Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

Black Mountain College: Experimental Education in the Mountains of North Carolina

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:00:00 -0500

One of the nation’s most significant experiments in education and community took shape right outside of Asheville, North Carolina, and it started during the Great Depression. When a small group of students and teachers renounced their old university to begin building an educational community in Black Mountain, NC, they couldn’t have realized that it would attract and produce some of the world's best minds in avant-garde visual art, poetry, architecture, and music (including people like Buckminster Fuller, Charles Olson, William and Elaine de Kooning, Ruth Asawa, Ray Johnson, Jacob Lawrence and Gwendelyn Knight Larence, Arthur Miller, Josef and Anni Albers). What they did know is that the traditional American education system was failing, and that they could counter the nation’s problems with a new type of learning.

Today, podcast intern Amelia Gantt explains to host John Horan, Correspondence Assistant Annabeth Poe, and Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton that this experiment developed from the Great Depression to post-war anti-communism. Listen along to understand why many, including Eleanor Roosevelt, suggested ‘progressive education’ as the only path towards a better version of America, and how that promise for a better future lived on even after the College closed.

Primary Sources:

Roosevelt, Eleanor, “My Day.” March 21, 1936. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 10.

“Education in Wartime.” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, vol. 3, no. 7, July 1945. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-bulletin-newsletter-iii-no-7-1945/3657369?item=3657505 .

Adamic, Louis. “Education on a Mountain: The Story of Black Mountain College.” Theodore and Barbara Loines Dreier print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID PC.1956.74.

Adamic, Louis, Correspondence 1934-1937. Black Mountain College Records print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 506.2.1.6.

[“Artistic approach to life…” letter from Adamic to Rice]

Black Mountain College Digital Collection, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/spotlights/bmc .

Western Regional Archives Flickr Photo Collections https://www.flickr.com/photos/133487183@N07/albums/ .

Straus, Erwin, “Education in a Time of Crisis.” Black Mountain College Bulletin, vol. 7, April 1941. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-education-time-crisis/3657509?item=3657766 .

Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter print collection, Western Regional Archives, Record ID 506.2.26 and 506.2.27.

Albers, Josef, “Address for the BMC Meeting at New York.” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, June 12, 1940. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 12.

“Education for democratic citizenship...” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, vol. 1, no. 3, pg. 1, April 1943. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-bulletin-newsletter-i-no-3-1943/3657360 .

Gisela Kronenberg (Herwitz) Letters print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID PC 7073.

Charles P. Boyce interview by Mary Emma Harris, North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.3, Box 27.

Released Interviews [Paul Francis Williams, Stuart Atkinson, Leonard D. “Knute”, Betsy Anne Weinrib (Williams), Thomas Scott Cutshaw], North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.4, Box 37.

“100 Things You Should Know About Communism,” 1951. State Bureau of Investigation: Organized Crime Control Division, North Carolina State Archives. Record ID 136.2, Box 3.

Kraft, Kathy, “On Education.” Radish, February 1969. State Bureau of Investigation: Organized Crime Control Division, North Carolina State Archives. Record ID 136.2, Box 8.

Clayre, Alasdair, “The Rise and Fall of BMC,” The Listener, March 27, 1969. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 12.

“A North Carolinian Writes From New York City.” Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel, January 11, 1942. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 12.

“Louis Adamic Says Civilization is Botched, Fumbling and Blind”, The Cincinnati Times, March 24, 1936. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 10.

External Primary Sources:

The Mary Emma Harris and Black Mountain College Project: Oral History collection, Appalachian State University. https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/1629 .

Secondary Sources:

Progressive Education in the 1940s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXKmwg8VQM .

Church, Robert. Education in the United States. New York Free Press, 1976.

Silver, David. The Farm at Black Mountain College. Atelier Éditions, 2024.

Eliston, John, “FBI investigation of Black Mountain College revealed in newly released file,” Carolina Public Press. August 5, 2015. https://carolinapublicpress.org/23088/fbi-investigation-of-black-mountain-college-revealed-in-newly-released-file/ .

Enyeart, John P. “Revolutionizing Cultural Pluralism: The Political Odyssey of Louis Adamic, 1932-1951.” Journal of American Ethnic History, vol. 34, no. 3, 2015. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.34.3.0058 .

Doberman, Martin. Black Mountain: An Experiment in Community. Northwestern University, 1973. https://archive.org/details/blackmountain00anch .

Unto These Hills: Behind the Scenes

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0500

North Carolina is known as the birthplace of the American outdoor drama. One of its longest running outdoor productions, Unto These Hills, celebrated its 75th anniversary this year. To capture the spirit of that diamond anniversary, Connecting the Docs host John Horan, podcast interns Chris Deitner and Amelia Gantt, and producer Danielle Shirilla had an opportunity to travel west to watch the show and interview Communications & Development Director Chelsey Moore and Delegate at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, as well as Props Lead for the show, Devon Cucumber, about the drama, its history, and its longevity.

Special thanks to the Cherokee Historical Association and the cast and crew of Unto These Hills for letting us use original audio from a live production in this episode.

Primary Sources:

Backstage at “Unto These Hills” by John H. Hemmer, North Carolina. Dept. of Conservation and Development Records, ConDev8273A, State Archives of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/backstage-at-unto-these-hills./344166.

Dorothy Eugenia Richardson Collection, PC.2172, State Archives of North Carolina.

Unto These Hills Performance, Governor's Papers -- James Grubb Martin (11 December 1935 --) [First and Second Administrations], Record ID: 373.4.27.23, State Archives of North Carolina.

Secondary Sources:

Faulkner, Ronnie W., et al. “Outdoor Dramas.” NCPedia, 2006, https://www.ncpedia.org/outdoor-dramas.

Gaison, G. "We're still here": Eddie Swimmer on Cherokee History, Life, and Outdoor Drama in the Appalachian Mountains. North Carolina Literary Review, (19), 46-59, 2010.

“Outdoor Dramas to Enjoy Under the Stars in North Carolina.” VisitNC, https://www.visitnc.com/list/outdoor-dramas-enjoy-under-stars-north-carolina.

“Unto These Hills.” Wikipedia, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unto_These_Hills.

With Liberty and Rations for All: Managing Food During WWII

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0500

We all remember how difficult it was to grocery shop during the COVID-19 lockdown, but imagine if a government agency had legally allotted a certain amount of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or bread to each person per month...and kept it up for three years! It might seem impossible to fathom, but this was the nation’s reality only 80 years ago. In this episode, host John Horan hears from Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton as she describes the rationing system on the national level; we learn which items were most protected, why ration stamps were different colors, and what happened if you broke the rules. Then, former Intern Chris Deitner zooms in to investigate life with the rationing system in North Carolina, gauged from material in the State Archives. Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore ends by sharing three 1940s holiday recipes, highlighting the creative methods that citizens on the Homefront used to adapt classic recipes with limited supplies.

SANC Sources:

“Health Bulletin.” 1943, v.58: no.1-12, p. 190. North Carolina Board of Health Bulletins, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/health-bulletin-1943-v.58-no.1-12/1952377?item=2008460

WWII Military Posters Collection: Food Supply, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/documents?filter_17=World%20War%2C%201939-1945--Food%20supply--United%20States&applyState=true

“Maud and Frank Stick War Ration Books, 1940s,” Private Collections, PC.5073.4, pg. 2 and 7 https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/maud-and-frank-stick-war-ration-books-1940s/767056

Robert L. and Mary Lee (Swann) McMillan Papers, December 1943. Private Collections, PC.1677, Box 3

“We came across an interesting lad...” The Barrage [Camp Davis], November 1942. Military Collection: NC Camp Publications, WWII 5, Box 3 Folder 3, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-barrage/435965?item=436333

“For War Service.” 1945. Military Collection: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.36, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/for-war-service/432387

“Rationing Drives Man to Army.” The AA Barrage [Camp Davis], July-Sept 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-aa-barrage/459755?item=459823

“Homemaker’s War Guide,” 1942. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.40, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/homemakers-war-guide/462546

Student Scrapbook [Scotland County], Military Collection: WWII Papers, County War Records, Box 85.

“Pasquotank County Victory Garden Contest,” 1944. Military Collections: WWII Posters, WWII 11.F4.P4, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/pasquotank-county-victory-garden-contest/448885

“Plenty of exercise in maintaining a garden plot...” Pasquotank Patrol [Elizabeth City], 10 June 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/elizabeth-city-naval-air-station-the-pasquotank-patrol/348286?item=348339

“To Do My Part on the Home Front,” Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.31, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/to-do-my-part-on-the-home-front/459370

WWII Poster Collection: Rationing Posters, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/collections/world-war-ii?search=ration&searchtypes=Metadata|Full%20text&filter_10=Posters&applyState=true

“How to Keep Your Food Bill Down,” 1943. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.32, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/how-to-keep-your-food-bill-down/447116

Kannapolis Daily Independent War-Time Cook Book, 1943. Military Collection, WWII PC Box 90

“OPA Announces Turkey Prices for this Area...” The Monroe Enquirer [Monroe, NC] 8 Nov 1943. Newspaper Collection, https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93065776/1943-11-08/ed-1/seq-1/

Wartime Holiday Menus:

Private Collections, Jane S. McKimmon Papers, PC.234.23, 1929 Christmas Dinner Menu at the Governor’s Mansion

Military Collection, WWII 265, 1943 Camp Lejune Signal Battalion Christmas Dinner Menu

Military Collection, WWII 148, 1944 MCAS Cherry Point Christmas

Secondary Sources:

US Composting Council, Victory Gardens https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/victorygardens

Archives Test Kitchen: WWII Rationing, History For All the People, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/17/archives-test-kitchen-wwii-rationing/

"Food Rationing on the WWII Home Front,” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/food-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm

“Coffee Rationing on the World War II Home Front,” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/coffee-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm

Love Letters in Wartime

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:01:24 -0400

Is it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Even with modern-day resources like instant messaging and video calls, long-distance relationships can be daunting, but it was a wholly different experience 80 years ago. Continuing our commemorative series on World War II, Reference Archivist Katherine Crickmore, Podcast Intern Chris Deitner, and Military Archivist Ashley Latta Post discuss several love letters and couples’ correspondences from an era when unreliable snail-mail was the only option. Find love in unexpected places, even in the Military Collections at the State Archives!

Letters read by: Colin Reeve, Annabeth Poe, Erin Fulp, Bill Brown, Ian Dunn, Danielle Shirilla, and Erin Templeton. For full transcriptions of the letters that are read in this episode, contact the Archives Search Room at archives@dncr.nc.gov.

Primary Sources:  

Kenneth Zollinger and Mary Brantley Papers, Military Collections, WWII 282: Box 1, Folder 1 and; Box 2, Folder 5

Geraldine M. Beveridge Papers, Military Collections, WWII 188: Box 1, Folder 3 and Folder 7

James C. Bland Papers, Military Collections, WWII 68: Box 1, Folder 1 and Folder 4

John B. O'Donnell Papers, Military Collections, WWII 118: Box 1, Folder 6; Box 2, Folder 1 and; Box 5, Folder 1

Margaret I. Saunders Papers, Military Collections, WWII 16: Box 1, Folder 2

Additional Collections to Explore:

Charles M. Allen Jr. Papers, Military Collections, WWII 141

William P. Ricks Papers, Military Collections, WWII 162

Thomas S. Elder Papers, Military Collections, WWII 110

Holland Family Military Papers, Miscellaneous Military Papers, MMP 32

John F. Mallard Papers, Miscellaneous Military Private Collections, MMP PC

Mark B. Burwager Papers, Military Collections, WWII 232

Thomas B. Lenoir Papers, Military Collections, WWII 123

Harry Lee Ward Papers, Military Collections, WWII 67

To read more World War II letters, visit the World War II digital collection on the N.C. Digital Collections website.

To contact the Archives about donating your records, please email archives@dncr.nc.gov , call (919) 814-6840, or fill out a contact form online at: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/contact/questions-about-services-or-research

Treating the Total War: Women and the Nursing Corps

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:00:01 -0400

Few images are burned into popular culture as deeply as that of Rosie the Riveter, the classic and ever-reproduced representation of female empowerment during WWII. Rosie endures as a metaphor for a time of incredible change for women, a time when the U.S. called women out of the home and into the workforce to support the war effort. Historic records and images, like Rosie, teach us about the experience of women who showed up and bolstered the fight in mass numbers, many as nurses.

This week, former podcast intern Chris Deitner details the stories of nurses who were central to the war effort. She is joined by our host John Horan, Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe, and Government Records Archivist Joshua Hager. Drawing heavily from the organizational records of the North Carolina Nursing Association, especially correspondence from Executive Secretary Marie Noell, as well as WWII posters and publications, the team discusses the personal and professional implications of the “total war” for women in North Carolina.

State Archives of North Carolina Sources:

65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], Oct-Nov 1942. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464376

“Hospital No. 3 Sounding Off,” 65th Pulse Beat [Fort Bragg], 16 October 1942, p. 27. Military Collection: North Carolina Military Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/fort-bragg-65th-pulse-beat/464375?item=464403

“Become a Nurse— Your Country Needs You,” 1942. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.16, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/become-a-nurse-your-country-needs-you/463037

“Our Wounded Need Help!” 1945. Military Collection: World War II Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.2.18, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/our-wounded-need-help/459350

Correspondence 1920-1949, North Carolina Nursing Association Records, ORG.120

Secondary Sources:

Tar Heel Nurse [Chapel Hill]. UNC Archives: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection, NCHH-39: Tar Heel Nurse [1939-Present] :: North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection

“Our History,” American Red Cross, https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/history.html

“About NCNA,” North Carolina Nursing Association, https://www.ncnurses.org/about-ncna/

“Marie Brock Noell, RN,” North Carolina Nursing History. Appalachian State University, https://nursinghistory.appstate.edu/biographies/marie-brock-noel-rn

“WWII and the American Red Cross,” American Red Cross, http:/redcross.org/history

“Charles William ‘Billy’ Noell Jr.,” Honor States, https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/77406/

V-J Day: The 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0400

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including discussion of language that reflects outdated, biased or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence.

Welcome back to Connecting the Docs! To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, our sixth season will examine those tumultuous years of war through the lens of the State Archives of North Carolina.

In May 1945, peace in Europe prompted mixed emotions for Americans as the war continued in the Pacific. Men and women in military service anxiously awaited Japan’s surrender, realizing that even with the end in sight, lives were still being lost overseas. Finally, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender, and on September 2, 1945, the declaration was officially signed. What were those months like, leading up to the final end of war? And how did military personnel react to peace? Host John Horan is joined by Government Records Analyst Josh Hager, Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton, and podcast intern Amelia Gantt to investigate how those closest to the war effort— men and women in the service— reacted to peace through three newspapers published by North Carolina's military installations.

Primary Sources:

World War II Military Posters Collection, “Get in the Scrap”. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/get-in-the-scrap/434330

State Archives of North Carolina, Military Collections, https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/collections/military-collections#CollectionScopeandOrganization-476

Asheville Naval Convalescent Hospital

At Ease, May 24, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_B1F1_Naval_Hosp_At_Ease_1944_1946. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/asheville-naval-convalescent-hospital-at-ease/421919

At Ease, “First Anniversary of ‘At Ease’ Launching Observed Here Today”, October 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

At Ease, “VJ Day Marked By Jubilation, Prayer”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

At Ease, “Processing At Distribution Centers”, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

At Ease, Photo 5, 6, August 23, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3.

Camp Butner

Camp Butner News, “Patients Favor Technical Book Over All Others”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB3F1_Camp_Butner_News_1945_1946. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-butner-camp-butner-news/447077

Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. August 10, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

Ernest Arms, Camp Butner News, “Just Thinking”. September 7, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

Camp Butner News, “GI Dead For World War II is 251,424”. September 14, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

Camp Butner News, “Veterans Get a Break in Legislation”. December 28, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

Camp Butner News, “Big Three Agree on World Problems in Moscow”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

Camp Butner News, "20 Job Prospects For American Vets”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

Camp Butner News, "What’s Your Opinion??”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

Camp Butner News, "4000 German POWs Shipped Out In Week”. January 25, 1946. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

Camp Lejeune

[Content Warning: This newspaper contains graphic images and offensive language.]

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Residents Contemplating Leave To Notify Mailmen”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2. MilColl_WWII_5_NC_Camp_Pubs_OzB6F5_Camp_Lejeune_Globe_1945. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-lejeune-the-camp-lejeune-globe/455963

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Bus Tickets Being Sold Through Outlying PXs”. August 1, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Today’s Good News”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Around the Globe”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 5.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Lejeune Tense as Surrender Looms”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Training Atomicized”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Smart Japs Prove Not Too Smart In Marine March”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 6.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Don't Trust Women, Says Sad Marine”. August 8, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 10.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, "Chaplain’s Corner: The Time Is Now”. August 15, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 4.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Celebrations Outstanding For Sobriety”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Red Cross Workrooms to Reopen Sept. 4”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 1.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Enlisted Men Must Have 85 Points, WRs 25”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 2.

The Camp Lejeune Globe, “Marines Go Point Happy”. August 22, 1945. Military Collections, World War II Collection, WWII 5: Camp Publications. Page 3.

Secondary Sources

NCpedia, William Powell. “World War II”. State Library of NC, 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/world-war-ii

Woltz, Rebecca, "Because of Camp Butner.” Our State Magazine, November 6, 2024. Accessed on July 18, 2025.

Letters from Liberia and an Interview with Dr. Claude Clegg

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:00:19 -0500

During the 1800s, some free people of color and formerly enslaved people emigrated out of North Carolina. Many went north or to Haiti, and quite a few went to Liberia. Join host John Horan, former intern LaWanda McCullor and podcast regulars, Annabeth Poe and Katie Crickmore on this episode. Listen as the crew focuses on several letters and wills housed at the State Archives of North Carolina recounting the experience of moving out of the country.

The podcast team also speaks to Dr. Claude Clegg, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of History and the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies at UNC Chapel Hill. Learn as Dr. Clegg discusses the American Colonization Society in the 1800s, what motivated the emigration to Liberia, and connects it to Activist Marcus Garvey and the Back-to-Africa movement from the 1900s.

Primary Sources

Private Collections. Pattie Mordecai Collection, 1784-1876. “Malinda Rex Letter,” 1839. State Archives of North Carolina; Raleigh, N.C. Record ID: PC.185. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:756464.

County Records. Chowan County. Wills. Mary Bissell, 1836. CR.024.801. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:801756.

Southern Historical Collection. John Kimberly Papers, 1821-1938. “Susan Capehart Letter.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wilson Special Collections Library. Collection Number: 00398. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/00398/.

Secondary Sources

Clegg, Claude Andrew, III. The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the Making of Liberia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.

Mitchell, Memory F. “Off to Africa – with Judicial Blessing.” The North Carolina Historical Review 53, no. 3 (July 1976), 265-287.

Mitchell, Memory F. “Freedom Brings Problems: Letters from the McKays and the Nelsons in Liberia.” The North Carolina Historical Review 70, no. 4 (October 1993), 430-465.

Mitchell, Memory F. and Thornton W. Mitchell. “The Philanthropic Bequests of John Rex of Raleigh: Part I - Bon Voyage and a Lawsuit.” The North Carolina Historical Review 49, no. 3 (July 1972), 254-279.

“Claude A. Clegg III.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences History Department. https://history.unc.edu/faculty-members/claude-clegg/.

Concerning Art: The Black Mountain College Experience

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:07:35 -0500

What would you think about a concert that was pure silence? Or an event that hosted four different performances all at once? These sort of avant-garde performance pieces were commonplace at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933 by John A. Rice and Theodore Dreier, Black Mountain College operated as an experiment of “education in a democracy,” wherein the creative arts and practical responsibilities were considered equally important as intellectual development. The college closed in 1957, and the records associated with the school, including compositions and other artistic pieces, are held at SANC’s Western Regional Archives.

This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Podcast and Oral History Intern Olivia Coyne. Join us as we discuss art and archives.

Primary Sources

Black Mountain College, “Concerning Art Instruction,” Josef Albers, Bulletin 2 June 1934, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-art-instructor-1944/3657480?item=3657727

Black Mountain College, “The Building Project and Work Program,” Bulletin 6, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-building-project-work-progress/3657497

Black Mountain College, “Education in a Time of Crisis,” Erwin Strauss, Bulletin 7, April 1940, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-education-time-crisis/3657509

Black Mountain College, “Its Aims and Methods,” Bulletin 8, Kenneth Kurtz, 1944, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-aim-and-method/3657521?item=3657788

Black Mountain College Concert: Brahms, Dvorak, Kraft, and Bartok, May 1947, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-concert-brahms-dvorak-kraft-and-bartok/2378456

The arts at Black Mountain College, Mary Emma Harris, 1987, https://archive.org/details/artsatblackmount00harr

Secondary Sources

Black Mountain College Museum and Art Center, https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/

NC Digital Collections, Black Mountain College Spotlight, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/spotlights/bmc

“Black Mountain Review,” Natasha Goldowski, et al., Black Mountain College Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1951. Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Independent Voices. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.28034129

“Archives Test Kitchen,” series, History For All the People, State Archives of North Carolina, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/category/archives-test-kitchen/

From Regulators to Revolution: The War of Regulation

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:24:00 -0500

Before the Revolutionary War began, a movement unfolded in the backcountry of North Carolina, sparking the short-lived but influential War of Regulation. In the first episode of our series “From Regulators to Revolution,” Annabeth Poe and Katherine Crickmore are joined by Nathan Schultz, the Site Director of Alamance Battleground, as they discuss the Regulators, their grievances, and the War of Regulation. Join us for a riveting interview and hear sounds from the battlefield for yourself, as Annabeth, Katie, and reference archivist Dominique Romero visit Alamance Battleground during a May 2024 battle reenactment.

Warning: This episode contains the sound of cannon fire blanks used in an outdoor battle reenactment. These sounds can be loud and jarring, occurring from around 0.20 to 1.40 minutes. Please listen with caution!

Collections Used for Research 

Private Collection, George Sims Papers, “Nutbush Address,” PC.923

Colonial Governor’s Papers, Governor William Tryon, June 9th, 1771, “Proclamation for capture of Herman Husband and other Regulators,” CGP.6

Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Provisions for Robert Harris’ Granville Brigade troops during 1768 Hillsborough unrest,” Box 1, Folder 4, Item 1

Military Collection, War of Regulation Papers, “Papers relating to the trial of Edmund Fanning, Mar 22, 1769,” Box 1, Folder 37, Item 1

General Assembly Session Records, Session of Dec. 1770-Jan. 1771, “Bill for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies,” Dec 15, 1770, Colonial Box 4

Map Collection, Battle of Alamance Map, Prepared by Claude Joseph Sauthier, MC.175.1771sa

History For All the People Blog, Regulator Movement, by Becky McGee-Lankford, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2022/06/17/regulator-movement/

The Mystery Box

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:00:00 -0500

Have you ever conducted research at the State Archives of North Carolina, or any other archival institution for that matter? It’s a unique thrill when you discover history in your hands and read the words of the past as written by the people who lived it. Even when you know the basics about what you’re going to research, you never know exactly what you’ll find during an archival research trip.

In this episode, our podcast team dives into the unknown with a trip into the “mystery box.” The team gathered in the Search Room at the State Archives to examine a box chosen from a State Agency series. They did not know anything about the box before the recording, so what you’ll hear is their discovery of the amazing history found in this box. Pull up a seat as you join the archival research experience.

What should you expect to learn? Here’s a hint: It involves Walter Cronkite, an English explorer, and learning proper etiquette. We hope you learn what it’s like to go inside the Search Room and conduct archival research, so you’re inspired to take the plunge into your own mystery box.

This episode is hosted by producer Josh Hager, who also selected the Mystery Box. The “research team” features producers Katherine Crickmore and Annabeth Poe and producer emerita Chauna Carr.

Please note that the citation for the “mystery box” as well as digital copies of documents and photos mentioned in the episode appears in this blog on “History for All the People” at https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/11/connecting-the-docs-season-5-episode-6-mystery-box/.

Myth Busters: Unpacking North Carolina Legends

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:00:00 -0500

This week on Connecting the Docs, host John Horan welcomes Reference archivist Katherine Crickmore, former Digitization Archivist Chauna Carr, and Records Description Unit head Joshua Hager to investigate the validity of popular North Carolina legends.

First, Katie tackles the mysterious disappearance of Theodosia Burr, daughter of American Vice President Aaron Burr. Leaving South Carolina by boat to visit her father in New York, Theodosia was never seen or heard from again. She is said to have been abducted by pirates off the coast of the Outer Banks, but is that true? Next, Chauna unpacks the tale of Betsy Dowdy, a sixteen-year-old girl whose ride from Currituck County to inform military officers during the American Revolution rivals that of Paul Revere! However, with little evidence to back this up, did the ride really happen? Finally, Josh tells the story of the infamous Peter Stuart/Stewart Ney, who has long been tied to the Marshal Michel Ney, Napoleon Bonaparte’s right-hand man during the French Revolution. Did Marshal Ney fake his death and move to Davidson, North Carolina?

Join us as we use primary sources from the State Archives of North Carolina to see if these are myths that need to be busted!

Collections Used for Research

Theodosia Burr

David Stick Papers, PC.5001 Box 167. Research Material, 1990s-2006. Theodosia Burr, 1990s.

Pool, Bettie Freshwater. “The Nag’s Head Picture of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Booklet 9, no. 2, October 1909.

Pool Family Papers, PC.5328. Box 1

West, Harry C. “The Mysterious Portrait of Theodosia Burr.” The North Carolina Folklore Journal 22, no. 3, August 1974.

Betsy Dowdy

McBride, Ransom. “Revolutionary War Service Records and Settlements.” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 9, no. 4, November 1983.

Moore, Carole. “Betsy’s Wild Ride.” Our State Magazine 74, no. 10, March 2007.

Seay, Majel Ivey. “Betsy Dowdy’s Ride.” The State Magazine 4, no. 47, April 1937.

State Agency Finding Aid: State Treasurer's and Comptroller's, 1731-ca. 1940.

Peter Stuart Ney

Johnson, Mark. “The Plot Thickens: Did DNA Settle a Centuries-Old Conspiracy?” Davidson College, September 18, 2023. https://www.davidson.edu/news/2023/09/18/plot-thickens-did-dna-settle-centuries-old-conspiracy.

Lyman C. Draper Collection, 1743-1906. MF-P.10.1

Peter Stewart Ney Papers, PC.800.

Whisenant, David. “French Researchers Conclude That Napoleon’s Famed Marshal Ney Is Not the Peter Stuart Ney Buried in Rowan Co. Church Cemetery.” WBTV3, September 9, 2023. https://www.wbtv.com/2023/09/09/french-researchers-conclude-that-napoleons-famed-marshal-ney-is-not-peter-stuart-ney-buried-rowan-co-church-cemetery/.

Class is in Session: Integration and Busing Controversies, 1969-1972

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400

Our final episode in our school-centric series takes us to Charlotte, home to one of the most famous legal cases involving school integration. By the time it reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Swann v. Mecklenburg addressed whether school systems could legally use busing routes to create more integrated school populations (or if they had an obligation to do just that). In this episode, join host John Horan, podcast Intern Olivia Coyne, and producer Josh Hager for a tour through the history of the Swann case and the larger issue of busing in North Carolina. Learn how school systems used busing to maintain segregation even after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. We’ll go over a chronology of the key events of the Swann case and its legal outcomes. Finally, we’ll dive deep into the correspondence of Governor Bob Scott to look at how citizens from across North Carolina argued for and against busing in both expected and wildly unexpected ways.

Special thanks to correspondence narrators Annabeth Poe, Madison Lawson, and Kaylin Preslar.

Collections Used for Research

Governor Robert Scott Papers:

State Board of Education, School Buses, 1969 (Box 17)

Alphabetical File, Education, 1969 (Boxes 115-116)

State Board of Education, School Buses, 1970 (Box 158)

Alphabetical File, Desegregation, 1970 (Box 270)

Alphabetical File, Education (General), 1970 (Box 270)

State Board of Education, Busing Children, 1971 (Box 303)

Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, School Buses, Busing Children, 1972 (Box 463)

Department of Public Instruction, Superintendent’s Subject File. Mailing of Free Choice Forms, 1969; Statement of Dr. Craig Phillips, 1971; and Letters of Protest from Forsyth County, 1970. Item 1074, Transfer 3: Boxes 12, 16, and 25 (unprocessed).

Secondary historical information source: Robin Brabham, "Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education," North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/swann-v-charlotte-mecklenburg-board.

Commercial Excerpt from “An Interview with Lucy Penegar (b. 1940)” by Jason Luker at the Gaston County Museum of Art and History in Dallas, North Carolina on March 15, 2021. From the State Archives of North Carolina, She Changed the World Oral History Project. Audio. https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1155061.

Class is in Session: American Indian Education Spotlight, Part 2

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:19:43 -0400

In the second and third episodes in our Class is in Session series, we focus on hearing from American Indian students about how they navigated school segregation and desegregation inside and outside of the classroom. Using a combination of government records and oral histories, join host John Horan and producers Josh Hager and Annabeth Poe for an overview of American Indian public education across the state over time. In the previous episode, we learned about segregated schools through the lens of the Sappony and how students integrated UNC-Chapel Hill’s Medical School. Now, hear the harrowing tale of what it was like to desegregate Dunn High School and the odd circumstances surrounding bussing in both Robeson and Harnett Counties.

This episode contains content that may be harmful or difficult to listen to, including language that reflects outdated, biased, and/or offensive views as well as descriptions of conflict, racism, and violence.

Collections Used for Research

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project, 2022-2024. State Archives of North Carolina. OH.010.

“East Carolina Indian School (I-97).” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, January 3, 2024. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/east-carolina-indian-school-i-97.

“Enrollment Data - Interactive Data Dashboard.” The University of North Carolina System, Fall 2023. https://www.northcarolina.edu/impact/stats-data-reports/interactive-data-dashboards/.

Normal Schools for African American Students Files, 1900-1924: Pembroke-Cherokee Indian School. Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education. Special Subject File, Box 3.

Robeson County High School Annual Reports, 1950-1955. Department of Public Instruction Record Group, Division of Instructional Services, Supervision and Curriculum Section, High School Principal’s Annual Reports, Box 18.

Class is in Session: American Indian Education Spotlight, Part 1

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:08:05 -0400

In the second and third episodes in our Class is in Session series, we focus on hearing from American Indian students about how they navigated school segregation and desegregation inside and outside of the classroom. Using a combination of government records and oral histories, join host John Horan and producers Josh Hager and Annabeth Poe for an overview of American Indian public education across the state over time. Then, learn about the conditions of American Indian schools prior to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Finally, listen to students describe their experiences integrating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in their own voices in part one, and their experiences integrating local white public schools in part two.

Collections Used for Research

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project, 2022-2024. State Archives of North Carolina. OH.010.

“East Carolina Indian School (I-97).” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, January 3, 2024. https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2024/01/03/east-carolina-indian-school-i-97.

“Enrollment Data - Interactive Data Dashboard.” The University of North Carolina System, Fall 2023. https://www.northcarolina.edu/impact/stats-data-reports/interactive-data-dashboards/.

Class is in Session: The Legacy of Rosenwald Schools

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:02 -0400

Welcome to Season 5 of Connecting the Docs! We start this season with a trip to the classroom as we focus on three topics relating to North Carolina schools and education history. In our first episode of the series, we take a look at the history of Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina. Join host John Horan, podcast intern Lawanda McCullor, and producer Josh Hager as we learn how the Julius Rosenwald Fund spearheaded the construction of numerous schools across North Carolina for African American students, particularly in rural areas. The Rosenwald Schools became centers of community, starting from their onset in the 1920s until many of them fell out of use at the time of school integration. We’ll also learn about the Anna T. Jeanes Foundation and how that organization funded training for new African American teachers. The Rosenwald Fund and the Jeanes Foundation were key factors in building a community of teachers, parents, and supporters dedicated to educating African American youth in North Carolina during the years of Jim Crow.

Collections Used for Research:

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. State Superintendent’s Office: Correspondence File. SR.104.3.

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Special Subject File. SR.104.339.

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: General Correspondence of the Director. SR.104.335.

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Correspondence of the Supervisor, Rosenwald Fund. SR.104.338.

Department of Public Instruction Record Group. Division of Negro Education: Articles and Speeches by N.C. Newbold. SR.104.336.

Secondary historical information source: NCPedia (State Library of North Carolina).

Uncovered Stories, Episode 3: The Revolutionary Ruthey Jackson Letter

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Welcome back to the final series of Season 4, “Uncovered Stories.” In this series, you’ll hear about incredible records that archivists uncovered during work assigned for other, sometimes unrelated projects. These discoveries add new significant research topics to collections held by the State Archives for decades and shine a light on people and subjects upon which previous collection guides did not focus.

In the last episode of the series, host John Horan welcomes Digitization Archivist Caitlin Martell and former Connecting the Docs intern and current Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe to discuss an overlooked letter from one of the Archives’ private collections. Caitlin found the letter, written in 1781, while digitizing documents about John Williams, a Granville County lawyer and Continental Congress delegate, for America’s 250th anniversary. The letter caught her eye because within a series of letters about troop rations and political movements, it had an unusual author with an unusual request. A dying Hillsborough woman named Ruthey Jackson was asking Williams to take in her daughter Nancy, who was the result of an affair with one of North Carolina’s most famous Revolutionary War generals. Join us as we discuss the letter, reveal Nancy’s father, and investigate what happened to Ruthey, Nancy, and the other characters in this 1700s soap opera.

From the Archives

The Letter: PC.176.1: John Williams Papers, 1772-1781 [digitized, pages 65-66], https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/john-williams-papers-1772-1781/425265?item=425574.

21.111.48, 49, and 52: Special Agents’ Reports on Claims, Vol. XI, British Records Series (Microfilm z.5.149N from PRO Series T 79/84, 85 & 88).

CR.044.101: Apprentice Bonds and Record, Granville County (Boxes 1-4).

CR.044.102: Bastardy Bonds and Records, Granville County (Boxes 1-4).

CR.044.510: Guardian Bonds, Granville County, 1758-1927.

CR.044.801: Wills, 1749-1968, Granville County.

CR.073.101: Apprentice Bonds and Records, 1780-1905, Orange County (Boxes 1-3).

CR.073.102: Bastardy Bonds and Records, 1782-1908, undated, Orange County (Boxes 1-3).

CR.073.301: Minute Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1752-1868.

CR.073.801: Wills, 1752-1968, Orange County.

MF-C.012.80001: Brunswick County Wills, 1764-1954.

"North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Orange County, Deeds, 1753-1793, Vol. 1 & 2,
images, accessed through FamilySearch.

"North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Orange County, Land Records, 1778 and 1779-1795,
images, accessed through FamilySearch.

US Census Bureau, 1790 United States Federal Census, New Hanover County, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, images reproduced by FamilySearch (accessible through the Archives).

US Census Bureau, 1800 United States Federal Census, Granville County, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, images reproduced by FamilySearch (accessible through the Archives).

Secondary Sources

Samuel Ashe, Biographical History of North Carolina Volume III, Greensboro, NC: Charles L. Van Noppen Publisher, 1906, page 129.

Mrs. John C. Bernhardt, “Burton, Robert,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1979, revised November 2022, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/burton-robert.

Louise Littleton Davis, Nashville Tales, Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1981.

M.M. Edmonds, “Williams, John,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1996, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/williams-john.

Marjoleine Kars, Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.

Ransom McBride, “Claims of British Merchants,” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 9, no.3 (1983); 156; 11, no. (1985); 29.

John F. Reed, “Nash, Francis,” North Carolina Encyclopedia (NCPedia), 1991, https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/nash-francis.

Steven E. Siry’s Liberty’s Fallen Generals: Leadership and Sacrifice in the American War of Independence, Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2012.

Uncovered Stories, Episode 2: Marginalized Communities in Early Statehood General Assembly Records

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:08:56 -0500

In this second episode, former Connecting the Docs Intern and current Assistant Oral Historian Annabeth Poe takes the hosting stage and interviews Friends of the Archives 2023 Summer Intern Hannah Nicholson about her project, creating a LibGuide about the records of marginalized communities in the General Assembly records from the years of early statehood, 1777 to 1789. What started as a research question into these records stemming from the Archives’ continued efforts to prepare for America’s 250th anniversary became a much larger project as more records of various categories emerged. Hannah and Annabeth discuss two incredible stories in particular: the fascinating emancipation of Hannah Bowers by Margaret Gaston (yes, the Gaston family for which the county is named) and the roller-coaster saga of Ned Griffin, an enslaved man who was promised freedom by his enslaver if he would serve in his place in the Revolutionary War. Learn how both stories as well as the other records documenting women’s history, African American history, American Indian history, and religious minority communities show how the bills, resolutions, petitions, and other legal records of the General Assembly have incredible significance to the social and cultural history of North Carolina.

Please note that the LibGuide discussed in this episode is undergoing final edits. Look for it on the State Archives website later this year!

Records cited:

All records from General Assembly Record Group, General Assembly Session Records, 1777-1789.

May 15: Senate bill to give Ned Griffin his freedom (petition and messages only), May 15, 1784, General Assembly Session Records, April-June 1784, Box 3.

Dec. 12: House bill to emancipate Hannah, alias Hannah Bowers, of the estate of Alexander Gaston (with petition), December 12, 1786. General Assembly Session Records, November 1786-January 1787, Box 3.

Uncovered Stories, Episode 1: Finding Enslaved Labor in the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 12:00:01 -0500

Welcome to the final series of Season 4, “Uncovered Stories.” In this series, you’ll hear about incredible records that archivists uncovered during work assigned for other, sometimes unrelated projects. These discoveries add new significant research topics to collections held by the State Archives for decades and shine a light on people and subjects upon which previous collection guides did not focus.

In this first episode, host John Horan and regular panelist Josh Hager are joined by State Agency Description Archivist Alexandra Dowrey and Digital Description Archivist Caroline Waller. Over the past two years, Alexandra and Caroline have worked on a large-scale project to modernize the housing and description for the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, a massive collection of financial records dating from colonial times to the early 20th century. While they expected to find some documentation of enslaved labor, especially in records pertaining to the State Capitol building, the volume and scope of these records across various parts of the collection was a major discovery. In this episode, Alexandra and Caroline will discuss the important and often heart-wrenching accounts that they have catalogued in this collection. Among other stories, you’ll learn about how enslaved laborers working on the Capitol’s construction had the well-honed skills of a master artisan and how a series documenting import and export taxes include record of the trafficking of eighty enslaved persons to work on infrastructure projects in the Great Dismal Swamp.

As you might expect, this episode includes frank discussions of slavery and the daily life of enslaved persons. This episode may prove upsetting to some listeners. Our hope is that this episode will bring new attention to this collection that will enable the proper acknowledgement of these enslaved individuals and to enable further historical and genealogical research.

Sources:

Confiscated Lands, Halifax County, 1780-1809. Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.22.014.

Eighty enslaved Africans arrived at Port Roanoke on the Brig Camden on June 10, 1786. Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, Ports, SR.204.40.033.

Navigation and Canal Companies: Cape Fear and Deep River Navigation Company, Payrolls, November 1859, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.10.013.

Public Claims of Individuals Against the State, 1733-1769, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.41.001.

State House: Pay Claims, Warrants, and Receipts, 1821; State House: Hire of Enslaved Persons, 1821; State Capitol: Laborer’s Pay and Enslaved Labor, 1837-1839 in Receipts and Pay Claims, Capital Buildings, Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, SR.204.8.

Ask an Archivist: Fan Letters

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 12:01:02 -0500

Have you ever wanted to ask an archivist why your photos are fading away? Or why only some records are digitized? Or whether they actually wear white gloves when handling old records?

Well, good news! In this episode, our archivists will answer questions just like these that have been sent in from listeners like you! Inspired by the annual #AskAnArchivist day on social media and other popular programs, this episode will cover best practices for preserving family records, how archivists decide what to digitize, tips for researching at the State Archives, and more!

Also be sure to check out the links below for further resources!

Suggested Resources for Preservation:

Northeast Document Conservation Center: https://www.nedcc.org/ 

Quick Preservation Tips: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2015/04/27/quick-preservation-tips/  

Family Oral History: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/07/01/family-oral-histories-introduction-and-planning/  

UNC-G Scrapbook Collection: https://gateway.uncg.edu/islandora/object/ua%3AUA0111?page=3&display=grid 

Protecting Records: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/04/30/mayday-saving-our-archives-2021-protecting-your-important-books-papers-and-photographs/ 

Suggested Resources for Research:

North Carolina Digital Collections: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/  

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/ 

NC Land Grants: https://nclandgrants.com/ 

NC Maps: https://web.lib.unc.edu/nc-maps/ 

TranscribeNC: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/transcribenc  

Journey of an Archival Record – Digitization and Access: https://connectingdocs.podbean.com/e/the-journey-of-an-archival-record-part-iii-digitization-and-access/  

DOC Search Guides: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/documents/doc-search-guides  

State Library’s Genealogy Guides: https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/research/research-guides-and-tools#Genealogy-41  

Year of the Trail: Interview with Special Guest Secretary D. Reid Wilson

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 12:00:00 -0500

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we conclude our three-part series exploring the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we are joined by Secretary D. Reid Wilson for a special retrospective interview. We learn about the origins of the Year of the Trail Campaign, some of the great trail events that have gone on around the state, and we discuss finding peace through hiking.

Primary Sources:  

General Assembly Session Records, May Session 1973, House Bill 436, “An Act to Create a Scenic and Recreation Trails System and to Provide for the Designation, Administration, Regulation, and Acquisition of Scenic Trails and Trail Rights-of-Way,” SR.66.8 

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesLevelId:series-31391  

Secondary Sources:

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/programs-services/featured-programs/nc-path

https://greattrailsnc.com/

https://www.alltrails.com/?ref=header

We Beg Your Pardon: The Saga of Slow Poke

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 14:36:19 -0500

Happy Holidays! We all have heard of presidential pardons for turkeys at Thanksgiving. Of course, we know that since the first state constitution in 1776, North Carolina governors have had the ability to declare executive clemency to people. But have you heard of a governor pardoning a possum? In this episode we are joined by Records Description Archivist Mike Childs to learn about Slow Poke the Possum of Harnett County, the only possum to be officially pardoned from his sentence to be eaten! Slow Poke’s incredible journey begins in 1970, when he was entered into a beauty contest. The winner of the contest would be subject to Possum Pickin’ Day, a celebration championed by North Carolina Governor Bob Scott, who often partook in eating possums, a rural delicacy. When Slow Poke won the beauty contest and his fate was set, public outcry led Governor Scott to make history by pardoning the possum from becoming his next main course. Long live Slow Poke!

Resources:

SR.370.2.242: Governor Robert Scott Record Group, General Correspondence, Governor's File, Political Folder - Releases, Press, January-March: Proclamations Folder (Box 242)

SR.370.2.257: General Correspondence, Governor's File, Statements, E-Q: Folder H (Box 257)

SR.370.2.257: General Correspondence, Governor's File, Statements, E-Q: Folder P-Q (Box 257)

SR.370.17.7: Executive Mansion Files, 1970 Correspondence, August-December; Invitations Declined, January-February (Box 7)

PC.1317: Robert Scott II Papers, 2011 Addition, Scrapbooks

Year of the Trail: Indian Trading Paths

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 12:00:01 -0500

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we continue our three-part series exploring the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we take a look at the oldest trail system in our state – Indian Trading Paths. Long before Europeans arrived in the New World, American Indians utilized a network of trails and pathways across the Southeast for travel, hunting, recreation, communication, and general cultural exchange. As the area was settled by colonizers, these paths became essential in their daily life, as well. Listen in as we discuss the original main streets of North Carolina.

Primary Sources: 

Outer Banks History Center Monographs (Single Volumes), “A New Voyage to Carolina,” John Lawson, (1709) 1967, 33BOK-0-59, https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/lawson/menu.html, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:759043

NC Maps, North Carolina Colony and State Maps, “An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina With Their Indian Frontiers, Shewing in a distinct manner all the Mountains, Rivers, Swamps, Marshes, Bays, Creeks, Harbours, Sandbanks and Soundings on the Coasts; with The Roads and Indian Paths; as well as The Boundary or Provincial Lines, The Several Townships and other divisions of the Land in Both Provinces; the whole from Actual Surveys by Henry Mouzon and Others (color facsimile),” (1775) 1967, MC.150.1775m.fac2 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:155991

Secretary of State, Land Warrants, Plats of Survey and Related Land Grant Records, Granville County, File No. 910, Michael Synnott, 1752, ID: 12.14.66.905, SSLG 57J

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:444272

Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, Indian Affairs and Lands, Cherokee Nation, “For burying Cherokee warrior Saloe on his return from Governor of Virginia,” 1770, Box 1, SR.204.18 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:559906

British Records, Colonial Office: America and West Indies - Original Correspondence, Board of Trade and Secretary of State (CO 5/1-187), Secretary of State: Dispatches and Miscellaneous (CO 5/4), “Articles of Friendship and Commerce, proposed by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, to the Deputies of the Cherokee Nation . . .,” 7 Sep. 1730, ID: 21.20.3.11 https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr03-0067, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:628689

British Records, Colonial Office: America and West Indies - Original Correspondence, Board of Trade and Secretary of State (CO 5/1-187), Secretary of State: Dispatches and Miscellaneous (CO 5/4), “Response of the Cherokee Chiefs to the Treaty Proposed by the Board of Trade,” 9 Sep. 1730, ID: 21.20.3.12 https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr03-0067, https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:628690

An Interview with Gregory Richardson (b. 1951), 2023-01-26. ID: OH.010.003.

American Indian Heritage Commission Oral History Project

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1165996

Secondary Sources:

NCPedia, “Indian Trading Paths,” Tom Magnuson, 2006, https://www.ncpedia.org/indian-trading-paths

“The Trading Path and North Carolina,” Rebecca Taft Fecher, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008, UNC Greensboro – Journal of Backcountry Studies, https://libjournal.uncg.edu/index.php/jbc/article/viewFile/26/15

The American Indian in North Carolina, Douglas L. Rights, 1957, Publisher: University of Michigan – J. F. Blair

“Tracing the Trading Path,” Mark Chilton, 24 Feb. 2014, OrangePolitics.org, https://orangepolitics.org/2014/02/tracing-the-trading-path

“The Indian trading path and colonial settlement development in the North Carolina Piedmont,” Gladys Rebecca Dobbs, May 2007, UNC Chapel Hill – Carolina Digital Repository, https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/d791sh108?locale=en

Year of the Trail: Mountains to Sea Trail

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:00:02 -0400

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the NC Trails System Act, and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is celebrating with the Year of the Trail campaign, where all types of trails are being celebrated across the state. Join us as we embark on a three-part series where we explore the “sights, sounds, and people” of North Carolina’s trail system. In this episode, we leave the recording studio to take a hike ourselves along the Neuse River Greenway Trail in Raleigh’s own Anderson Point Park. While enjoying the trail, we’ll discuss the beginnings of the North Carolina Trails Committee after it was founded in the 1970s, specifically their efforts to develop the Mountains to the Sea Trail, designed to connect the state from the mountains to the coast.     

Sources: 

Parks and Recreation Record Group, Planning and Special Studies Section: North Carolina Trails Program File, Boxes 1-4, SR.85.35 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:695971

“Speech by Howard N. Lee, Sept. 9, 1977,” Natural Resources and Community Development Record Group, SR.82.49, Box 02709-0002 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:695140

Resiliency in Records Management: Disaster Preparedness and Protecting Essential Records

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:00:03 -0400

As the conclusion of our Resiliency series, this episode shifts our focus from stories of the resilience of individual North Carolinians to information on how the State Archives can help government agencies throughout the state remain resilient in the face of disasters. In this episode, Records Description Unit Supervisor Josh Hager welcomes Records Management Consultant for Disaster Preparedness and Essential Records Kayla Leonard and Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore to the show to discuss the essential role that the State Archives has in helping agencies prepare for the effects of disasters on their records. You'll get the chance to play along as a records manager as Kayla and Josh lead Katie on a tour of the basics of identifying essential records and planning for disasters. We’ll discuss how to identify what’s essential (hint: it’s not always the most historically significant records). We’ll also play a game where you get to identify the hazards to records in an everyday workplace. You'll learn that a COOP isn’t just for chickens but is instead a critical step in disaster preparedness. Finally, you’ll learn what basic steps you can take immediately after a records disaster.

Find the Hazard Game:

If you cannot access the images, please visit our blog: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2023/10/11/resiliency-in-records-management-disaster-preparedness-and-protecting-essential-records/

Additional Resources:

Contact Kayla Leonard at kayla.leonard@dncr.nc.gov

Records Management Tools: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/rm-tools

Disaster Preparedness Resources: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/preservation/disaster-preparedness

Essential Records Overview: https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/emergency-preparedness/essential-records-er-course/handouts-essential-records-er-course/

Resiliency in the Face of Natural Disasters: Other Storms and Natural Disasters

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:00:01 -0400

Resiliency is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, or, to put it simply, fortitude. In the previous episode, we heard four stories of North Carolinians showing resiliency in the face of historic hurricanes, but hurricanes aren’t the only type of bad weather our state has faced. This episode showcases four more stories of resiliency shown by North Carolina citizens when facing other major storms and natural disasters. Join us as we discuss the Southern Railway Company’s emergency response to a historic mountain flood, Rebecca B. Cullum’s overcoming her fears to deliver help after a coastal blizzard, the community of Red Springs coming together to rebuild after a tornado outbreak, and the multi-agency efforts to control a blaze in a wildfire hotspot. Whether it’s individuals risking their lives for others, agencies funneling resources into rescue operations or communities coming together to rebuild, North Carolinians are absolutely resilient!  

Tornado Maps: 

Wildfire Map:

If you cannot access the images, please visit our blog: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2023/09/27/resiliency-in-the-face-of-natural-disasters-other-storms-and-natural-disasters/

Sources: 

The Floods of July, 1916: How the Southern Railway Organization Met an Emergency, 1917, Outer Banks History Center Monographs, ID: 33BOK-0-293 https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p249901coll37/id/4917/rec/41  

Flood Near Railroad Depot, Asheville, North Carolina, 1916 (1998), General Negative Collection, Record ID: N.98.10.47 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:252484

The Lincoln County News, 27 Jul 1916, Pg. 1, “Railway People Hard at It,” LinLCN.4

An Interview with Frances Cullom Morgan (b. 1948), 2021-05-19 [1:00:25] ID: OH.GEN.001 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1154702 

The Rocky Mount Evening Telegram, Rocky Mount, NC, 7 Mar 1962, Pg. 1 “Outer Banks Area Isolated by Big Storm,” [Newspapers.com]  

Spen-a-Rest Beach Cottages, Kitty Hawke, NC, March 1962 just after the Ash Wednesday Storm, 2015; 1962 ID: N.2015.3.3 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:258979  

Red Springs Citizen Photograph Collection, 1984 TO 2005, ID: PHC.296 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1144282

News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 01 April 1984, Pg. 1, “From Ravaged Ruins, Spirit of Recovery Stirs in Red Springs,” [Newspapers.com]

Indian Affairs Record Group, Tornado Disaster, 1984, ID: SR.111.6.025 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:1140402  

Forest Resources Record Group, Fire Control Section: Fire Reports File, ID: 84.14 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:695586  

The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC, 5 Apr. 1955, Pg. 1, 4 “Forest Fires Rage in Eastern Areas,” and Pg. 4 “Losses Mount as Fires Rage Out of Control,” [Newspapers.com]

Resiliency in the Face of Natural Disasters: North Carolina Hurricanes

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:00:42 -0400

North Carolina is no stranger to hurricanes. According to the National Hurricane Center, North Carolina is number 4 on the list of states most affected by hurricanes and throughout the state’s recorded history, hurricanes have been responsible for nearly 1,000 total fatalities and over $15 billion in damages. Yet time and time again, the citizens of North Carolina have shown their resilient nature in the face of these storms. This episode showcases four stories of resiliency brought on by four of the strongest hurricanes in our state’s history. Join us as we discuss Jesse Stevens Taylor’s dedication to her storm warning post during Hurricane Hazel, Rasmus Midgett’s heroic one-man rescue after the San Ciriaco Hurricane, New Bern’s preparation for the Revolutionary War amid the Independence Hurricane, and the town of Princeville’s persevering spirit after Hurricane Floyd. Whether it’s individuals risking their lives for others, agencies funneling resources into rescue operations or communities coming together to rebuild, North Carolinians are absolutely resilient! 

Hurricane Path Maps:

If you cannot access images, please visit our blog: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2023/09/13/resiliency-in-the-face-of-natural-disasters-north-carolina-hurricanes/

Sources:

“Weather Watcher,” Our State Magazine, May 2006, Vol. 73, no. 12, State Library, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/our-state/1100309

Governor Luther Hodges Papers, General Correspondence (Civil Defense subject file) Box 260. SR.367.1 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:738923

Carolina Power and Light Photograph Collection, Hurricane Hazel ID: PhC.68.1.471.1-4 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:70597

“North Carolina’s Hurricane History: Fourth Edition, Updated with a Decade of New Storms from Isabel to Sandy,” Jay Barnes, UNC Press Books, 2013

Herbert Hutchinson Brimley Photograph Collection, 1880-1977 - Wreck of the Priscilla, Hatteras, NC, 1899. ID: PhC.42.Bx6.Boats.F19 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:912431

The Story of Rasmus Midgett: Lifesaver, 1900-1999, ID: VT.119 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:866110

“Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution,” Tony Williams, Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009

British Records, Royal Observatory, Charles Town, [South Carolina]. William De Brahm [surveyor general, southern department] to the Earl of Dartmouth [William Legge, secretary of state]. 8 Dec., 1775 ID: 21.20.64.1 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:629462

North Carolina Newspaper Collection, Virginia Gazette or Norfolk Intelligencer, “Extract of a Letter from Newbern, in North Carolina, dated September 9, 1775,” 21 Oct 1775, page 2, NSP.5 https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/DigitalLibrary/va-gazettes/VGSinglePage.cfm?issueIDNo=75.DH.49&page=2&res=LO

Temporary Housing Section, Information Management Unit: Photograph File, 1999-2002 ID: SR.56.7 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:659101

Governor James Hunt, Emergency Management File, 1999-2001. SR.374.32 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:748121

Water damage in Princeville, North Carolina, Hurricane Floyd, October 13, 1999, 1999 ID: N.2000.2.49 https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov//solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:254662

Ballads and Banjos and Fiddles, Oh My: Appalachian Music Spotlight

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:00:14 -0500

Appalachian music has a rich history in western North Carolina. Native American and African American music cultures melded with the ballad-singing traditions of Scots-Irish settlers in the 1700s. In the years that followed, western and piedmont musicians crafted signature styles of banjo picking in old-time and bluegrass music. Today, the sounds of Appalachia can be heard in a range of musical genres, from country to blues and beyond. In this episode, oral history interns Fiona Allen and Bree Dumont introduce the Connecting the Docs crew to some Appalachian music traditions as we listen to Ashe County fiddler Howard Miller, explore the history of the banjo, and learn how musicians and historians alike have worked to preserve this unique heritage.

Sources Mentioned:

Miller, Howard, and Miller, Haroldean, c. 1970s, Unpublished cassette tape recording. Included in National Historic Register nomination AH0023, prepared by Sarah Woodard, approved September 24, 2001. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/AH0023.pdf

Sharp, C. J. (1973). English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, 1973. Oxford University Press. Outer Banks History Center, OBHC:15C4.

North Carolina Arts Council Record Group. Folklife Section: Projects File, 1852-2013, bulk 1990-2010. Finding aid available in DOC: https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:703807

Lunsford, B. L. (1925). “Old Gray Mare.” Robert Winslow Gordon Cylinder Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Available at https://www.loc.gov/audio/?q=Bascom%20Lunsford&loclr=fbafc&fbclid=IwAR2XizdU1GGzqy3UqWuAMmt08VFMjnfN6axeFjt6sUPrvv45vbOht95jdIs

North Carolina Folklore Journal, 1948-2019, published by North Carolina Folklore Society. Available at https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/nc-folklore-journal.

Call the Granny Woman: Appalachian Dialect Spotlight

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:00:30 -0500

The dialect traditionally spoken in the western parts of North Carolina goes by many names—Smoky Mountain English, Southern Mountain Talk, and Appalachian Dialect, to name a few. In this episode, oral history interns Fiona Allen and Bree Dumont lead host John Horan and guests Brooke Csuka and Josh Hager on a lexicological journey through this most colorful patois. Learn about how this dialect combines influences from surrounding states as well as multiple cultures, including members of the Cherokee Nation, the African diaspora, and immigrants from all over western Europe. Following the lesson, Fiona and Bree quiz John, Brooke, and Josh on the meaning of several words found in collections in the State Archives and State Library of North Carolina holdings. Do you know the Appalachian dialect meaning of “granny woman,” “airish,” or “booger”? You’ll find out those surprising definitions and many more in this installment of Connecting the Docs.

Sources Mentioned:

Suggested Archival Collections:

North Carolina Arts Council Record Group. Folklife Section: Resource File, 1796-2011. Finding aid available in DOC: https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/solrDetailPages/series/NCA/Series_detail.html?fq=seriesRid:703805.

Western Regional Archives collections. Explore their finding aids on our website: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/finding-aids/western-regional-archives-finding-aids

Other Works Cited:

“Dialect Words in North Carolina.” Tar Heel Junior Historian, 2006 Spring, Volume 45, No. 2. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

George Hovis, “The Art of Healing: An Interview with Lee Smith.” North Carolina Literary Review, 2021, No. 30, Pages 7-21. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

Margaret Bauer, “Genre Conventions with a Half-Twist: An Interview with Charles Frazier.” North Carolina Literary Review, 2013, No. 22, Pages 21-42. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, “Conservation and Industry.” 1932, Volume 8, No. 1. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, “North Carolina Manual,” 1945-1946. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

Tar Heel Junior Historian, 1979 Fall, Volume 19, No. 1. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

Tar Heel Junior Historian, 2005 Fall, Volume 45, No. 1, Page 22. North Carolina State Documents Collection, State Library of North Carolina.

Searching for a Spy: A Conversation with Dr. David Cecelski on Discovering the Legend of Abraham Galloway

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 12:00:05 -0500

For this episode our HBCU/MIHE summer intern Tyanna West chats with renowned historian and author Dr. David Cecelski about Abraham Hankins Galloway, an abolitionist, union spy, and North Carolina state senator from Brunswick County. Cecelski’s biography, The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War, illuminates a portrait of this little-known hero who ascended from the bondage of slavery to become one of the most important Black leaders during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Cecelski shares his research process, what drew him to the life of Abraham Galloway, and why he thinks many don’t know or share Galloway's story.

Sources mentioned:

Cecelski, David S. 2015. The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War. Chapel Hill: University Of North Carolina Press.

Exploring Island Life in the John Wilson IV Papers: A Summer Internship at the Outer Banks History Center

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 12:00:03 -0500

Each summer the Outer Banks History Center welcomes an intern to its archives on Roanoke Island. Named after the History Center’s founder and legendary Outer Banks historian, David Stick, the annual internship offers students pursuing graduate degrees in library science the opportunity to engage in a range of projects. In this week’s episode, the 2022 summer intern and dual-degree graduate student at Simmons University, Johnna Purchase, shares her experience processing the John Wilson IV Papers, which document the range of contributions Wilson made to the development of the town of Manteo through his many years of service as the town’s mayor. Through his work as a professional architect, Wilson’s designs proved essential to developing the island vernacular style of building unique to the Outer Banks. Purchase joins host John Horan and regular panelist Josh Hager to discuss her time processing an archival collection, conducting oral history with a local fishing legend from Ocracoke, creating a reading room exhibit, her chance meeting with the collection’s donor, and all the Outer Banks history, geography, and culture that surprised her along the way!

Sources Mentioned:

An Interview with Stanley Beacham, 2021. Oral History Interviews with Outer Banks Residents, AV.5214.50. Outer Banks History Center.

All other items discussed herein can be found in the John F. Wilson IV Papers, 1980-2008, ca. 1980s-2008, Outer Banks History Center.

True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Oyster Wars

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 11:59:00 -0500

Inspired by the bestselling novel and film adaptation Where the Crawdads Sing, Connecting the Docs explores true stories that happened in the wild marshes of eastern North Carolina. This episode dives deep into oysters and oystering, a major industry of the state for more than a century. In 1891, conflict between local fishermen and northern opportunists, who illegally dredged oysters from the coast, erupted into what became known as the Oyster Wars of North Carolina. Though no documentation indicates that either side escalated to violence, legend tells a different story. Outer Banks History Center director Samantha Crisp shares this tale and more food for thought with host John Horan in this final episode of our three-part series inspired by Where the Crawdads Sing.

Sources Mentioned

Images can be found at the OBHC’s oystering flickr album 

Map of Pamlico Sound and Tributaries, Showing the Natural and Artificial Oyster Beds, the Depth and Specific Gravity of the Water, the Character of the Bottom, and the Limits of the Sections as Determined by Lt. Francis Winslow, USN, circa 1886. 33MAP-0-529, Outer Banks History Center. [Digital copy linked here] 

Winslow, Francis. Report on the Waters of North Carolina: With Reference to Their Possibilities for Oyster Culture; Together with the Results Obtained by the Surveys Directed by the Resolution of the General Assembly, Ratified March 11, 1885. Raleigh: P.M. Hale, State Printer and Binder, 1886. [Digital copy linked here] 

Carter, Kathleen. The Oyster Wars of Pamlico Sound, circa 1994. 33BOK-0-10477, Outer Banks History Center.

PC.5033, Letter to T. S. Meekins from D.O. Midgett requesting an oyster license for John Simpson of the sloop Green, 23 November 1900, Outer Banks History Center. [Digital copy linked here] 

Handwritten account by Allen Taylor of Sealevel, North Carolina, 1956, recalling his days as an oysterman on the schooner J.J. Taylor in the 1880s. From box 250, PC.5001, David Stick Papers, Outer Banks History Center.

North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey. Bulletin No. 15: Experiments in Oyster Culture in Pamlico Sound North Carolina. Raleigh: The Survey, 1915. [Digital copy linked here] 

Office of the Secretary of State Records. Land Office (State), Shellfish Franchises, Oyster Bed Surveys. 

Carteret County Records. Oyster Bed Records. CR.019.928, Miscellaneous Records.  

"An act for the better protection of the oyster interests of North Carolina and for other purposes." Laws and resolutions of the State of North Carolina, passed by the General Assembly at its session of 1891. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards and Broughton.1891. p.43. http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,434319

"An act to promote and protect the oyster interests of the state." Laws and resolutions of the State of North Carolina, passed by the General Assembly at its session of 1891. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards and Broughton. 1891. p.369. http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,434645

True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Education and Truancy in Eastern North Carolina

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 12:01:30 -0500

Content warning: This episode includes potentially sensitive issues including suicide and death. Listener discretion is advised.

Inspired by Where the Crawdads Sing—the bestselling novel by Delia Owens and now-streaming film—Connecting the Docs explores true stories that happened in the coastal communities of eastern North Carolina. In this episode, host John Horan, regular guest Josh Hager, and Samantha Crisp, director of the Outer Banks History Center, examine school records, truancy, and public education. Join in as they investigate the history of Rosenwald schools—more than 800 public schools built for African American students in North Carolina prior to desegregation in the 1960s—and learn from the personal experience of former Rosenwald school student Sharon Davis through excerpts from her oral history interview. Afterward, Samantha Crisp narrates the wildest truancy case in North Carolina’s recorded history. Through criminal action court records, personal letters, and newspaper coverage, she explores the curious case against the DeFebio family of Dare County, who objected to sending their children to public school. The controversy includes media battles, prison time, hunger strikes, kidnapping charges, and so much more.

Sources Mentioned:

An Interview with Sharon Davis (b. 1956), 2021. School Integration and Desegregation Oral History Project, OH.SchoolIntegration.002.

School Planning Building Photographs digital collection. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/school-planning

Department of Public Instruction Records, Division of Negro Education Records and Special Subject File on Rosenwald Schools.

Miscellaneous Records, 1821-1966, Dare County (N.C.). Clerk of Superior Court, CR.031.928.

State vs. Frank J. DeFabio, 1951, N.C. Supreme Court, CR.031.326.

State vs. Mrs. Theo DeFabio, 1962, N.C. Supreme Court, CR.031.326.

Research material on Frank DeFebio, from the David Stick Papers, box 272, PC.5001, Outer Banks History Center.

Correspondence re: Frank DeFebio Monument, from the Frank Stick Papers, box 9, PC.5089, Outer Banks History Center.

Articles and Letters on the DeFebio Family and School Integration, 1951-1961, from the D. Victor Meekins Papers, box 63, PC.5126, Outer Banks History Center.

True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Historic Black Communities of Eastern North Carolina

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 12:01:12 -0500

Inspired by Where the Crawdads Sing—the bestselling novel by Delia Owens that is now a major motion picture—Connecting the Docs explores true stories that happened in the wild marshes of eastern North Carolina. This episode, the first of a three-part series, is an examination of the resilient, dynamic Black communities that inhabited this land in the 18th and 19th centuries. Samantha Crisp, director of the Outer Banks History Center, and Morgan Johnson, oral history assistant, lead host John Horan into North Carolina’s maroon communities, like those hidden in the Great Dismal Swamp, as well as post-Civil War villages of emancipated African Americans, such as the Roanoke Island Freedmen’s Colony and James City. These communities come to life through the voices of descendants, presented in fascinating clips of oral history interviews held at the State Archives.

Sources Mentioned:

Olmsted, Frederick Law. A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States; With Remarks on Their Economy. New York; London: Dix and Edwards; Sampson Low, Son & co., 1856. Published online by Documenting the American South. University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/olmsted/menu.html

An Interview with Marilyn Morrison (b. 1950), 2021, Roanoke-Hatteras Tribe Oral History Project, OH.RHTRIBE.001.

An Interview with Gemaine Gillis (b. 1947), 2021, Roanoke-Hatteras Tribe Oral History Project, OH.RHTRIBE.002.

An Interview with Leesa P. Jones (b. 1951), 2020, She Changed the World Oral History Project, OH.SHE.017

Interview with Darrell Colllins on Outer Banks Black History (Dare County Current TV), 17 February 2021, AV_5319_03. Outer Banks History Center.

James A. Bryan and wife vs. Washington Spivey et al. from North Carolina Reports [1890 : February, v.106]. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Supreme Court, Judicial Department, 1890. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll14/id/86257/rec/1

Mobley, Joe A. James City, a black community, 1863-1900. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1980. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll6/id/982/rec/7

Photograph of James City School, a Rosenwald Fund school, Craven County [c. 1924-1925]. Department of Public Instruction: School Planning Section, School Photographs File, Box 3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/51417673688/in/photolist-at618p-2mi6Lnj-2mi6Khi-Sw1Mrq-2miaCzE-RYaCpa-2mi1ygQ-2mi1xF1-2mi5qUg-2mi9ecU-Td5nLx-SCcUo9-T9tPod-2mkB22j/

Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem Revisited: The True Stories behind North Carolina Murder Ballads

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 12:00:01 -0400

The True Crime genre seems to have exploded in popularity in recent years, but, truthfully, people have always had a fascination with sensational crime stories. Long before podcasts, musicians transformed these true crime tales into popular songs that have been sung and passed along for hundreds of years. In this special Halloween episode, reference archivist Katie Crickmore breaks down five popular North Carolina murder ballads and the true stories that inspired them. John, Josh, and Katie also examine archival records found in the State Archives that back up or refute the narrative of these songs. Tune in and make up your own mind about what happened in these cases.

Sources Mentioned:

General

Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem in the Old North State – Office of Archives and History Blog: https://medium.com/murder-mystery-and-mayhem-in-the-old-north-state

Omie Wise

Randolph County, Superior Court Minutes, 1807, C.081.30008

Randolph County, Criminal Action Papers, 1807-1813, CR.081.326.10

Randolph County, Superior Court Minutes, 1811, CRX 86

Randolph County, Miscellaneous Records, CR.081.928.1

Randolph County, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1815, C.081.317

Frankie Silver

Burke County, Criminal Action Papers, 1832, CR.014.326.3

Burke County, Superior Court Minutes, 1832, CR.014.321.1

Several Petitions for Pardon to Gov. Swain, Mar-Jun 1833, GP.66-67

Tom Dula

Tom Dula Papers, PC.1272

NC Supreme Court, State v. Thomas Dula, Jan 1867, Case No. 8922

NC Supreme Court, State v. Thomas Dula, Jan 1868, Case No. 8923

Wilkes County, Criminal Action File, 1866, CR.104.326

Wilkes County, Superior Court Minute Docket, 1868, CR.104.311.4

Ellen Smith

Forsyth County, Superior Court Minutes, 1886, CR.038.311.6

Forsyth County, Superior Court Minutes, 1893, CR.038.311.8

Lawson Family

NC Death Certificates, Stokes County, 25 Dec 1929, Lawson Family

Stokes County, Deeds, Charlie and Fannie Lawson, Bk. 75 Pg.360

Stokes County, Record of Administration, Lawson Family, 1929, Vol. 2

Stokes County, Record of Accounts, Lawson Family, 1929-19

The Journey of an Archival Record. Part III: Digitization and Access

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:00:00 -0400

In this final episode of our first series for season 3, we reach the end of our journey in the life of an archival record. As you’ve been listening to the past two episodes, you may have asked yourself – but what’s the end goal? Where is all of this work – retention, scheduling, appraisal, processing, imaging – heading?

In today’s episode, Chauna Carr from the Digital Access Branch, Lauren McCoy from the Public Services Branch, and Josh Hager from the Records Description Unit discuss the end goal of everything we do at the State Archives: public access. We’ll talk about why we digitize records, how we decide what to digitize, and how to access materials that aren’t digitized – because only a fraction of our records are or ever will be digitized! Tune in to find out the answer to one of the most popular questions an archivist hears these days: why aren’t all of your records available online, and how to get help from reference archivists when they aren’t!

Sources Mentioned:

Women, Marriage, and the Law, a part of the Studies in Scarlet Project: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/women-marriage-and-the-law

Lillian Exum Clement Stafford materials are available in the Women in North Carolina 20th Century History collection: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/women-in-nc

General Assembly Session Records: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/general-assembly-session-records

Treasurer & Comptroller’s Finding Aid: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll15/id/1570/rec/1

The State Archives’ Online Catalog, DOC: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/search-catalog/search-doc

Information on Ordering Records: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/services/ordering-copies

African American Education Collection: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/african-american-education (includes records from the early 20th century Division of Negro Education)

Blog post from History for All the People about the conservation of the earliest admissions log from Dorothea Dix Hospital: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2021/11/02/conservation-treatment-of-the-dorothea-dix-hospital-register/

The Journey of an Archival Record, Part II: Arrangement and Description

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 12:08:39 -0400

Those of you who have visited the State Archives may be familiar with the sight of boxes containing processed records in orderly rows of labelled, acid-free folders. But you may wonder: how do these records go from their unprocessed state upon transfer to the arranged and described collections that you encounter in the search room? How do archivists determine what records to process? Do all records get processed to the same level? And why does the State Archives reformat records and continue to use microfilm?

In today’s episode, State Agency Archivist Alex Dowrey and Digital Access Manager Ruth Cody will shed light on some of these questions and share illuminating details about what goes on behind –the scenes to preserve records and to promote access and discovery. You’ll also hear about fascinating records that Alex and Ruth have processed over the years, ranging from broiler chicken competition recipes found in Commissioner of Agriculture records to letters discussing Jim Crow culture in the south in the African American Social Work Collection.

Sources Mentioned:

Letters to Lt. Oxley, Stenographer/Typist Folder, African American Social Work Collection also known as Bureau of Work Among Negroes. SR.097.113.033

Recipes from the cooking competition are in the “March 1969” and “Articles, 1980” folders in the Commissioner's Office: Speeches File series, SR.7.33 (SCHEDS-37726).

The Division of Emergency Management scrapbooks that contain newspaper clippings and other records of civil defense activities are in the Intelligence Section, Public Information Officer: Scrapbooks series, SR.56.2. (Note: these records are currently being processed to address preservation concerns. Please contact the search room in advance for access).

The Rockingham County divorces are in the Divorce Records subgroup, CR.084.604.

The Journey of an Archival Record, Part I: Appraisal

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:00:00 -0400

Welcome back to Connecting the Docs!

In this brand new season, we have several mini-series covering a range of topics including a look west with information about “Mountain Speak” and a series on the true stories of Coastal Carolina inspired by the film, Where the Crawdads Sing. We open season three in Raleigh, with our first series, “The Journey of an Archival Record.” In this three-part series, you’ll hear from archivists who normally work behind the scenes about how a document created by a state agency becomes a part of the collections of the State Archives of North Carolina. In the first episode, Appraisal Archivist Colin Reeve and Records Description Unit Supervisor Josh Hager tell John about the first stage in this process: records retention and appraisal. This episode has a little bit of everything: You’ll learn how even a sticky note can become a public record, how a retention schedule can help agencies whittle down their records to a small percentage that comes to the Archives, and how an agency could (legally) destroy a record using an acid vat! We hope you appraise this episode as a great return to the show.

Links:

Functional Schedule for Records Retention and Disposition for State Agencies: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/state-government-agencies/functional-schedule

Records Management Frequently Asked Questions: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/records-management-tools/faq

Tutorials created by the Records Analysis Unit of the State Archives: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/training/online-tutorials-and-resources

General Statute 121: https://www.ncleg.gov/Laws/GeneralStatuteSections/Chapter121

General Statute 132: https://www.ncleg.gov/Laws/GeneralStatuteSections/Chapter132

When Are We US? America250: A Look to the Past to Inform Our Future

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:00:15 -0500

In this special hour-long episode and season finale of Connecting the Docs: Unprocessed, State Archivist Sarah Koonts and Becky McGee-Lankford, assistant state records administrator, introduce us to America250, the nationwide commemoration to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. North Carolina’s programming will highlight historical events of the Revolution as well as the ideals of liberty, courage, sacrifice, civic responsibility, and progress that have developed in the years since. To kick off preparations for this momentous occasion, Koonts and McGee-Lankford share inspiring records in the State Archives that embody these ideals and bring history to life: a 1776 letter from John Adams that later become the renowned pamphlet Thoughts on Government; a rare 1903 Constitutional Reader created to aid disenfranchised black men—and later women—overcome the burden of the Permanent Registration Act of 1901; a 1964 report from the Council on the Status of Women that details systemic challenges in work and life; and much more.

Sources Mentioned:

John Adams, 1776. Thoughts on Government Letter. Vault Collection, State Archives of North Carolina. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p15012coll11/id/606/rec/1

Joseph Graham Papers, PC.60. State Archives of North Carolina.

General Assembly Session Records. State Archives of North Carolina. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/search/collection/p16062coll36

North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843, Roll 07: Revolutionary Warrants, frame 324-5 of 608. www.ancestry.com

Military Collection, Troop Returns, box 6, folder 20. http://www.digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16062coll26/id/980/rec/2

North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843, Roll 04, frames 105-6 of 619; www.ancestry.com

Pettiford, George (Granville), 1831. Declaration of Service to Accompany U.S. Pension Applications. War of the Revolution Papers. State Archives of North Carolina.

Granville County Pleas and Quarter Sessions Minutes, 1821. State Archives of North Carolina.

Harris, G. Ellis, 1903. North Carolina Constitutional Reader, Being a Hand Book for Primary Use in One Part. State Archives of North Carolina. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p15012coll11/id/710/rec/4

The Many Lives of North Carolina Women (Commission Report), 1964. Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women. State Archives of North Carolina. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll44/id/7009/rec/27

Good Neighbor Council Digital Collection, SR.31. State Archives of North Carolina. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/good-neighbor

A Peculiar Instrument in Collecting Foreign Records

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Connecting the Docs: Unprocessed, two former editors of , Bob Cain and Joe Beatty, join host John Horan to discuss the foreign collections within the State Archives of North Carolina. They discuss the decision to travel to the United Kingdom and collect these documents, an effort that went through fits and starts throughout the 20th century. Bob Cain shares his experiences doing this work in London in the 1960s and early 1970s and talks about how he found and shipped the collections to the State Archives in Raleigh. He discusses some of his favorite documents and reflects on how North Carolinians regard their history, from recent memories to the state’s colonial past.

Sources Mentioned:

Foreign Collections:

https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/finding-aids/records-foreign-collections

Carolina Charter of 1663

https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p15012coll11/id/10/rec/1

The Colonial Records of North Carolina

https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/historical-publications/colonial-records

Dammed Cities: Bringing an Underwater Story Aboveboard

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Connecting the Docs: Unprocessed, host John Horan and oral history interns Michelle Witt and Madison Riley discuss the history of two dams and the lakes they created. The story of Fontana Dam and Lake as a tourist destination in western North Carolina is well documented, but this episode goes underneath the surface and uncovers the various towns and landmarks that were flooded when the dam was built. In much the same way, Jordan Dam and Lake changed the landscape of Chatham County. It took decades to build, and yet, much less is written and known about this story. In addition to discussing the dams, lakes, and what happened to towns like Japan and Seaforth, this episode explores how archivists and historians do their research to tell stories. It gives some tips on the best ways to interact with the repository at the State Archives and beyond.

Sources Mentioned:

“Moving Deadline Near for Fontana Reservoir Residents.” The Sylva Herald and Ruralite (Sylva, NC), October 25, 1944, p.4. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92074071/1944-10-25/ed-1/seq-4/

Map of North Carolina County Road Survey of Graham County, 1930, North Carolina State Highway Commissions. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/2050/rec/61

Map of Graham County (State Highway and Public Works Commission), 1953, North Carolina State Highways and Public Works Commission. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/7757/rec/78

“There’ll Be No ‘Japan.’” The Wallace Enterprise (Wallace, NC), December 31, 1942, p. 6. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn94058243/1942-12-31/ed-1/seq-6/

Mrs. Callie Pilkington home in Japan, NC, destroyed by Fontana Dam Project, June 1944, taken by John Hemmer. From the Department of Conservation and Development, Travel Information Division Photograph Collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/40934127163/

New Hill Baptist Church history 1888-1988: Soldiers of the Cross Marching on by Linda Barker, Wallace Womble, and Wayne Womble, 1988. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p249901coll37/id/23831/rec/5

Land development potential study, Chatham County, N.C, Chatham County (NC) Planning Board, 1970. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll9/id/163437/rec/19

Highways and History: Archival Documentation of Urban Renewal and ”Black Removal”

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:09:11 -0500

This episode tells the story of three North Carolinian communities and their intersection with highways and the urban renewal projects of the mid-20th century. The first story we explore is the experience of Durham’s Hayti neighborhood and the dismantling of a self-sustaining Black community. The next act of neighborhood destruction comes to us as Raleigh’s Smoky Hollow community was wiped away for Capital Boulevard and later gentrified. The final story of paving over communities comes from what is historically known as Southside and South Park in downtown Raleigh. This story illustrates how communities fought back and features Shaw University and an educational charrette that proposed a different outcome.

Sources Mentioned:

Terry Sanford Papers:

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/findingaids/PC_1851_Terry_Sanford_Papers.html

Durham Urban Renewal Records Exhibit:

https://www.digitalnc.org/exhibits/durham/

News and Observer Negative File, 1938-2018:

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/findingaids/PHC_NEWSOBSERVER_News_and_Obser_.html

Albert Barden Photograph Collection, 1910-1953:

https://axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov/findingaids/PHC_BARDEN_Albert_Barden_Photog_.html

North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection:

https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll9/id/517845/rec/32

Department of Transportation Planning and Programming: Transportation Planning File, 1953-1989 - No finding aid, unprocessed.

Flickr:

Smoky Hollow, Raleigh, NC

https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/albums/72157690696300263

Southside, Raleigh, NC

https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/albums/72157666781993290/with/26355667432/

Yo-Yos and Selfies: Exposing Photographs in the Albert Barden Collection

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 11:22:11 -0500

In this episode, audiovisual materials archivists Vann Evans and Ian Dunn introduce Raleigh photographer Albert Barden (1888–1953). For almost seventy years, curators and archivists have worked to preserve, catalog, and give meaning to his vast collection of photographs, which offer a snapshot of everyday and extraordinary life in North Carolina from nearly a century ago. Their work continues. Learn about Barden and some of the fascinating discoveries archivists have made, helping to identify previously unnamed or mislabeled photographs and revealing their importance.

Photographs Mentioned:

N_53_15_4313 | Raleigh Linen Supply Co, 3301 Hillsborough St

Raleigh Linen Supply Co, 3301 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC; ca 1941. Interior view showing office of manager Robert C Evans.

Photo by Albert Barden. From the Albert Barden Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.

N_53_16_6674 | S. M. Jones

Cobbler shop of S. M. Jones, East Davie Street in Raleigh, NC, 1926. The date is determined to be 1926 based on the days of the week listed on the poster seen on the side of the building. The man is believed to be Sherman Jones (1865-1932), a shoemaker. Under high magnification and some considerable squinting, the sign above Mr. Jones was found to read “S. M. Jones”-- beside it, a crudely painted boot. If Mr. Jones turned his head and looked across Davie Street he would be looking at present day Artspace. The Sir Walter Hotel can be seen in the background on the right.

N_53_16_5173 | Albert Barden and Sisters Daisy (left) and Violet

Albert Barden and Sisters Daisy (left) and Violet prob 1900 teens

Photo by Albert Barden. From the Albert Barden Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.

N_53_17_520 | People in Front of Raleigh City Hall with Yo-Yos

Group of unidentified people are seen on the steps of City Hall in Raleigh with Yo-Yos. Pedro Flores -inventor of Yo-Yos -is possibly seen front left c. 1930.

Photo by Albert Barden. From the Albert Barden Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.

The Great North Carolina Baking Show

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 10:46:47 -0500

Let’s bake history! In this episode, we feature historical recipes from family culinary manuscripts dating to the mid-19th century. Join us as we try cream cakes, blackberry cordial, pickle lily, and tomato catsup. We share our experiences testing these recipes, explore the history behind them, and discuss how culinary manuscripts can offer insights into the tastes and foodways of specific households in North Carolina. Transcripts of these recipes— along with a few suggestions to simplify or modernize them—and links to the full culinary manuscripts are available on our blog.

Culinary Manuscripts Available on North Carolina Digital Collections

Transcripts

Cream cakes from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

To Make Cream Cake

A quart of cream; four eggs sifted flour sufficient

for a thick batter; a small teaspoonful of pearlash,*

a spoonful of salt; beat four eggs very light and stir

them by degrees (a little at a time) into a quart of

cream & gradually enough of sifted flour to make

a thick batter put in the salt; dissolve the pearlash

in as much vinegar as will cover it and stir it

in the mixture. Bake it in muffin rings send them

up hot split them open & butter them. Sour cream

is better than sweet. The pearlash will remove the

acidity & the batter will be improved in lightness.

*Baking soda serves as a modern substitute for pearl ash.

Catsup from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

A Recipe for Making Catsup

Take one Gallon of Skinned Tomatoes 4 table

spoonsfull of Salt 2 do* of Black pepper, a

Half do of Allspice 3 pods of Read pepper

3 tablespoonsfull of Mustard ground very fine

& Simmer’d slowly in sharp vinegar for 3

Or 4 hours in a puter basin, & then bottle

it close, those who like garlick after the

simmering is over and the ingredients cool

you may add 2 tablespoonfuls of the juice.

*Do (or ditto) refers to the unit of measure used with the previous ingredient.

Adaptations: Bell pepper may be substituted for the “read pepper” for a milder flavor. Minced garlic can be substituted for garlic juice.

Pickle lily from the Dodd Recipe Book, 1859. Lillian E. Dodd Collection. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.150.

To Make Pickle Lily

Scald some vinegar and season with

Salt, pepper, cloves, mace and allspice and

When highly seasoned and Cold, pour into

Jar. Drop into this vinegar as they ripen.

Small Cucumbers tender radish pods

Young beans and very small onions.

Cork close.

Adaptation: Use equal parts vinegar and water for a more balanced pickle.

Blackberry cordial from the Polk Recipe Book Two, 1858. Lucy Williams Polk Papers. Private Collections. State Archives of North Carolina. Call no. PC.75.

Blackberry Cordial

Gather your Blackberries & mash them up then

strain them through a sifter & put all the pulp

& seed out. Then to every quart put 1 pound of

Brown sugar stew it well together when dun

take three measures of syrup to 1 of Brandy then

bottle it. Put any kind of spice you like allspice

is generally used

Adaptation: For a clearer, less muddled cordial, simmer the blackberries and your desired spices for roughly 30 minutes to release the juices, then dissolve the sugar into the mixture and strain.

Welcome to our Front Porch: A History of Bynum‘s Community

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:58:31 -0500

This episode tells the story of Bynum, a former North Carolina mill town reinvented as a lively and welcoming artists’ colony. Residents Martha Collins, Ron Hatley, and Ted Williams tell stories about growing up in Bynum when the mill was still in operation. They discuss the conditions for millworkers and today’s environmental activism. They share their pride in Bynum Front Porch, a vibrant community hub and performance venue. “Artists are artists, so they’re a little eclectic to begin with. All of Bynum is eclectic if you look at it,” Ron Hatley says. “We’re living in a little bubble of happiness.”

Telling Fuquay‘s Tobacco Story

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 10:17:07 -0500

This second episode of the season tells the story of the tobacco industry in Fuquay-Varina, a now booming suburb south of Raleigh. This story is told through the lenses of Morgan Johnson, a former intern at the State Archives and Fuquay native, and Fred Wagstaff, a 94-year-old from Fuquay who worked in the local tobacco fields and markets his whole life. An oral history interview conducted with Wagstaff recounts the entire history of the leaf that made Fuquay a "busy, bustling town," from his relatives who moved to the area in the early 1900s to escape the notorious Granville Wilt tobacco disease, to his own time as a ticket marker in the town's tobacco markets until their closure in the 1990s and early 2000s. The history of tobacco in Fuquay is a compelling reminder of the agricultural legacy in North Carolina's rural communities and the power of telling everyday stories through oral history.

Tales Around the Campfire | Episode 1, part 2, ”Ghostly Governor”

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 10:58:50 -0400

In this second part of episode one, we’ll move to the early 1970s and find a ghost haunting the halls of the Governor’s Mansion. Who reported this ghost to the public? It was none other than the sitting governor himself, Governor Bob Scott. Learn more about the supposed ghost of Governor Fowle, his haunted bed, and the responses from concerned people in North Carolina and across the world.

Tales Around the Campfire | Episode 1, part 1, ”Witches & Werewolves”

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 08:09:16 -0400

For the first episode of this season, we tell three of the spookiest stories from the collections held in the State Archives of North Carolina. We’ll first explore the earliest years of colonial North Carolina and find trials for witchcraft in old Albemarle County. You may expect to hear about wrongful convictions and superstition, but instead you’ll learn how the women charged with witchcraft in North Carolina fought back in court and won.

Then, we’ll move to Richmond County in 1799 to learn about a political figure so hated by his rivals that they believed he had succumbed to the bite of a “mad wolf.” Yes, an official petition send to the General Assembly claimed that their local candidate for Congress was a werewolf! But who was this figure that inspired such “wild” claims? The life of Duncan McFarlane was more eventful than even a werewolf petition could ever convey.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 3, part 3, “Jim Wilcox: Guilty or Not?”

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 08:41:11 -0500

In episode 3, “Jim Wilcox Guilty or Not?” our archivists ponder the aftermath of the trials and the enduring mysteries surrounding the famous case.

Epilogue at the 25:00 mark: On Nov. 20, 2019, 118 years since Nell's disappearance, archivists Debbi Blake and Chris Meekins visited the Cropsey home in Elizabeth City, NC to see the related artifacts and visit the graves of some of the major players. Hear their impressions.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 2, part 2, "Charges and Trials"

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 09:17:54 -0500

In episode 2, “Charges and Trials”, archivists Debbi Blake and Chris Meekins outline the indictment and testimony in the trials of James Wilcox for the murder of Nell Cropsey. The first trial took place in March 1902 in Elizabeth City and the second in March 1903 in Hertford in Perquimans County. Both verdicts were appealed to the Supreme Court.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

The Murder of Nell Cropsey | Episode 1, part 1, "Disappearance and Recovery"

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 11:40:18 -0500

The story of young Nell Cropsey is one that has been repeated throughout time. A relationship ends and a woman disappears shortly thereafter. Records maintained by the State Archives illustrate the tragedy as it unfolded in turn-of-the-20th-century Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

In episode 1, “Disappearance and Recovery”, our archivists set the stage for the tragedy that unfolds late in the year 1901 when Nell Cropsey disappears from her home. Her sister Olive, Olive’s suitor Roy Crawford, and Nell’s suitor Jim Wilcox were the last people known to see her alive. Her body was found in the Pasquotank River in front of her home thirty-seven days later.

See the documents referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

"Animal Stories"

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 08:38:05 -0500

In this episode, archivists Debbie Blake, Ellen Brooks, Randon McCrea, and Chris Meekins delve into animal mayhem in the Old North State. Using government journals, maps, newspaper articles and more they explore the stories of animals wreaking havoc in the General Assembly, the streets of Charlotte, and on a porch near the Pee Dee River.

Special guests: Ask a Ranger podcast hosts, Ranger Crystal and Ranger Jess (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askaranger/ | Ask a Ranger podcast: https://www.ncparks.gov/ask-ranger).

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Ghost Ship: The Mystery of the Carroll A. Deering | Episode 2, part 2, "A Great Maritime Mystery"

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:19:19 -0500

This episode continues the story of the Carroll A. Deering. Our archivists, Donna Kelly, Stuart Parks, and Chris Meekins explore how newspapers reported the event; how maps helped show the route taken by the ship; what was found onboard the ship; its eventual destruction once it could not be salvaged or refloated; an official worldwide investigation into the crew’s disappearance; numerous theories on the fate of the crew; and what became of the timbers that washed ashore.

See the newspaper articles and photographs referenced in this episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Ghost Ship: The Mystery of the Carroll A. Deering | Episode 1, part 1, "A Ghostly Monument"

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 08:33:44 -0500

This episode is about a ship, the Carroll A. Deering, whose crew mysteriously disappeared without a trace off the Outer Banks of North Carolina in late January of 1921. Our archivists, Donna Kelly, Stuart Parks, and Chris Meekins, give background on the ship and her crew; elaborate on the treacherous nature of the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”; and give details about several attempts to board the ship, once it is spotted run aground on Diamond Shoals.

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 3, part 3, "Frankie at Rest"

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:03:28 -0500

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831. Episode 3, the final in the Frankie Silver series, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake about Frankie Silver's escape; pleas for her pardon, her eventual hanging, and ways that her story resonates in contemporary times.

Special guests: Singer/songwriter Joe Newberry (http://joenewberry.me/wordpress/), NY best-seller Sharyn McCrumb (http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/)

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 2, part 2, "Frankie Goes to Trial"

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 08:41:24 -0400

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831. Episode 2, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake for a recount of Frankie Silver’s trial and appeal.

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged | Episode 1, part 1, "Charlie Goes Missing"

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 07:02:54 -0400

“Frankie Silver: A Woman Hanged” is the story of a gruesome death, prisoner disguise and escape, and the eventual hanging of a young woman found guilty of murdering her husband in 1831. Episode 1, host Andrea Gabriel talks with archivists Chris Meekins and Debbie Blake as they introduce the characters, time and place, and circumstances of the crime.

Special guest: NY Times best-seller, Sharyn McCrumb (http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/)

See the documents mentioned in the episode at the State Archives of North Carolina's History For All the People blog.

Connecting the Docs Teaser

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 10:40:00 -0400

We are excited to announce a forthcoming podcast from the State Archives of North Carolina. "Connecting the Docs" will use archival materials to introduce listeners to fascinating and true stories from around the Old North State. The theme of our first season is "Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem." Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's a link to the State Archives Blog, "History for all the People."