batch was written by a Haywood local during his time at UNC Chapel Hill. Penned by Mr. Hanna, the book encompasses his time at the university from 1916 to 1919. Hanna, like many freshman college students, focuses his book on the many football games and parties he attends (while including a written report for accruing too many absences). Also found in this book are freshman resources including the Carolina Handbook, a train and class schedule, and a carefully notated map of the campus. Throughout these resources, Hanna writes opinionated notes on his experience in college.
We were also pleased to include a vintage photograph in this collection, taken by Hugh Morton and depicting the Old Well in Chapel Hill. Morton was a prolific photographer, conservationist, and alumni from UNC Chapel Hill. Born and raised in North Carolina, Morton was responsible for the creation of Grandfather Mountain, a state park located in Western North Carolina. You can view this photograph, alongside all of the new scrapbooks, here. If you want more Western North Carolina history, you can visit our partners at their website.
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.
