North Carolina History Websites, Resources, Books
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State Archives of North Carolina
Welcome to the YouTube channel of the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh, NC. The State Archives of North Carolina collects, preserves, and makes available for public use historical and evidential materials relating to North Carolina, including official records of state, county, and...
www.youtube.com
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I grew up in Eastern NC. I worked in tobacco growing up until I got old enough to get a better job. Working tobacco was awful. But one thing I learned was that none of the tobacco grown in Eastern NC was used in cigars. What was grown in Eastern NC was used in cigarettes. If Senator Kerr Scott was so darn worried about tobacco in NC, then very least he could have done was to smoke a cigarette during that film rather than a cigar. In 1958, I bet that cigar came directy from CUBA! It was probably hand-rolled by Fidel Castro himself. Until today, I never knew Kerr Scott was some kind of commie-pinko sympathizer.
donbosco
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This somewhat unattributed but super-useful website has it all...particularly about the colonial and early history of the state of North Carolina. There's some South Carolina stuff too.
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donbosco
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Six Forks, Millbrook, Oberlin: The hidden history of Raleigh's street names
Many of Raleigh's street names tell the secret story of Raleigh's history, pointing to hidden underground mines, lost farming communities and names of long-gone leaders and heroes who helped build our city.
www.wral.com
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donbosco
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donbosco
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https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/built-for-the-people/the-miracle-in-the-wilderness
Fontana Dam: The Miracle in the Wilderness
Fontana Dam: The Miracle in the Wilderness
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The Southern Appalachian Digital Collections contain 30124 records
Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
<p>The Southern Appalachian Digital Collections Partnership provides online access to unique regionally focused digitized materials that document the history and culture of Southern Appalac
southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org
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A bit more Raleigh History Here...
hiddenhistorian.com
Holly's Park: Remembering Raleigh's lost amusement park
Did you know Raleigh once had a huge amusement park -- complete with a carousel, steamboat, pony rides and a kiddie train circling it all?
hiddenhistorian.com
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donbosco
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Federal Writers' Project Papers, 1936-1940
Federal Writers' Project.Abstract:
W. T. Couch (1901), a white publisher and editor, was also a part-time official of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration, as assistant and associate director for North Carolina, 1936-1937, and as director for the southern region, 1938-1939. These papers include his correspondence relating to the project and narratives (called "life histories") of about 1,200 individuals, written by about 60 members of the project after one or more oral history interviews with the subjects. Persons interviewed, many of them African Americans, described life in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. There is a partial index to the many occupations of those interviewed. Also included, on microfilm, are ghost stories, local legends, etc., gathered in the project.
Extent:12000 items (15.0 linear feet)Language:Materials in EnglishLibrary Catalog Link:View UNC library catalog record for this item
Federal Writers' Project Papers, 1936-1940
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Spring 2025 North Carolina History Papers...
“The Castle Doctrine on Trial: A Murder on Rhamsgatte Rd, Raleigh, 1930”
The student’s grandfather had shot a man on his front porch with whom he had argued earlier in the day. The trial was well-covered in Raleigh newspapers. He was acquitted.
“O. Max Gardner: The Personified Progressive Plutocrat? (With Special Emphasis on V.O. Key’s Southern Politics in State and Nation)”
“I am by nature an optimist and at heart a progressive, yet I have been forced into the position of taking my place in the minds of a great many of my dearest friends as a reactionary… Although I am by instinct bullish, I caught the State in a bearish market.”
“William G. Walsh and a Moral Stand: Moonshiner and North Wilkesboro Chief of Police”
"The people of Wilkes County involved with moonshining and bootlegging, on both sides of the law, upheld their own sense of morality."
“Smoke and Mirrors: The Often Obscured History of Tar Heel Barbecue”
“Since no singular group can stake a claim to the origins of North Carolinian barbecue, it is able to belong to every North Carolinian. Rich or poor, black or white, eastern or western, barbecue means many different things to different people. That is a feature, not a bug. If this were better understood, perhaps people would stop bickering about the presence of ketchup and enjoy the ‘good food and fellowship,’ inherent to barbecue, as described by Linwood Parker. That will likely never happen though, because as Jerry Bledsoe said, ‘The feud is just as good as the food.’”
“The Goldsboro Broken Arrow, U.S. Military Recklessness and Secrecy, and Small-Town North Carolina”
“Regarding Broken Arrows, the irony is that the U.S. and its military merely pay lip service to the ideals they champion, in this case transparency and accountability, while in actuality engaging in the same patterns of behavior that have defined all of the most oppressive states in history.”
“Earl Owensby: North Carolina Independent film and Southern Identity”
“Owensby’s life mirrors themes of Southern Individuality that would dominate Sunbelt drive-In theaters, giving him a uniquely advantageous position as an Independent North Carolinian filmmaker.”
“Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and The Tension Created by Slavery and The Cult of True Womanhood”
“Incidents is the true story of Jacob's escape from slavery and was published in 1861 to convince northern white women to support abolition.”
“The Infamous Smithfield Sign: A History”
“North Carolina is known infamously for its reputation as not only having a big population, but prolific history with the Ku Klux Klan, and Johnston County had arguably one of the largest roles to play.”
“Gerrymandering in North Carolina”
“If district lines continue to be drawn to exclude rather than include, to preserve power rather than reflect it, then the lines themselves become weapons against -not tools for- of democracy. North Carolina’s long struggle with gerrymandering serves as both a mirror and a warning: the past is not past, and the fight for free and fair elections is far from over.”
“Gastonia to Greensboro: Anti-Communism, Racism and Labor in North Carolina”
“Fifty years separated two bloody events in North Carolina’s textile mill mottled Piedmont region. The gunning down of labor leader Ella May Wiggins by anti-communists in September 1929 to the massacre of five members of the Communist Workers Party (CWP) by Klu Klux Klan (KKK) and Nationalist Socialist Party of America (Nazis) in November of 1979. These murders, divided by nearly a lifetime, were tied together by the motivations of the perpetrators, the organizing efforts of the slain, and the political economy of the South’s textile mill society. In both cases no party was found guilty for the daylight killings. Blame instead was pivoted to “outside agitators,” communists, anti-racists and labor organizers. Carpetbaggers, Yankees, and scalawags who disrupt and undermine the peaceful status quo of white supremacy and paternalism in the South had a long precedent before the threat of ‘Reds’ shuttled into the fabric of social life. The insidious qualities of such a person were manifold, they were anyone for integration, unions, and equality.”
“Abraham Galloway and the Fight for Black Political Power in Wilmington”
“Wilmington, North Carolina, served as a significant hub of Black political power and community organization during the Reconstruction era, with influential figures such as Abraham Galloway playing a central role. The city’s vibrant Black press, civic institutions, and active participation in Republican politics made it a symbol of African American progress in the post-emancipation South. However, this rise in Black influence also heightened racial tensions, ultimately culminating in the violent Wilmington Massacre of 1898. By examining Abraham Galloway as a case study, we can better understand how the emergence of Black political leadership during Reconstruction provoked a deliberate and violent response from white supremacist forces determined to restore racial hierarchy and suppress Black advancement.”
“A Dam Problem: Desperation, Displacement, and the Lake Constructed From It: The TVA and Fontana Dam”
“The TVA disrupted entire communities, displacing Swain County residents and its workers, under the guise of national progress. Fontana Dam serves as a case study in federal opportunism, in which the Tennessee Valley Authority exploited the economic desperation of the Great Depression and wartime urgency to construct a massive project in western North Carolina.”
“Railroads in Western North Carolina: The East and The West of Regional Unity?”
“Once the railways reached the mountains, society began to prosper and grow, fostering regional unity. Once developed, it created economic opportunities, growth, and freedoms in Western North Carolina. The railroads had a significant social impact by reducing the region's isolation, eliminating social isolationism, unifying eastern and Western North Carolina, and helping the state compete economically with its neighbors. Despite the railroads' positive impact, the expansion also caused political turmoil, furthering political division over the topic.”
“Behold an Iron Horse: The Rise of The Motorcycle in North Carolina”
“The allure of the motorcycle as an icon for the outlaw has an appeal that draws those that wish to be seen as members of an out group and that grouping in turn leads to the formation of outfits that then seek to be more widely accepted in the public zeitgeist. This desire to be both a member and an individual is an apt reflection of the seeming contradiction of the rugged individualism and strong group ties that mark those that call Western North Carolina home. “
“Development of North Carolina’s culture through music and musicians from the 1880’s-1930’s”
“Music has been a key to cultural development due to its uniqueness to the area of where it ended up being developed, and it played a prominent role in the development of the culture in not only Western North Carolina, but North Carolina as a whole between 1880 and the 1930’s.”
“Mansion in the Mountains: A History of Fred Seely, The Overlook, and UNCA”
“In the mountains of Western North Carolina there are many architectural marvels including the Grove Park Inn, Biltmore, and the Zealandia. There is another lesser known castle in Asheville that sits atop Sunset Mountain in the Eastern side of Asheville near the Grove Park Inn called The Seely/Overlook Castle. The castle has gone through several changes throughout its history including being the residential home of its owner, Fred Seely. It was also the first home of what would eventually become the University of North Carolina at Asheville, then called Asheville-Biltmore College, and today, it is back in private residential hands. This paper will focus on the history of the mansion, its owner and his life, and the connections to the University of North Carolina at Asheville.”
“North Carolina Churches' Role in Reconstruction”
“African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Methodist, and Episcopal denominations are significant in North Carolina, not only for their ubiquitousness but for their history of forming an emancipated people’s society through education and community from the Civil War onward.”
“The Castle Doctrine on Trial: A Murder on Rhamsgatte Rd, Raleigh, 1930”
The student’s grandfather had shot a man on his front porch with whom he had argued earlier in the day. The trial was well-covered in Raleigh newspapers. He was acquitted.
“O. Max Gardner: The Personified Progressive Plutocrat? (With Special Emphasis on V.O. Key’s Southern Politics in State and Nation)”
“I am by nature an optimist and at heart a progressive, yet I have been forced into the position of taking my place in the minds of a great many of my dearest friends as a reactionary… Although I am by instinct bullish, I caught the State in a bearish market.”
“William G. Walsh and a Moral Stand: Moonshiner and North Wilkesboro Chief of Police”
"The people of Wilkes County involved with moonshining and bootlegging, on both sides of the law, upheld their own sense of morality."
“Smoke and Mirrors: The Often Obscured History of Tar Heel Barbecue”
“Since no singular group can stake a claim to the origins of North Carolinian barbecue, it is able to belong to every North Carolinian. Rich or poor, black or white, eastern or western, barbecue means many different things to different people. That is a feature, not a bug. If this were better understood, perhaps people would stop bickering about the presence of ketchup and enjoy the ‘good food and fellowship,’ inherent to barbecue, as described by Linwood Parker. That will likely never happen though, because as Jerry Bledsoe said, ‘The feud is just as good as the food.’”
“The Goldsboro Broken Arrow, U.S. Military Recklessness and Secrecy, and Small-Town North Carolina”
“Regarding Broken Arrows, the irony is that the U.S. and its military merely pay lip service to the ideals they champion, in this case transparency and accountability, while in actuality engaging in the same patterns of behavior that have defined all of the most oppressive states in history.”
“Earl Owensby: North Carolina Independent film and Southern Identity”
“Owensby’s life mirrors themes of Southern Individuality that would dominate Sunbelt drive-In theaters, giving him a uniquely advantageous position as an Independent North Carolinian filmmaker.”
“Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and The Tension Created by Slavery and The Cult of True Womanhood”
“Incidents is the true story of Jacob's escape from slavery and was published in 1861 to convince northern white women to support abolition.”
“The Infamous Smithfield Sign: A History”
“North Carolina is known infamously for its reputation as not only having a big population, but prolific history with the Ku Klux Klan, and Johnston County had arguably one of the largest roles to play.”
“Gerrymandering in North Carolina”
“If district lines continue to be drawn to exclude rather than include, to preserve power rather than reflect it, then the lines themselves become weapons against -not tools for- of democracy. North Carolina’s long struggle with gerrymandering serves as both a mirror and a warning: the past is not past, and the fight for free and fair elections is far from over.”
“Gastonia to Greensboro: Anti-Communism, Racism and Labor in North Carolina”
“Fifty years separated two bloody events in North Carolina’s textile mill mottled Piedmont region. The gunning down of labor leader Ella May Wiggins by anti-communists in September 1929 to the massacre of five members of the Communist Workers Party (CWP) by Klu Klux Klan (KKK) and Nationalist Socialist Party of America (Nazis) in November of 1979. These murders, divided by nearly a lifetime, were tied together by the motivations of the perpetrators, the organizing efforts of the slain, and the political economy of the South’s textile mill society. In both cases no party was found guilty for the daylight killings. Blame instead was pivoted to “outside agitators,” communists, anti-racists and labor organizers. Carpetbaggers, Yankees, and scalawags who disrupt and undermine the peaceful status quo of white supremacy and paternalism in the South had a long precedent before the threat of ‘Reds’ shuttled into the fabric of social life. The insidious qualities of such a person were manifold, they were anyone for integration, unions, and equality.”
“Abraham Galloway and the Fight for Black Political Power in Wilmington”
“Wilmington, North Carolina, served as a significant hub of Black political power and community organization during the Reconstruction era, with influential figures such as Abraham Galloway playing a central role. The city’s vibrant Black press, civic institutions, and active participation in Republican politics made it a symbol of African American progress in the post-emancipation South. However, this rise in Black influence also heightened racial tensions, ultimately culminating in the violent Wilmington Massacre of 1898. By examining Abraham Galloway as a case study, we can better understand how the emergence of Black political leadership during Reconstruction provoked a deliberate and violent response from white supremacist forces determined to restore racial hierarchy and suppress Black advancement.”
“A Dam Problem: Desperation, Displacement, and the Lake Constructed From It: The TVA and Fontana Dam”
“The TVA disrupted entire communities, displacing Swain County residents and its workers, under the guise of national progress. Fontana Dam serves as a case study in federal opportunism, in which the Tennessee Valley Authority exploited the economic desperation of the Great Depression and wartime urgency to construct a massive project in western North Carolina.”
“Railroads in Western North Carolina: The East and The West of Regional Unity?”
“Once the railways reached the mountains, society began to prosper and grow, fostering regional unity. Once developed, it created economic opportunities, growth, and freedoms in Western North Carolina. The railroads had a significant social impact by reducing the region's isolation, eliminating social isolationism, unifying eastern and Western North Carolina, and helping the state compete economically with its neighbors. Despite the railroads' positive impact, the expansion also caused political turmoil, furthering political division over the topic.”
“Behold an Iron Horse: The Rise of The Motorcycle in North Carolina”
“The allure of the motorcycle as an icon for the outlaw has an appeal that draws those that wish to be seen as members of an out group and that grouping in turn leads to the formation of outfits that then seek to be more widely accepted in the public zeitgeist. This desire to be both a member and an individual is an apt reflection of the seeming contradiction of the rugged individualism and strong group ties that mark those that call Western North Carolina home. “
“Development of North Carolina’s culture through music and musicians from the 1880’s-1930’s”
“Music has been a key to cultural development due to its uniqueness to the area of where it ended up being developed, and it played a prominent role in the development of the culture in not only Western North Carolina, but North Carolina as a whole between 1880 and the 1930’s.”
“Mansion in the Mountains: A History of Fred Seely, The Overlook, and UNCA”
“In the mountains of Western North Carolina there are many architectural marvels including the Grove Park Inn, Biltmore, and the Zealandia. There is another lesser known castle in Asheville that sits atop Sunset Mountain in the Eastern side of Asheville near the Grove Park Inn called The Seely/Overlook Castle. The castle has gone through several changes throughout its history including being the residential home of its owner, Fred Seely. It was also the first home of what would eventually become the University of North Carolina at Asheville, then called Asheville-Biltmore College, and today, it is back in private residential hands. This paper will focus on the history of the mansion, its owner and his life, and the connections to the University of North Carolina at Asheville.”
“North Carolina Churches' Role in Reconstruction”
“African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Methodist, and Episcopal denominations are significant in North Carolina, not only for their ubiquitousness but for their history of forming an emancipated people’s society through education and community from the Civil War onward.”