A 1966 overhead shot of the then-brand new Vaiden Whitley High School

Players from the 1968 Warriors team

A new batch of several yearbooks from Wendell, NC are now online and are available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Wendell Historical Society. This batch of The Shield from Vaiden Whitley High School stretches from 1966 to 1968.

As Vaiden Whitley High School was founded in 1966, this represents the first collection of yearbooks from VWHS, and allows us to see what its first students thought of the new high school. The 1966 Shield, a result of Wake County schools consolidating for integration purposes, made sure to note the importance of a wholesome school environment and supporting all students. These yearbooks include individual portraits, class portraits, photos of student clubs and lists of individual accomplishments, and more. Sports team accomplishments were also highlighted. For example, the 1968 Warriors team (right) defeated every team in their conference at least once to finish the season 17-9.

These yearbooks provide a valuable window into what school life was like in Wake County at the time. To see more from the Wendell Historical Society, click here to view their partner page, or visit their website.

A group after our own heart: the 1967 Rosman High Library Club

A new batch of Transylvania County, North Carolina, are now up on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Transylvania County Library. Included in this batch are several editions of The Oriole from Rosman High School, and the 1967 and 1968 editions of Brevardier from Brevard High School.

A photo of the 1967 Brevard High School Marching Band

These yearbooks show what it was like to go to school in Rosman and Brevard at that time. These yearbooks show individual portraits, class portraits, and photographs of activities, sports teams, and organizations like the Future Farmers of America and the Library Club. They also include photographs celebrating the years’ school plays, and faculty at the school, as well as honor societies.

Some also include class histories, class songs and poems, and more. For example, the 1949 Oriole contains a class prophecy, where the author tried to predict where the graduating seniors would be in several years, and “class wills”, where the graduating class left behind skills and memories to the future graduating students.

Follow the links below to browse the yearbooks from the schools included in this batch:

• The Oriole [1949], Rosman High School
• Oriole [1967], Rosman High School
• Oriole [1968], Rosman High School
• Brevardier [1967], Brevard High School
• Brevardier [1968], Brevard High School

World history students at Brevard High School studying, 1968

To see more materials from the Transylvania County Library, please visit their partner page or visit their home page.

The 1962 Henderson High School Band

A new yearbook from Henderson, North Carolina, is now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Perry Memorial Library, the 1962 Pep Pac yearbook from Henderson High School for the 1961-1962 school year.

An exterior shot of Henderson High School

This yearbook contains individual and class portraits, the school’s alma mater poem and fight song, senior superlatives, and the class poem. Also included are photographs of student activities, class clubs, and student athletics.

The yearbook also includes a “class prophecy”, descriptions of what they hoped they would be doing and how their lives would play out after graduation, and the “last will and testament”, where they “left behind” their skills, abilities, and different items to the underclassmen and future graduates.

This yearbook gives us a valuable window into what life was like as a high schooler in the early 60’s. To see more from Perry Memorial Library, visit their partner page or check out their website to learn more.

A birds eye view of Goldsboro High School, taken in 1968.

A new batch of yearbooks from Wayne County are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, Wayne County Public Library. In this collection are over half a dozen yearbooks from the 1950s and 1960s from across Wayne County, including the city of Goldsboro and the towns of Dudley and Pikeville.

These yearbooks include individual portraits, class portraits, and more. They also include photographs of activities, student clubs, and the schools’ sports teams. These yearbooks highlight different parts of the student bodies, including the history clubs, the technical students, the students involved in foreign language classes, honor societies, and more.

A photo of students at Southern Wayne High School in 1968.

Follow the links below to browse the yearbooks from the schools included in this batch:

• The Governor, 1968, Charles B. Aycock High School
• Gohisca, 1968, Goldsboro High School
• Valhalla, 1968, Southern Wayne High School
• The Brohican, 1957, Brogden High School
• Chieftain, 1953, Nahunta High School
• Chieftain Junior, 1962, Nahunta High School
• Nuhosca, 1951, New Hope High School

Senior supplements published in the early 1940s are also now online, which can be seen here. 

These yearbooks give us fascinating insights into what life was like for high school students in Wayne County in the mid-20th century. To see more from our partner who provided these yearbooks, visit Wayne County Public Library’s partner page, or take a look at their website.

An exterior shot of Leaksville High School in 1947.

A new batch of several yearbooks from Rockingham County is now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Rockingham County Public Library. Included are six issues of The Pilot from 1937 to 1945, and four issues of The Weaver, from 1947-1952. Both titles are from Leaksville High School and these yearbooks give us a greater picture of what it meant to be a high school student in Rockingham County around that time.

These yearbooks include individual and class portraits, as well as photographs of activities, clubs, and sports teams. Some of the yearbooks also include class histories and the history of Leaksville High School. The 1937 yearbook highlights the changes since the school’s founding in 1905, and notes that the school “no longer is dependent on the janitor to ring the bells,” but instead has a “system of electric clocks, gongs, and bells.” A few of the yearbooks also include poems dedicated to the class, and “last wills and testaments,” where the graduating class would “bequeath” their skills, positions, and duties to upcoming seniors.

1947 photos of the Leaksville High annual yearbook staff (L) and the staff of The Cub Reporter school newspaper (R)

Follow the links below to browse the yearbooks included in this batch:

• The Pilot [1937-1945]
• The Weaver [1947-1952]

To see more from Rockingham County Public Library, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.

A photo of the 1962 football team at Franklinton High School.

A new batch of yearbooks from Granville County are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Granville County Public Library. Included in this collection are several yearbooks from across Granville County in the 1940s and then later in the 1960s.

These yearbooks contain individual and class portraits, class and school histories, and honorifics of the students and assorted faculty members. Also included are photographs of school activities, class clubs, and student athletics. A few of the yearbooks also included “class prophecies,” descriptions of what they hoped they would be doing and how their lives would play out after graduation, and “last wills and testaments”, where they “bequeathed” their skills and abilities to future graduates.

An exterior shot of Franklinton High School, taken in 1965

Follow the links below to browse the yearbooks from the schools included in this batch:

• Franoca, 1961-1968, Franklinton High School
• Aloha, 1948, Aycock High School
• Wiltonian, 1948-1949, Wilton High School

To see more from Granville County Public Library, visit their partner page, or check out their website to learn more.

A group of students from Benson High School in 1968

A new batch of yearbooks from Benson, North Carolina, are now up on DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Benson Museum of Local History. Included in this batch are two yearbooks from Benson High School, The Tatler from 1968 and The Tatler from 1969.

These yearbooks show what it was like to go to school in Benson at that time. These yearbooks include individual portraits, class portraits, and photographs of activities, student clubs and organizations like Future Farmers of America, and sports that the students participated in. They also include photographs celebrating the years’ homecoming events, and faculty at the school, including librarians and the school’s bus drivers.

A colored photo of Benson High School Principal Robert D. Warren speaking to the Senior Class of 1969.

To see other materials from the Benson Museum of Local History, please visit their partner page. To learn more about the museum, visit their home page.

From the 1951 Southern Pines yearbook, showing the new school building.

A new batch of yearbooks from Southern Pines High School are now available on DigitalNC, courtesy of new partner, the Moore County Historical Association. Included in this collection are over a dozen yearbooks from Southern Pines High School from 1951 to 1969.

These yearbooks give us a glimpse into what the high school experience was like for the students in Southern Pines at that time. These yearbooks feature individual and class portraits, photographs of activities, school clubs, and sports teams from Southern Pines High School, and more.

To see more from the Moore County Historical Association, visit their partner page, or take a look at their website.