This post continues from an earlier post, that centered on The North Carolina Manual. We’ll now look at the 1913 edition of The Manual specifically. This edition was published by the North Carolina Historical Commission, made up of members such as J. Bryan Grimes, chairman from Raleigh, and D.H. Hill, also from Raleigh. Hill, you may recall, has a library named after him at North Carolina State University. The 1913 edition offers readers some interesting pieces of information from that time, and we will be highlighting this in today’s post. For instance, in 1913, Governor Locke Craig earned a whopping $5,000 for his annual salary; the then-Attorney General earned $3,000. There were 41 official Standing Committees in the state Senate during this time, notably Committees on "Insane Asylums, Institutions for the Blind, Institutions for the Deaf, and on Shellfish." The House had a similar Standing Committee for “Shellfish" and a committee on "Oyster Interests." 

There is brief mention of "Pensions for Confederate Veterans" and for those Confederate veterans who were "totally blind and disabled," the law allowed $120 per year, per veteran, which totaled $13,280.00 in the year 1907. For years 1911-1912, the number of teachers in the state totaled 11,914 and the average monthly salary of all teachers was only $35.80.  Additionally, the veterinary division of the Department of Agriculture was responsible for developing an anticholera serum" and, according to the 1913 edition, "ninety-five percent of the hogs vaccinated escaped cholera….and it is expected that the scourge of cholera will be much abated." One other item of note from the 1913 edition mentions a "Hall of History" that was created in 1903 as part of the NC State Museum. It housed "a collection of objects illustrating every period of the life of North Carolina, as Province, Colony, and State…particularly rich in objects of the Colonial and Revolutionary periods and that of the Civil War…already exceeding $1,500 in value." Regarding these materials, The NC Historical Commission stated that they "are thoroughly protected against injury by moths or other insects and are set before the public in the most attractive way."

Additionally, in 1913 the NC State Library held "no works of fiction, unless they be by North Carolina authors, or portray North Carolina life…" There were 32,246 total volumes in the library in addition to 5,852 "Government Books." Instruction as we know "library instruction" today, was in its nascent stages. The Chairman of the Library Commission for the state would "give a course in library methods as a regular department of the Summer School of the State University." It was a course taught for those who were librarians in public school libraries. 

The 1913 Manual also discusses a few different schools and colleges from 1913. The North Carolina State Normal and Industrial College, now known as UNC Greensboro, was originally established in 1891 and its main purpose was "to give young women such education as shall fit them for teaching; to give instruction to young women in drawing, telegraphy, typewriting, stenography, and such other industrial arts as may be suitable to their sex and conducive to their support and usefulness." It should be noted that this institution was only open to enrolling "the white women of North Carolina." None other than Andrew Carnegie himself donated the money to build the library at this institution. Appalachian State University and East Carolina University, previously known as Watauga Academy or Appalachian Training School, and East Carolina Teachers Training School respectively, were also mentioned in the 1913 edition of the NC Manual, listing number of enrolled students, leaders of the schools, and how many acres the schools possessed in the early 1900s, among other information. Finally, the State School for the Blind and the Deaf was established in 1845, and by 1913, had "a very neat and convenient library that was constructed, entirely fireproof, at a cost of $5,000…" per the Manual. There were two schools for the deaf and blind; one for white children and one for "the negro deaf and blind children of the state…which has grown to be the largest and best equipped school for the negro deaf and blind in the South." 

Many more details about these and other schools are listed than can be described here, but we invite you to contact us at UNCW Library to learn more.

October is coming to an end. As the UNC Wilmington community prepares to celebrate a long-awaited Halloween holiday, the Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History is observing another occasion: American Archives Month. Every October, archivists share information about archives, historical records, and their value to the public. University Archives is celebrating both Halloween and American Archives Month by writing this week’s blog post about Apparition, a defunct UNCW creative magazine dedicated to all things horror, suspense, and Halloween. 

Many members of the UNCW community are familiar with Atlantis, the University’s student-led creative magazine. Since 1971, Atlantis’ team has carefully selected and published the prose, poetry, artwork, and photography of talented college students from across North Carolina. Apparition, a Halloween publication, was at different times sponsored by Atlantis and the UNCW English Club, though student organizational records do not clearly indicate which group created the magazine. An article from the October 5, 1977 Seahawk newspaper mentions both organizations in a campus-wide search for “suspense or horror short stories” for the Apparition, suggesting that the magazine was a joint effort between the two student groups. Although the circumstances surrounding Apparition's creation are uncertain, the publication clearly resembles Atlantis. Like Atlantis, it features short stories, poems, artwork, and captivating front covers.

There are few references to Apparition in student periodicals, but an article from the October 20, 1976, Seahawk speaks positively about the magazine. According to the article, the 1975 edition of the Apparition was so popular that every copy was gone within just two hours. Perhaps students were drawn to the magazine’s pumpkin-colored front covers and the intricate—although eerie—hand-drawn illustrations. Others might have been intrigued by the spooky poems and short stories that bore titles like “The Hunted,” “There were Footsteps,” and “Peering into the Darkness.”

Although the Apparition is no longer being published, you can still view this Halloween-themed magazine by visiting the CSENCAH Reading Room on the second floor of Discovery Hall during our open hours. Or, contact us to make an appointment.

Sources

• English Club, 1983-1988, undated, Box: 25, Folder: 10, University of North Carolina Wilmington Student Affairs Records UA-RG-11, Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History, https://archivesspace.uncw.edu/repositories/4/archival_objects/136239.
• English Club Seeking Stories (1977 October 5). The Seahawk, page 13. https://digitalcollections.uncw.edu/digital/collection/p17190coll1/id/2298/rec/4.
• Lance Smith: Working With A Growing Magazine (1976 October 20). The Seahawk, page 12.          https://digitalcollections.uncw.edu/digital/collection/p17190coll1/id/3192/rec/6.

Every year, October marks American Archives Month, an advocacy initiative of the Society of American Archivists. Archival institutions across the country highlight their collections with activities and events to promote awareness of archival materials and the importance of maintaining historical records.

Here in North Carolina, the Society of North Carolina Archivists (SNCA) selects an annual theme for archivists across the state to follow when showcasing the work they do in making primary sources accessible to the public.

This year’s theme is North Carolina’s 250th, in honor of the nation approaching its 250th anniversary in 2026, and celebrates the “different peoples of North Carolina and the part they played in the history of the country” since 1776. Special Collections’ manuscript collections contain primary and secondary material that document significant national moments from the last 250 years. Here are some of the people of southeast North Carolina that have made an impact over the years:

18th Century

The Declaration of Independence was signed by three men from North Carolina: Joseph Hewes, John Penn, and William Hooper (1742-1790). Hooper lived in Wilmington at the time, where he’d been practicing law since 1764, and owned a house [pictured¹] on the Masonboro Sound from 1773-1801. He represented New Hanover County on the first Committee of Correspondence, coordinating patriot opposition to British policies in advance of the American Revolution. This work would lead to his election to both the First and Second Continental Congresses. Though he missed the approval of the Declaration on July 4, 1776, he returned to Philadelphia on August 2 and signed not far below John Hancock.

19th Century

The World's Columbian Exposition, commonly referred to as the World’s Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893 and was one of the largest of the fairs, with more than 27 million visitors from across the globe. Florence Hill Kidder (1850-1917) was appointed a "lady manager" for the state of North Carolina by the World's Columbian Commission and helped with the many North Carolina exhibits that were displayed in the subject-specific halls. Her colonial exhibit won an award [pictured²], and upon her return to North Carolina, she established the North Carolina chapter of the National Society for the Colonial Dames of America in 1894. Kidder lived with her husband, George, at 308 Dock Street in downtown Wilmington, where the home, known as the Kidder House, still stands today.

20th Century

Amidst the national civil rights movement, the New Hanover County school system faced community pressure and legal action for its lack of progress towards desegregating schools, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. Integration finally happened in 1968 and included the closure of the Black high school, Williston, where long-time educator and community leader Bertha Boykin Todd (1929-) [pictured³] worked as a librarian before moving to an administrative role at Hoggard High School. Racial tensions post desegregation ultimately led to violence and riots in 1971, when ten individuals, known as the Wilmington Ten, were accused of setting a grocery store on fire. Todd worked to sow peace and amity within the schools during this tumultuous time and later helped to exonerate the Wilmington Ten, all part of her ongoing activism and efforts to build multicultural relationships in New Hanover County. You can learn more about her life in the Bertha Boykin Todd Papers. 

Sources

1. MS 418 Relvin Vaughn (R.V.) Asbury, Jr. Papers, Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History

2. MS 083 Kidder Award and Certificate of Membership, Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History

3. MS 408 Star-News Image Archive, Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History

In October, the Center for Southeast NC Archives and History is excited to host an open house! Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 30, from 4-5:30pm and come join us!

In the Center’s Reading Room (Discovery Hall 2095), we will have items on display related to our collecting areas: government information, manuscript collections, rare and special publications, and University records. Our team will be on hand to chat about the Center’s collections and services – we are available for use by faculty, staff, students, community members, and all kinds of information-seekers looking for information about the history of Southeast North Carolina!

We will also be celebrating the library’s 60th year of being part of the Federal Depository Library Program, which helps the public access federal government information. 

Folks from all around may find this open house helpful: students, faculty, staff, community members of all kinds. Our collections document the University and its history and Southeastern North Carolina encompassing New Hanover County and the surrounding region including Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Pender, Onslow, and Sampson counties. 

Off-campus visitors may find this information about visitor parking on campus useful. Please email csencah@uncw.edu with any questions. 

Light refreshments will be served. Please stop by, for 5 minutes or 50 – and bring your research questions! 

From 1944 to 2020, the servicemembers of U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (with the assistance of some additional civilian staff) published a weekly newspaper called The Globe. The articles in this newspaper are vital pieces of evidence towards reconstructing the lived experiences of individual service members stationed at Camp Lejeune, in Jacksonville, N.C., throughout the second half of the 20th century.  

Extant issues of the Globe are few and far between, and it can be difficult to track down historical issues of the newspaper. The good news is that a nearly complete run of issues has been digitized and made freely accessible to the public online by the U.S. Department of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). Researchers can browse and download issues via the DVIDS database. 

If you need to access an issue that isn’t featured in the database, tracking down a print copy is challenging. A largely complete run of print issues dated 1944-2013 are held at the Harriotte B. Smith Library at Camp Lejeune, but not all issues are present. Also, access to the Harriotte B. Smith Library may be difficult if you aren’t a member of the Marine Corps. You can contact the library directly for information about accessing these issues. 

The Center has a handful of print issues available for onsite access, in MS 195 USO Club, Jacksonville NC Collection, but coverage is scattered, and many issues are incomplete fragments. A few libraries across the country hold microfilm editions of the newspaper, which researchers might be able to borrow via the Interlibrary Loan program from a public or academic library with which they are affiliated. To our knowledge, these are the only libraries with microfilm copies in their holdings: 

• State Library of North Carolina: 1944-1945
• Wilson Library, UNC Chapel Hill: 1944-1948; 1992-2003
• University of Wisconsin-Madison: 1944-1976; 1978-1991; 1994 

For more information about historical newspapers from this part of North Carolina, check out our Guide to Southeast North Carolina Newspapers, which explains how to find and access back issues of newspapers known to have been published in the Center's eight-county region from the 18th century to the present.