The Latest New Editions of the Timekeeper Available Now! →

New Editions of the Timekeeper Available Now!

Posted on by

yearbooks

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!

A cheerleader holding pom poms, Betty Dare Funderburk, is on the left, and Les Scott stands on the right holding a cheering horn.
Betty Dare Funderburk and Les Scott were voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in 1963

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.”

Betty Jo Swaim stands on the left, holding a door open. She was just crowned as "Daisy Mae" and has a flower crown on her head. She chose Wayne Lewis as her "Lil' Abner," and he stands to her right.
The 1964 “Daisy Mae,” Betty Jo Swaim, and her “Lil’ Abner,” Wayne Lewis

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!

A smiling group of nineteen high school students stand in front of a brick building. These students are the members of the library club.
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.

To explore more materials from North Carolina Community Contributors, visit their contributor page here.

To view more North Carolina High School yearbooks, visit DigitalNC.

A New Partner, the Mary Potter Alumni Club, and New Yearbooks Hit DigitalNC in Our Latest Records!

Posted on by

underrepresented yearbooks

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.

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.
The Ram [1948]

DigitalNC vistors can now browse the following years of The Ram:

These yearbooks and more can be viewed in DigitalNC’s exhibit North Carolina African American High Schools, which is linked here.

More information about our partner, Mary Potter Alumni Club, can be found on their Facebook page, linked here. 

Materials from Mary Potter Alumni Club can also be browsed through their contributor page, linked here.

Information about Mary Potter High School is from the NCDNCR’s Mary Pottery Academy highway marker page, linked here.

Blueprints Bring a Behind the Scenes Tour of Mattamuskeet Lodge and Its History

Posted on by

maps memorabilia photos

A blueprint featuring the southside view of Mattamuskeet Lodge, a former pumping plant converted into a lodge. The center of the lodge has three stories and is flanked on either side by two-story wings. An observation tower extends from the center of the rectangular building.
Closeup of the South Elevation of Mattamuskeet Lodge, Alteration of Old Pumping Plant [1935]

With help from our partners at Friends of Hyde Countys Historic 1854 Courthouse, we are excited to announce dozens of blueprints related to Mattamuskeet Lodge are now available on DigitalNC! These seven sets of blueprints, mainly from around 1935 to 1940, chronicle an important chapter in the story of Lake Mattamuskeet and its historic lodge. Lake Mattamuskeet, located in Hyde County on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula, is the largest natural lake in the state of North Carolina. The shallow coastal lake has been an important site of human development and resource for wildlife for centuries. Today, Lake Mattamuskeet stands as one of Hyde County’s finest gems, and its iconic lodge is an irreplaceable part of the community’s history and culture.

A picture of Mattamuskeet Lodge taken from across a body of water. A large white rectangular building sits on top of a body of water. The red roof of the structure is illuminated by sunlight. At the front of the building, a tall round tower extends from the water upwards. The green and white striped tower has outer decks towards its middle and top sections. Branches from a tree located in the lefthand side foreground partially obstruct the view of the lodge's left side.
Mattamuskeet Lodge, Mattamuskeet Lodge [2001-2017]

Mattamuskeet Lodge was originally built in 1914 as a pumping station intended to drain Lake Mattamuskeet and make its fertile lakebed farmable. While efforts to drain the lake throughout the nineteenth century had reduced its size, the 1914 project sought to completely drain it and establish successful farming towns in its place. Privately-funded, the resulting pumping station was the largest in the world at the time. Built upon four large pumps, the pumping station had the capacity to drain an estimated 1.2 million gallons per minute from the lake into the Pamlico Sound via connecting tunnels. From the construction of the pumping plant through the 1920s, Lake Mattamuskeet was completely drained three times. But as the Great Depression began and the cost to keep the lake drained became too costly, the pumping plant transferred ownership several times before both the pumping station and lake were sold to the federal government in 1933.

The blueprints that have been digitized by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center are from shortly after the government purchased Lake Mattamuskeet and the pumping plant to create Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. The New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Core was tasked with converting the former pumping station into a hunting lodge that would be part of the new wildlife refuge. From 1934 to 1937 the pumping plant was quickly transformed into what would become a nationally-acclaimed hunting lodge. The subterranean facets of the plant, including the pumps and mechanical systems, where dismantled alongside other structures that had been built on the dried-up lakebed. The renovation resulted in a hunting lodge equipped with eighteen rooms, a lounge, and an expansive ballroom. More windows were added into the brick structure for viewing and the original 120 feet smoke stack was converted into the iconic striped observation tower that remains today.

The former pumping plant’s transformation into Mattamuskeet Lodge is documented extensively through DigitalNC’s newest records. The Alteration of Old Pumping Plant [1935] blueprint set contains eleven unique sheets that provide in-depth details of the project. Although Mattamuskeet Lodge was opened in 1937, an additional set of blueprints, Alteration of Old Pumping Plant [1940], marks revisions that were either made after the 1935 prints or revisions that would be made in future renovation projects. Beyond these DigitalNC visitors can also browse through more specialized blueprint sets such as drawings of the Observation Tower, plans for the Heating System [1935], and information about Electrical, Septic, Doors, and Radiators [1935].

A blueprint close-up featuring the details of a weather vane. Printed in white against a blue background is a diagram of a metal pole meant to sit atop a tower. A metal cutout is illustrated to look like a duck in flight, and is located at the very top of the weather vane. Towards the bottom of the pole, illustrations of metal in the shapes of directional letters "E", "W", "N", and "S" are illustrated.
Detail of Weather Vane, Alteration of Old Pumping Plant [1940]

Mattamuskeet Lodge provided hunters and visitors lodging for decades until hunting was stopped at the lake in 1974. While usually closed to the public, the lodge was occasionally used for events up until 2000. Since 2000, Mattamuskeet Lodge has been closed to the general public due to concerns over its structural integrity. Restoration projects have been on-and-off since 2006, and have included numerous organizers and funders. More recent endeavors have been spearhead by stakeholders at the county and state levels, as well as by community-based non-profits like the Mattamuskeet Lodge Society.

Although the next chapter of Mattamuskeet Lodge remains unwritten, these blueprints serve as reminders of the lodge’s enduring value through the numerous transformations and changes it has seen across its 111-year existence. What can be known for certain, however, is that Lake Mattamuskeet and Mattamuskeet Lodge have always been integral parts of Hyde County and will continue to serve as beacons of community history and identity for many more years to come.

More information about our partner, Friends of Hyde Countys Historic 1854 Courthouse, can be found on their Facebook page here.

More materials, including a report on the historic Hyde County 1854 Courthouse, brochures, and more, can be found on the Friends of Hyde Countys Historic 1854 Courthouse’s contributor page, which is linked here.

Twenty-One New Yearbooks Represent High Schools Across Monroe, N.C.

Posted on by

yearbooks

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 scools 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.

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".
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.
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.

Monroe High School (Monroe, N.C.)

Benton Heights High School (Monroe, N.C)

Prospect High School (Monroe, N.C.)

To view more yearbooks across North Carolina, browse our North Carolina Yearbook Collection here.

To browse more materials from Union County on DigitalNC, click here.

Queens University of Charlotte Student Newspaper Documents the Lives of College Students in the Early 2000s

Posted on by

campuspublications newspapers

The title and a section of an article detailing the rise of Facebook on campus.
Queens Chronicle, September 21, 2005, page 3
The title and a section of an article covering the rise of reality TV.
The Queens Chronicle, January 30, 2009, page 12
Two headlines discuss the early days of Facebook (left) and the rise of reality TV (right).
A hand-drawn map playfully depicting Queens University campus as a rat maze due to ongoing construction. A rat with a hardhat, meant to represent a student, is in a starting box labeled "You Are Here". A legend is featured in the bottom right-hand corner of the illustration.
A hand-drawn map playfully depicting the maze cause by ongoing construction on campus

With the help of our partners at Queens University of Charlotte, we are excited to announce the addition of 108 new issues of the Queens University of Charlotte Student Newspaper. This latest batch includes over 900 pages that detail student stories, Queens University history, and world events from 1989 to 2014. This new addition adds to the collection of Queens University of Charlotte Student Newspaper issues already available on DigitalNC, which includes issues dating back to 1920 when it was published under the title “Queens Blues.”

The majority of the newest issues hail from the golden years of the early aughts, during a time when the introduction of technology like social media and cellphones left its mark on the world and radically changed the college experience of students. At the same time, students grappled with global issues like the War in Iraq and the 2009 Financial Crisis. Closer to campus, students at the Queens University of Charlotte fought for issues such as better dining standards and increased accessibility. Across a decade of immense change, students at the Queens University of Charlotte did their best to understand the fast-moving currents of the 2000s. These latest issues of the Queens University of Charlotte Student Newspaper record what was in and what was out both on campus and around the world. Below are some examples of students’ ins and outs:

Ins:

Outs:

Fashion advice section titled "What's Hot, What's Not: Accessories" Two pictures labeled "Hot!" depict current trends while a third picture labeled "Not!" shows what is out-of-style.
“What’s Hot, What’s Not” fashion section from page 5 of the January 18, 2006 issue of Queens Chronicle

Visitors can browse all issues of the Queens University of Charlotte Student Newspaper here.

More items including photographs, yearbooks, scrapbooks, and journals can be browsed on Queens University of Charlotte’s contributor page here.

Queens University of Charlotte Archives & Special Collection can be found here. Browse Queens University Digital Archives here.

More information about our partner, Queens University of Charlotte, can be found on their website here. 

New Materials Cast Little Theatre of Winston-Salem’s Luminous Legacy Into Limelight

Posted on by

memorabilia photos scrapbooks

A poster advertising shows produced by the Little Theatre in Winston-Salem from 1969 to 1979. Newspaper clippings, photographs, sheet music, cards, and ephemera are collaged on black posterboard.
Productions Poster [1969-1979]

With the help of our partners at the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem we are excited to announce the addition of new materials related to the production and organizational history of the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem. Scrapbooks, posters, and minute books accompany production files in the latest batch of materials join the collection of playbills and posters already available on DigitalNC.

The 136 production files include contracts, playbills, photographs, stage planning, news clipping, and other records related to each production that Little Theatre of Winston-Salem put on during their annual performance season. Productions from the 1935-1936 inaugural season through the 1959-1960 season are illuminated in these organizational records that detail the logistics, practice, and resources that went into making each show a dazzling success.

Portrait of Dorothy Knox, founder and first director of the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem
A black-and-white portrait of Doris Pardington.
Founder and first director, Dorothy Knox (pictured left), and long-serving director, Doris Pardington (pictured right)
Production poster for Cats [2005-2006] featuring the headshots of the cast next to pictures of them in character.
Cats [2005-2006] Production Poster

As the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem celebrates its 90th production season and anniversary this year, these newly digitized records provide invaluable insight into not only the company history of the Little Theatre, but also the artistic history of the Winston-Salem community by the Little Theatre.

While their 90th production season has just wrapped up, the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem has already announced six major productions for their next performance season. Unfortunately the new season, which will open with Moriarty, doesn’t start until early September. Thankfully, we can keep ourselves occupied waiting for the next chapter of Little Theatre of Winston Salem’s next chapter by deep diving into the thousands of digital scans of materials from previous seasons.

More information about our partner, Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, can be found on their website here.

A detailed production history can also be found on the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem’s website, and is linked here.

More materials, more playbills and production posters can be found on Little Theatre of Winston-Salem’s contributor page, which is linked here.

Explore Folk Art and Craft through Primary Sources

Posted on by

primary source set teacher resources

Stone cabin-style building in the background with a signpost in the foreground that reads “Watauga Industries Handicrafts.”
Photo of Watauga Industries: Handicrafts, contributed to DigitalNC by Watauga County Public Library and Appalachian Regional Library.

What is now North Carolina has seen a variety of folk arts and crafts over the years, including paintings, pottery, wood carvings, sculptures, and even tombstones. Various cultural traditions can be found in the state, and some of these have been highlighted in this primary source set on folk arts and crafts.

Folklife and traditions like folk arts and crafts help people to form and define their identities and better understand how they relate to others. By examining folk arts and crafts, this source set aims to show the variety of folklife and traditions found in the state and asks us to examine our own relationship to folklife and each other. Below are some highlights of the types of folk arts and crafts that can be learned about in this new primary source set.

Folk music is one of the first examples of folk art and folklife that many people name. Recognized for their contributions to continuing folk music traditions, cousins Joe and Odell Thompson recount their experiences in this oral history transcript.

Cover page of a bound oral history transcript. Prominently on the cover is a picture of Joe and Odell Thompson; one is wearing a hat, button up short sleeved shirt, jeans, and glasses and is playing a fiddle and the other to the left is facing the camera wearing a button up short sleeved shirt, slacks, suspenders, and glasses and playing a banjo. They are both seated on chairs next to a picnic table outside.
Bound oral history transcript, contributed to DigitalNC by Alamance County Public Libraries.
Sophie Campbell shown in a black and white photo. She is an elderly woman with her hair pulled back and wearing a knit jacket. She is holding a clay pipe in one hand and posing for the photo as if she was taking a puff. The background is a wall with wooden planks.
Photo of Aunt Sophie Campbell, contributed to DigitalNC by Haywood County Public Library.

Another typical example people might think of would be pottery. Here, Aunt Sophie Campbell is smoking one of her clay pipes, which she would make and sell to tourists and hikers on the Appalachian Trail. People from both Western North Carolina and East Tennessee remember her as she lived along the border near Gatlinburg, TN.

Perhaps an atypical example, North Carolina has a tradition of folk art in tombstone carving. Tombstone makers took simple grave markers and created intricate ornamentation through images, embellishments, and long script carefully carved into stone. Here, Reverend Albert Clement’s granddaughters stand with his tombstone, an example of this folk art.

Reverend Albert Clement’s granddaughters, Dr. Abbie Clement Jackson and Ruth Clement Bond, stand on either side of his gravesite in the St. John's AME Zion Church cemetery. This tombstone shows a dove and ornamental design around it, as well as a script that covers the rest of the tombstone. It can clearly read his name, birth date, and death date, as well as that for his wife. There are carvings that appear to be script on the rest of the tombstone, but it is difficult to determine what it may say.
Photo of Dr. Abbie Clement Jackson and Ruth Clement Bond with their grandfather’s tombstone, contributed to DigitalNC by Davie County Public Library.

These primary sources seek to highlight a sliver of the folklife traditions around arts and crafts that people here have been developing. It also asks us to think more deeply about our own histories and what folk traditions mean to us today. Enjoy exploring some of the interesting folk arts and crafts that have been and continue to be practiced in our communities!

New Editions of the Transylvania Times Report on Library Construction and Opening

Posted on by

newspapers

Thanks to our partners at the Transylvania County Library, new editions of The Transylvania Times are now available on our website! These new editions cover the years 1997 and 2005-2017, addressing life in the small town in southwestern North Carolina.

Image from the Transylvania Times showing the status of construction for the new county library.
Construction for the main study room at the new Transylvania County Library

One exciting story was the addition of the new library. The Times followed the construction and subsequent opening of the facility, reporting on all aspects of the building’s journey. The $7.5 million project included not only the new library but also an amphitheater and a community room, complete with a kitchen, movie screens, and seating for 200 people.

One fun way the library involved the community in the move was through the “Hand-to-Hand” event. On April 22, volunteers formed a human chain from the old library to the new one to help move 1,000 books from the children’s section of the old library to the new one. The new library opened on May 13 with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the location’s first day of business being May 15.

Image from the Transylvania Times showing hundreds of people sitting in an amphitheater listening to a speaker in the center of the image.
Crowds gather for the grand opening of the new Transylvania County Library

According to The Times, construction on the new library had begun exactly two years and one week before the library’s grand opening. Hundreds of people packed the auditorium on May 13, eager to see the new facilities. This move was the fourth one in 90 years, each building increasing in size to accommodate the growing demand for books and space.

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

To view all issues of The Transylvania Times, please click here.

To view more newspapers from around North Carolina, please click here.

New Issues of Three Western North Carolina Newspapers Added to DigitalNC Through Hurricane Helene Recovery Work

Posted on by

newspapers

A closeup of the masthead and title design of the newspaper Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.)
Masthead of the January 28, 1974 issue of the Watauga Democrat

With the help of our partners at the State Archives of North Carolina, the Western Regional Archives (Asheville, N.C.), and the Watauga County Public Library we are excited to announce that new issues of three different newspaper titles are now available on DigitalNC. Represented in these most recent issues is news from Watauga County, Alleghany County, and Buncombe County. These batches are part of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center’s effort to aid our partners and neighbors in western North Carolina as they continue to address the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene last fall. Along with checking in with partners in the immediate aftermath of Helene and creating a disaster recovery resource guide, the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center has prioritized working with new and current partners who have been affected by Hurricane Helene.

DigitalNC visitors can now browse new issues of the following newspapers:

A Norfolk and Western Railway advertisement titled "The Fable of the Embarrassed Monkey Wrench". Illustrations of a monkey wrench "head" attached to the body of a human are shown in various scenes as it tries to find its purpose in the railway industry. The monkey wrench is shown whistling in a tool room, looking into a factory, gazing at a crane, and sitting defeatedly on a wooden crate as text boxes narrate the tale of the "embarrassed monkey wrench".
A Norfolk and Western Railway ad from the Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)

More information about our partner, Watauga County Public Library, can be found on their website here. More materials, including more issues of the Watagua Democrat (Boone, N.C.), another newspaper title, yearbooks, and photographs, can be found on Watauga County Public Library’s contributor page, which is linked here.

More information about our partner, State Archives of North Carolina, can be found on their website here. More materials, newspaper titles, yearbooks, and moving images can be found on the State Archives of North Carolina’s contributor page, which is linked here.

More information about our partner, Western Regional Archives (Asheville, N.C.), can be found on their website here. More issues of The Black Mountain News (Black Mountain, N.C.) can be found on the Western Regional Archive (Asheville, N.C.) contributor page, which is linked here.

Bessemer City Celebrates 100th Birthday in New Newspaper Volumes

Posted on by

newspapers

Thanks to our partner, the Bessemer City History and Art Society, four new volumes of the Bessemer City Record are now available on our website!

This is a banner that has a photo of an old-fashioned car on the left side above the year 1893. There is a picture of a woman playing the piano surrounded by a man playing the violin, a woman singing, and a young girl observing. These figures are above the year 1993.
The banner on the first edition of the March 3, 1993 paper.

These editions, covering the period from 1990 to 1994, detail local news, including weddings, funerals, and various events. The 1993 newspaper included a special spread on Bessemer City’s Centennial celebrations. The small town turned 100 in March 1993, and the Bessemer City Record printed three “Limited Collector’s Editions” to commemorate the occasion.

Image of a circle with a heart inside of it. The circle has the words "City of Bessemer City North Carolina" on it. There is a flowy banner across the heart that says "City with a heart."
Bessemer City logo

These editions were released on March 3, 1993, in anticipation of the March 6th celebrations. The first edition contained some of the regular town news, such as obituary notices, advertisements for a thrift store sale, and fire safety information from the fire department. However, the edition also teases the upcoming Centennial celebration events, such as a time capsule dedication and a large ceremony at Square Park, complete with a 100-shot salute, cake, and contests.

The second edition highlights the historic buildings in Bessemer City and the people who founded them. The paper also delves into Bessemer City’s past, examining important moments like the smallpox outbreak and ghostly encounters. Splashed between the pages are advertisements from local businesses thanking B-City for 100 years of service.

Image of important figures from 1893-1993 appear in this advertisement. Figures include Elvis, Nixon, World War II soldiers and the Statue of Liberty. This is an ad for the Home Savings Bank.
An advertisement for the Bessemer City Branch of the Home Savings Bank in the third edition of the March 3, 1993 paper.

The final edition of the Centennial celebration continues to report on Bessemer City’s landmark events. The paper reports on the weather conditions during the city’s charter, the great fire of 1918, and the founding of the first Black church, among other happenings. Advertisements from Bessemer City institutions are also woven throughout the edition.

Bessemer City was more than just a place to live; it was a home. These three special edition papers illustrate the small town’s strength and beauty, telling stories of resilience and growth.

To view all digitized issues of The Bessemer City Record, please click here.

To learn more about the Bessemer City History and Arts Society, view their contributor page linked here.

To browse more North Carolina newspapers, view our newspaper collection here.

DigitalNC Blog Header Image

About

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.

Social Media Policy

Search the Blog

Tags

10 for 10 12daysofncdhc audio behind the scenes campuspublications directories howto maps memorabilia moving images NCDHC East NCDHC Impact news newspapers onsite oral histories photos primary source set scrapbooks teacher resources underrepresented use yearbooks

Archives

Subscribe

Email subscribers can choose to receive a daily, weekly, or monthly email digest of news and features from the blog.

Newsletter Frequency
RSS Feed