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35 Titles added to DigitalNC

Headmast from August 3, 1886 issue of Statesville American Tobacco Journal

This week we have another 35 newspaper titles up on DigitalNC including thousands of issues from the Greensboro Daily News and Charlotte Daily Observer!

In the January 7th, 1898 issue of the Charlotte Daily Observer, we have a story about a little girl who had swallowed a thimble and was saved by a new invention: the x-ray machine. Dr. Henry Louis Smith, a physics professor at Davidson College, was an early pioneer in x-ray technology. Smith’s machine was used in some of the first clinical applications, such as this, and allowed doctors to safely find and remove the foreign object from the ailing girl’s body.

Clipping from January 7, 1898 issue of Charlotte Daily Observer describing how the x-ray machine of Dr. Henry Louis Smith was able to locate a thimble that a young girl had swalloed

Charlotte Daily Observer, January 7, 1898

Over the next year, we’ll be adding millions of newspaper images to DigitalNC. These images were originally digitized a number of years ago in a partnership with Newspapers.com. That project focused on scanning microfilmed papers published before 1923 held by the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library. While you can currently search all of those pre-1923 issues on Newspapers.com, over the next year we will also make them available in our newspaper database as well. This will allow you to search that content alongside the 2 million pages already on our site – all completely open access and free to use.

This week’s additions include:

Asheville

Burlington

Charlotte

Durham

Graham

Greensboro

Highlands

Milton

Salem

Southport

Spencer

Statesville

Tarboro

Thomasville

Wadesboro

Waynesville

Wilson

Windsor

If you want to see all of the newspapers we have available on DigitalNC, you can find them here. Thanks to UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries for permission to and support for adding all of this content as well as the content to come. We also thank the North Caroliniana Society for providing funding to support staff working on this project.


Genealogical History of Gaston County Families Now Online

A new family genealogy history from Gaston County has been added to DigitalNC, courtesy of our partner, the Gaston County Museum of Art & History. The book, Our Kin, Being a History of the Hoffman, Rhyne, Costner, Rudisill, Best, Hovis, Hoyle, Wills, Shetley, Jenkins, Holland, Hambright, Gaston, Withers, Cansler, Clemmer and Lineberger Families, was originally published in 1915, but has been reprinted by the Gaston County Historical Society several times since and is now digitally available for all to read.

group portrait with two people in back wearing suits, and three people in front, two in dresses and one in a suit

A photo of author Laban Miles Hoffman (center) and his family, undated

The book focuses on the individual families of Gaston County, including their common ancestors dating back to the 18th century. Many of the family members noted have long descriptions of who they were, what they accomplished in life, how their family names changed over the years, and more. This copy is quite special, as it has retained notes and highlighted terms that one of the authors made in his original edition, preserved in this reprinted version.

Written by Laban Miles Hoffman of Dallas, North Carolina, this book was conceived as a history of his own family, but rapidly grew into an exploration of the histories of all the associated families in his genealogy. He includes a short preface of his own personal story, how he grew up in Lowell, North Carolina, studied at Davidson College, and later went to work in Raleigh under Governor Holden before moving to Arkansas.

As a record of ancestors for over a dozen local families, it is a valuable resource for Gaston County historians, Gaston County residents, and family descendants. We are privileged to make it available on DigitalNC. To learn more about the Gaston County Museum of Art & History, visit their partner page or their website.


Hundreds of New Photographs and Artifacts from Kings Mountain Historical Museum and Mauney Memorial Library Now Online at DigitalNC!

Hundreds of new photos, documents and artifacts have been newly digitized at DigitalNC, courtesy of our partners, the Kings Mountain Historical Museum and the Mauney Memorial Library. These digitized materials are part of a joint project between the two institutions, DigitalKM.

Vice President Rockefeller speaking at Kings Mountain High School in 1975 in celebration of the bicentennial.

Included in this batch is nearly 600 images and over 50 historical artifacts from Kings Mountain Historical Museum. These photos include blueprints for the U.S. Post Office at Kings Mountain, photos from the Kings Mountain Centennial parade and celebrations, school and class photos, photographs of military personnel, pictures of local clubs, bands, and sports teams, and much, much more.

Some of the artifacts from Kings Mountain Historical Museum include souvenir programs and other memorabilia from the centennial (100 years), sesquicentennial (150 years), and bicentennial (200 years) anniversaries of the Battle of Kings Mountain. This collection also includes a set of different photographs of military personnel, individuals from Kings Mountain, Trinity Episcopal Church in Kings Mountain, sports teams from the Kings Mountain High School, and much, much more.

A Boeing Flying Fortress, purchased with war bonds bought by Kings Mountain residents during WWII.

Also included are over 125 photos from Mauney Memorial Library and over a dozen historical objects. The photos include class pictures from schools around Kings Mountain, photos of churches around Cleveland County, areas and buildings in Kings Mountain, several aerial views of local schools, and much, much more.

Among these artifacts from Mauney Memorial Library are a collection of research binders by Bonnie Mauney Summers, which contain hand-written notes and charts of genealogical research on 3 branches of the Mauney family and others around Kings Mountain. There is also a binder of monthly meeting minutes taken by the secretary of the Kings Mountain House and Garden Club, dating from 1956-1963. Finally, this collection includes a series of different photographs of areas and people around Kings Mountain, as well as a batch of letters to military personnel sent and received during World War II.

Charles E. Neisler Jr, relaxing in the Davidson College Chemistry Lab, circa 1915.

You can learn more about the Kings Mountain Historical Museum by visiting their contributor page or by visiting their website. To learn more about the Mauney Memorial Library, click here to visit their partner page or click here to visit their website. This collection is part of a joint project to digitize materials related to Kings Mountain history. To learn more, visit the DigitalKM website.


African American High School yearbooks from Huntersville now online

Group portrait of students in the National Honor Society from “The Trojan” 1963.

Four yearbooks from Torrence-Lytle High School, provided by Davidson College, are now available on DigitalNC. Torrence-Lytle High School opened in the fall of 1937 as Huntersville Colored High School. In 1953, the name was changed to honor two men who helped initially establish the school. Franklin Lytle was born as an enslaved person but became a prominent farmer and educational advocate, and helped acquire land for Huntersville Colored High School. Isaiah Torrence, also a farmer and a proponent of African American education, helped raise money to build Huntersville Colored High School. Torrence-Lytle High School was closed after the 1966 school year due integration mandates, and all of the students were reassigned to racially integrated schools.

Students in Advanced Biology class from “The Trojan” 1966.

The yearbooks available are from 1958, 1963, 1965, and 1966. Included are pictures of graduating seniors, class portraits, clubs and activities, sports teams, superlatives, classroom scenes, and a few candid shots of student life. These yearbooks provide an interesting look at an African American high school moments before integration. Like all of the yearbooks on DigitalNC, they are fully text-searchable.

Group portrait of Student Council members from “The Trojan” 1963.

To view these yearbooks, visit the links below:

To see more contributions from Davidson College, including other yearbooks, visit their partner page, and to learn more about Davidson College, visit their website.


DigitalNC welcomes new partner Brevard Music Center

Entrance to Brevard Music Center, 1959

Entrance to Brevard Music Center, 1959

The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center has added another new partner, the Brevard Music Center.  Materials from the Center that are now available online include photographs that date back to the Center’s origins as a music camp at Davidson College and every issue of Overture, the program for the camp and festival that has occurred every year since 1945.

Brevard Music Center was started by James Christian Pfohl as Davidson Music School for Boys in 1936.  The school moved to it’s present location in Brevard in 1944 and became coeducational and named the Transylvania Music Camp.  In 1946, a music festival was added along to the summer camp and in 1955 the school and festival became the Brevard Music Center.  Over the years has trained hundreds of students in music, from playing instruments to singing.  Many big names have played at the Center, including Midori Ito and its’ current artistic director, Keith Lockhart.  The NCDHC is excited to add such an important part of North Carolina’s music education history to DigitalNC for a wide audience to enjoy.

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To learn more about the Brevard Music Center and view the resources that have been digitized, visit their contributor page here.


Digital Charlotte Event March 30 Celebrates Local Digital Libraries

digitalcharlotte

 

If you’re in the Charlotte area and interested in local history and digital libraries, please mark March 30 on your calendars: we will be holding an event to celebrate and explore digital library efforts in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Here are the details:

Event: Digital Charlotte: Celebrating and Exploring Local Digital Library Projects
Date: March 30, 2015
Time: Talk at 6:30, followed by a reception
Location: UNC Charlotte Center City Campus, 320 E. 9th St.
Parking information: http://www.charlottecentercity.org/transportation/parking/
Admission: Free and Open to the Public
Questions?: Write digitalnc@unc.edu or call 919-962-4836

“Digital Charlotte” will feature a talk by Julie Davis, Project Director, Digital Loray, and Public Historian in Residence at the Loray Mill, who will speak about the role of public history in the redevelopment of the Loray Mill in Gastonia. The talk will be followed by a reception during which guests can see demonstrations of digital projects from local libraries including UNC-Charlotte, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Johnson C. Smith University, and Davidson College. This will be a terrific opportunity for local genealogists and history buffs to learn more about the rapidly-growing number of online resources devoted to local history. We are also encouraging Charlotte-area librarians, archivists, and students to attend and participate.

This event is being held as part of our work on a recent grant from the Digital Public Library of America. The grant funding has enabled us to expand our services for libraries, archives, and museums around the state. The DPLA is the primary sponsor of the Digital Charlotte event. Additional support is being provided by the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

Please contact us if you have any questions. We hope to see many of you in Charlotte!


The Seven Cleverest North Carolina Yearbook Titles

Here are our picks for the 7 cleverest North Carolina yearbook titles in our collection.

Hickory Log Yearbook, 1962

#7 “Hickory Log” Hickory High School

A clever play on words for this “log” of the year’s activities. View all Hickory High School yearbooks, courtesy the Hickory Public Library.

Si Si Yearbook, 1961

#6 “The Si Si” University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte was formerly known as Charlotte College. View all University of North Carolina at Charlotte yearbooks.

Gray Matter Yearbook, 1972

#5 “Gray Matter” Wake Forest School of Medicine

There are all kinds of clever covers for this intellectually themed, physiologically fitting title. View all Wake Forest School of Medicine yearbooks.

Hacawa Yearbook, 1921

#4 “Hacawa” Lenoir-Rhyne University

“Hacawa” is a one-word abbreviation of Halls, Campus, Walls. In and around these centers the whole student life here. The Hacawa is an emanation from the work, play, joys, trials, and triumphs of the entire college for the year.” (1909 Hacawa, p. 8) View all Lenoir-Rhyne University yearbooks.

Quips and Cranks Yearbook, 1932

#3 “Quips and Cranks” Davidson College

“Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee
Jest and youthful Jollity,
Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,
Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles…” – L’Allegro, by John Milton

View all Davidson College yearbooks

The Wagrub Yearbook, 1959

#2 “Wagrub” Burgaw High School

We like this title because the students capitalized on the school name they were dealt. View all Burgaw High School yearbooks, courtesy the Pender County Public Library.

Ayantee Yearbook, 1970

#1 “Ayantee” North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

You may need to say our the title out loud before it sinks in. This one has stumped staff in the past, making it our #1 pick. View all North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University yearbooks.

Disagree with our picks? Let us know.


A Visual Dive Into Yearbooks from the 1960s and 1970s

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.


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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.

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