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Among these records are photographs of several automobiles, like this 1916 Stutz Bearcat, owned by O. A. [Otho Alexander, or “Ote”] Corriher. Son of Lotan Alpha Corriher—former textile industrialist, Landis Mayor, and notable patron of Catawba College—Ote became well-known in his own right in for his sense of adventure, service as one of 13 pilots in the Civil Air Patrol in Manteo, North Carolina during World War II, interest and work with planes and automobiles, and a world-class classic car collection.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, leveraged his piloting skills to aid in the American war effort after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ote applied and was accepted into the Army Air Force’s newly created Civil Air Patrol (CAP) organization. The first CAP base in Manteo patrolled the coast off the Outer Banks known as the “Torpedo Junction.” After the start of World War II, but before America’s entry, the Torpedo Junction became an extremely dangerous area for shipping. German U-Boats, unchallenged, were successfully sinking and damaging vital shipping boats. Often using their personal planes, CAP pilots would fly up and down the coast searching for the German submarines and sailors in destress. In addition, they also apparently conducted sea rescues, towed targets for military training, performed courier service, and help fight forest fires. After serving in CAP from July 1942 to March 1942, he spent three years in the Army until the end of the war.
From left to right: 1904 Oldsmobile, 1910 Mercer, 1917 Pierce Arrow Opera Coupe.
Afterwards, he reluctantly went back to his position as the treasurer for his family’s textile mill. But when Ote wasn’t working at the mill, he would build planes in his basement, convert used military planes he bought into crop dusters, and eventually, he began restoring classic cars. In 1951, Ote and five other car enthusiasts in the state founded the Horseless Carriage Club. The Club, according to an article in the August 4, 1955 issue The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.), was for individuals who appreciated and restored classic cars themselves using original, or parts handmade by the restorer. At the time the article was printed, Ote apparently had a collection of 24 classic cars. The six cars attributed to him in this latest batch are likely part of that group.
From left to right: 1916 Stutz Bearcat, 1918 Mercer Raceabout, 1921 Rolls Royce.
The yearbooks span from 1962 to 1966 and highlight sporting events, club activities, and classroom lessons. The Pinehurst Rebels were an involved group, with a multitude of clubs and sports teams for students to participate in. Both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams were popular, and home games always drew large crowds. The Monogram Club, an organization for students who earned varsity letters in their sports, was also robust.
The Future Homemakers of America was another popular student activity. These meetings, like Home Economics classes, included lessons on cooking and sewing. The Glee Club also found popularity among Pinehurst High students, with a few students also participating in the Pinettes, a select singing group. In 1966, students at Pinehurst established the first chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America and attended the State Convention in Durham that year.
Of course, no yearbook would be complete without a feature of those who brought the edition together: the yearbook staff! The team compiled photos, advertisements, and wrote blurbs to make each book better than the last.
Thanks to our partner, the New Bern-Craven County Public Library, twelve new yearbooks from New Bern High School are now available! These editions of The Bruin span from 1961 to 1975 and showcase student involvement in the classroom and in athletics. The New Bern Bruins were an active bunch, with almost every student participating in at least one organization.
Thanks to a community contributor, we are pleased to announce that three new editions of The Timekeeper from Aberdeen High School are now available on our website!
These yearbooks cover the years 1963, 1964, and 1965, highlighting life in high school during the mid-20th century. Each edition features student portraits, images of sporting events, and signed notes from teachers and friends. The yearbooks highlight club activities as well as senior superlatives. The 1964 edition contains images of students voted in categories such as “Most Athletic,” “Most Dependable,” and the classic “Most Likely to Succeed.”
The Timekeeper contains quintessential photos from high school life in the 1960s, complete with stories from “Twerp Week.” This event, according to the 1965 yearbook, is “an annual affair enjoyed by the entire student body. Girls are obligated to carry the boys’ books and to open doors for them.” Other activities during this week included a Sadie Hawkins race and dance, Sloppy Joe Day (a day where students can dress however they want to), and the crowning of “Daisy Mae” and “Lil’ Abner.” Students looked forward to this week each year!
Members of the 1964 Aberdeen High School Library Club
Another notable club was the library club. These students were responsible for checking books in and out, reshelving items, and circulating materials to patrons.
To see more editions of The Timekeeper, click here.
With the help of our brand new partner, Mary Potter Alumni Club, we are excited to announce the addition of six yearbooks to DigitalNC. These yearbooks join the company of several other yearbook issues and one periodical from Mary Potter High School (Oxford, N.C.), a historic African American school in Granville County.
Built in 1889, Granville County’s first African American school was established with George Clayton Shaw, an educator and son of formerly enslaved parents who were staunch advocates of education hired as the school’s first principal. Originally referred to as Timothy Darling, the school was renamed Mary Potter Academy shortly after its opening in honor of its primary benefactor, Mary Potter. For decades Mary Potter Academy operated as a private school before becoming public and changing its name to Mary Potter High School in the 1950s. The school was eventually turned into an integrated middle school that served Oxford students well into the 21st century.
Thanks to the help of one of our North Carolina Community Contributors, we are excited to announce that twenty-one new yearbooks are now available on DigitalNC. These yearbooks all hail from Monroe, a city located just southeast of Charlotte. This latest batch includes yearbooks from three different high schools in Monroe, N.C. Eleven new years of Benton Heights High School’s yearbook, The Heights, joins two issues already available on DigitalNC. Both Monroe High School and Prospect High School make their debuts on DigitalNC, with the additions of ten issues of The Mohisco and one issue of The Tatler, respectively. A detailed list of these new additions, which features links to each yearbook, can be browsed below.
Thanks to our amazing partners at P. S. Jones Alumni, Incorporated, DigitalNC is pleased to announce that a brand new (but still quite old!) issue of The Johisco is now available online! This issue dates all the way back to 1967 and will be the sixth issue hosted by DigitalNC, joining its 1968 sister-issue. These yearbooks chronicle the experience of students and faculty at P. S. Jones High School.
P. S. Jones High School, formerly located in Washington, N.C., was a historically African-American school that provided education to Washington County throughout much of the twentieth century. The school, which was originally a Rosenwald school, provided an essential educational service until 1969 when desegregation became law. This 1967 issue records some of the last students to attend the school shortly before it’s closure.
You can read the new issue of The Johisco available online now at DigitalNC here. Interested in finding more material from P. S. Jones High School? You can find each digitized issue online here. Thanks again to our fantastic partners at P. S. Jones Alumni, Incorporated for making these records available online. You can find their partner page online at DigitalNC here, or learn more on their website here.
To view more materials from and learn more about the Chatham County Public Libraries and Chatham County Historical Association, view their contributor pages linked here and here.
Thanks to the help of our partners at Chatham County Historical Association, we are pleased to announce the addition of exciting new material on DigitalNC. This latest batch includes six editions of Bennett High School’s yearbookPanther and three editions of Chatham Central High School’s Centralia. DigitalNC browsers can view these latest additions, here.
Also included is a 19th-century cipher book that belonged to Chatham County resident Thomas Swain Dowd (also known as Swain or even more simply, just T.S.). Dowd was born in Chatham County in 1802 and lived there throughout his life. Cipher books were commonly used as lesson books for students and instructors engaged in the study of mathematics. Although it is uncertain exactly where Dowd studied, the lesson dates in his cipher book range over ten years from January 6, 1823 to September 14, 1833. Modern-day viewers can find lessons on topics like “Inverse Proportion,” “Compound Interest,” and “Reduction of Currencies” alongside elaborately scrawled notes and practice problems. Like any good student, Dowd managed to sneak in some extra curriculum into his lesson book that includes a handwritten speech officiating the marriage of two people named Geo and Esther, pages from the Book of Numbers, and of course – doodles.
More information about our partner, Chatham County Historical Association, can be found on their website here.
Exhibits featuring Chatham County Historical Association include Chatham County Funeral Programs, which can be found here, and, North Carolina African American High Schools, which is linked here.
More materials, including more yearbook titles, maps, scrapbooks, and photographs can be found on Chatham County Historical Association’s contributor page, which is linked here.
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.
![The cover of The Ram [1948]. The black yearbook cover features an embossed illustration of Planet Earth with two orange-colored spiral lines extending from it that say "The Ram" and "1948" in embossed text.](https://www.digitalnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-152356.png)
![The cover of The Mohisco [1968]. The yearbook cover is a carmelian red color with the title "The Mohisco" printed in black across the middle. A decorative golden "S" takes up the entire left hand side of the page as part of the date "Sixty eight" which takes up the lower right hand side of the cover. Inside the "S", an illustration of a sword-wielding person on horseback is printed below a banner that says "REBELS".](https://www.digitalnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-01-153317.png)
![The cover of The Heights [1958]. The white and teal yearbook features the title "THE HEIGHTS" printed in gold across the bottom of cover. Above the title to the right is the date "58" that is printed in a bright orange. The upper-right area of the cover features an illustration of a tiger's head, located within a circle that is surrounded by two rings.](https://www.digitalnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-01-153247.png)
![The cover of the The Tatler [1954]. This black yearbook cover features the title "THE TATLER" printed in white ink across the bottom. Directly above the title, the date "1954" is printed in white ink to the very right of the cover. A graduation cap and diploma, along with three books are embossed across the top half of the yearbook cover.](https://www.digitalnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-01-153348.png)
