Thanks to our partner, Henderson County Public Library, new Edneyville High School and Blue Ridge School for Boys yearbooks are now available on our website. The issues added include 1948, 1951-1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1965-1969 for Edneyville High School and 1926-1928, 1952-1953, 1964-1968 for the Blue Ridge School for Boys.

To learn more about the Henderson County Public Library, please visit their website. 

For more yearbooks from across North Carolina, visit our yearbook collection.

Thanks to our partner, Granville County Public Library, a batch containing yearbooks from Dabney High School, Henderson High School, Franklinton High School, J.F. Webb High School, and Zeb Vance High School ranging from 1938 to 1970 are now available on our website. 

To learn more about the Granville County Public Library, please visit their website. 

For more yearbooks from across North Carolina, visit our yearbook collection.

Thanks to our partner, Johnson C. Smith University, a batch containing yearbooks from 2007 to 2014 are now available on our website.

To learn more about Johnson C. Smith University, please visit their website. 

For more yearbooks from across North Carolina, visit our yearbook collection.

Thanks to our partner, Tyrrell County Public Library, the 1956 and 1957 issues of the Columbia High School yearbook are now available on our website.

Last will and testament page from the 1956 Columbia High School yearbook.

For more information about the Tyrrell County Pubic Library, please visit their website.

For more yearbooks from across North Carolina, visit our yearbook collection.

East Davidson High School, The Claw, 1966.

As we continue working from home at DigitalNC, we’re putting our efforts into areas different than our normal day-to-day. Sometimes, you find yourself sucked into things that would be glossed over if not for this change. I found myself absorbed in yearbooks, specifically from the 1960-70s.

East Davidson High School, The Claw, 1963.

While updating metadata on yearbooks, I began to visually notice differences by the decade. There was an obvious break in the standard presentation starting in the 60s. One of the big differences in the 1960s and 70s yearbooks was that they deviated from the conventional by utilizing monochromatic color and blank space to create areas of interest.

Granite Falls High School, The Granite Boulder, 1968.

Granite Falls High School, The Granite Boulder, 1972.

Other eras did not benefit from the same camera technology, but these 60s and 70s students utilized the fast-acting updates to great effect. Candid photographs became popular and were integrated into the aesthetics of yearbooks. Often, the layout created a mood through the arrangement of pictures, explaining the story visually.

Methodist University, Carillon, 1971.

University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Fledgling, 1973.

Unlike their predecessors, 60s and 70s yearbooks used less text to review the academic year and instead opted for explanations via visual Rorschach tests. Attitudes of two-page spreads were up for interpretation from the pairing of photo and text.

Fair Grove High School, Tiger Roar, 1961.

Fayetteville State University, The Fayettevillian, 1971.

But the biggest impression I was left with from looking at these yearbooks was how much creativity was squeezed into every page. Students obviously relished the chance to showcase their own versions of life on the many campuses of North Carolina.

Saint Augustine’s University, The Falcon, 1976.

Lexington Senior High School, The Lexicon, 1964.

Livingstone College, The Livingstonian, 1973.

As I keep scrolling through the yearbooks, I’m sure I’ll find more to enjoy. If you would like to start your own treasure hunt, you can click here for all 8,000 (and counting) yearbooks, or, if you enjoyed these decades and want more, click here to start with only the yearbooks from the 1960s and 1970s.

Goldsboro High School, Gohisca, 1966.

Thanks to our partner, the Marianna Black Library, more yearbooks from Swain County High School are now available on our website. This batch includes yearbooks from the years 1945-1958.

The cover of the 1957 issue of the Swain County High School yearbook.

For more information on the Marianna Black Library, please visit their website.