Charter, Spring 2018

THE CHARTER

The State Archives of North Carolina Fall 2017 The State Archives of North Carolina Spring 2018

The Future of the Past

Published by the State Archives of North Carolina in partnership with the Friends of the Archives

Editor
Christine Botta

Copy Editor
Kelly Clark Policelli

Designer
Anna Henrichsen

Contributors
Kim Andersen, Debbi Blake, Jennifer Blomberg, Christine Botta, Carie Chesarino, Sarah Downing, Andrea Gabriel, Donna Kelly, Sarah Koonts, Chris Meekins, Matthew Peek, Emily Rainwater, Mathew Waehner, Jo Ann Williford, and Ashley Yandle.

In-house photographs by
Mathew Waehner

The mission of the State Archives is to collect, preserve, manage, and provide access to information that protects citizen rights, documents North Carolina history and culture, promotes transparency, and encourages stewardship of government records.

The Charter is a publication of the Division of Archives and Records, funded by the Friends of the Archives, Inc., a nonprofit organization. Copies are electronically distributed to FOA members twice annually.

State Archives of North Carolina
109 East Jones St.
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4614
Phone: (919) 807-7310

Cover Photo:
Microfilm technician Trina Morgan operates a brand new scanner, 2018. Photo by Mat Waehner, State Archives of North Carolina
Operating Xerox Processing Center, 1960. From the State Library Bicentennial Collection, State Library of North Carolina

From 109 East Jones

The staff of the State Archives provides numerous tours to visitors from around the world. In the last few decades, those in attendance have usually been adults. Since 2013, however, a growing audience has been the K–12 school community, particularly middle and high school students—both those in the traditional school setting and homeschoolers. Introducing them to the gems of our collection is always a treat. History comes alive when students see original records.

On February 13 students in the Junior Historians Club from Wake County enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Archives. Seventy-one students and parents signed up for the morning’s activities, which included a tour of the State Capitol and the North Carolina Supreme Court. Prior to the students’ arrival at the State Archives, Senior Associate Justice Paul Newby of the North Carolina Supreme Court had treated the students to the mystery surrounding the theft and recovery of North Carolina’s original Bill of Rights. That piqued their interest in the Archives, and they were excited to see what types of treasures we preserve and make available.

At the State Archives, the group toured the main stacks, the Search Room, and the vault. As part of the tour, several types of documents were displayed in the Search Room for them to review and discuss. They included a Revolutionary War pension statement by the widow of a free person of color, a letter signed by all of North Carolina’s signers of the Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary War–era private collection, and a list of militia troops wounded in 1780. Because the students were local to our area, a Raleigh Sanborn fire insurance map (showing the placement of buildings by block) and the will of John Rex (who left money for the Raleigh hospital that bears his name) also were among the documents available for review.

When the Archives building was renovated in the late 1990s, and a new upper vault was installed, it became more feasible, and quite popular, to allow visitors to view documents in a climate-controlled environment with specialized housing. This had not been possible in years past. During the vault stop, students were thrilled to see the actual document in the story described by Justice Newby. And, thanks to new technology, they could instantly capture their experience on their phones.

Sarah Koonts examines a document with students.

The day was a fun experience for me, our staff, and the students. One student even used the information she learned during the day’s tours to create her Tar Heel Junior Historian project. Seeing that was a rewarding end to the visit. It’s nice to be able to spark the interest of our future historians.

SARAH E. KOONTS
State Archivist and Director
Division of Archives and Records

From the President

For the past twenty-one years I have worked with National History Day, first as the state coordinator and now as a part-time helper. It is a program for students in grades six through twelve. Students choose topics related to the annual theme and conduct original research using primary and secondary sources. They use that research to create projects in one of a variety of categories. They can choose to present their information as a historical paper, a website, a performance, a documentary, or an exhibit. One of the main benefits of the program is that it teaches students to carefully evaluate and think critically about the sources they uncover.

North Carolina student participants at the 2014 National History Day competition. Retrieved from www.ncdcr.gov/education/history-day

The Archives plays an important role in supporting the program. One way the Archives staff assists students and teachers is by helping to compile a list of North Carolina topics that fit the theme. While History Day students do not have to choose a state or local topic, many do. It is always exciting to see them discover their own history. Staff members also often serve as judges at History Day competitions in the state, providing useful feedback to students about their work.

For twenty years the Friends of the Archives has sponsored two monetary prizes for projects that display outstanding use of primary sources. This is an excellent way to encourage students to broaden the types of sources they use in their project. In an age when far too many students think that all information can be found on the Internet, it is important to show them the world of sources located beyond the reach of Google.

And of course, the Archives often provides sources that students use in their research. Over the years students have researched such North Carolina topics as the various wars in which North Carolinians have served, women’s suffrage, desegregation, and the eugenics program. In their searches they have discovered the treasure of sources located in our State Archives. Some students make the trip to the Archives, where they are guided by staff who help them access important documents or listen to oral interviews. Other times staff members have copied materials to send to students who may not be able to make the trip to Raleigh. Seeing students move beyond the classroom to discover the wealth of information located in repositories such as ours is both gratifying and important. Thank you to the Friends for the part you play in encouraging history education.

JO ANN WILLIFORD
President of the Friends of the Archives

Preserving Our Documents for the Future

JENNIFER BLOMBERG, Head, Collections Management Branch
CHRIS MEEKINS, Head, Imaging Unit
EMILY RAINWATER, Conservator
MATHEW WAEHNER, Photo Unit

In the last couple of months, the Collections Management Branch has made some exciting changes, including new equipment, workflows, and work spaces, and has welcomed a new staff member. The Imaging Unit added a second microfilm scanner that scans four times faster than the older equipment. This new addition allows for faster conversion of microfilm to digital files. We have also added an A1-size book scanner, capable of true scans up to 600 dpi, and an A0-size flatbed scanner that is essential in the creation of microfilm from plat books and engineering drawings. The A0-size scanner will also be used for high-quality imaging of historical maps and other oversize documents. It replaced our last analog camera, so we have gone fully digital in the production of microfilm!

Thanks to generous donations by the Friends of the Archives and the Friends of the Outer Banks History Center, the Photo Unit restored Umatic and Betacam SP video players, expanding our AV conversion capabilities. These magnetic tape formats were used for professional video from the 1970s to the 1990s. The restored equipment enables us to digitize those materials, part of our ongoing effort to preserve the historical records in our collections stored on magnetic tape, an inherently impermanent medium.

Umatic video player

In the Conservation Lab, we’ve welcomed Kate Vukovich as our new conservation technician and expanded some of our collection work spaces. We now have a Collections Work Space room across the hall from the Conservation Lab that has been furnished for large-scale projects and exhibit preparation; it houses a large work table, rolled storage, a book press, and the ultrasonic welder for polyester encapsulation. The existing Conservation Lab now has two adjustable height treatment benches and a large light table.

Finally, we have also created a Collections Cleaning room that will be used to clean and stabilize collection materials. This new room has allowed us to expand our disaster response and recovery capabilities. The new equipment includes commercial fans, shop vacs, and a large commercial double-door freezer for use in the emergency stabilization of wet records. These great new additions are going to help us continue our strong dedication to the preservation and long-term care of our collections for the people of North Carolina.

Conservation Lab

A New Website for the State Archives of North Carolina

ASHLEY YANDLE, Head, Digital Access Branch

In November 2017, the State Archives launched a new website. The move was the culmination of several months of work by the State Archives’ Digital Services Section (DSS) to redesign the website, move content from the previous website to a new one hosted in the Digital Commons, and add new content.

The Digital Commons project was initiated by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) Digital Services team in 2013 to

• Deliver a better experience to citizens seeking information and services from state government;
• Increase efficiencies by delivering digital content across state government on a unified platform;
• And reduce costs by aligning to a common toolset, design, development, and content management process.

In other words, if you’ve used other Digital Commons websites for the State Library, State Parks, or the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the new State Archives website will look and function in basically the same way. Websites hosted in the Digital Commons also use responsive design; this means that, no matter whether you visit the State Archives website on your desktop computer, laptop, phone, or other mobile device, it should still be easy to read, navigate, and search.

There are several things that are new in this version of the website:

• Under the “News” tab in the main menu at the top of the website, visitors now have access to lists of press releases and upcoming events, as well as a list of our current social media.
• Every PDF, Word document, and Excel spreadsheet available through our website has its own document page. This means finding aids, lesson plans, record schedules, and policy documents should be easier to search for and find, both through the website’s internal search option and through search engines. In cases where documents are related to each other, we’ve grouped them together on one document page; see the Buncombe County wills container lists as an example.
• There are several self-generated lists on the website that update themselves whenever a relevant document is published to the website. The lesson plans page is an example of such a list.
• The Friends of the Archives, North Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the Traveling Archivist Program all have their own sections of the website, as do the Outer Banks History Center and Western Regional Archives.
• The website has a few webforms that allow you to contact us with questions or feedback. For an example, see the “Request a Veteran Oral History Interview” webform on the Military Collections page.
• The website has collapsible tabs on some pages that allow you to select and see only the content you want to read. Visit the “Functional Schedule for North Carolina State Agencies” page for an example.

Although we’ve made a lot of changes over the last few months, websites are never truly finished. If you have a question about how to find something on the new website or suggestions for how we can make it easier to use, please let us know.

North Carolina’s Heritage Needs YOU!

Some of North Carolina’s most valuable historical documents need critical preservation and restoration. We encourage you to consider donating toward our most pressing preservation projects:

• The Carolina Charter of 1663, considered the “birth certificate” of the state. It has been more than twenty years since the Carolina Charter has been examined, and because the document will be on display in early spring, repairs are necessary immediately!
• North Carolina’s original copy of the Bill of Rights. This is one of the great treasures of the State Archives and requires ongoing preservation.
• The Papers of Peter Carteret, Governor of the County of Albemarle. The County of Albemarle is the oldest county government in North Carolina.

We have raised over $5,000 of the approximate $12,000 needed for the preservation of these documents. To contribute, visit the Friends of the Archives website and click on the membership link, or mail your contribution to Friends of the Archives, 4614 MSC, Raleigh NC, 27699-4614.

Major Move in Manteo

DONNA KELLY, Head, Special Collections Section

During the week of February 19–23, Bill Brown and Donna Kelly traveled to the Outer Banks History Center to help the OBHC staff—Samantha Crisp, Stuart Parks, and Tama Creef—renumber, relabel, and shift records. While Tama covered the front office, Donna renumbered 162 maps with new call numbers and inventoried and organized 20 of 40 map drawers, which included approximately 874 maps. Bill shifted 154 collections (including the Manteo Coastland Times bound newspapers and consisting of 657 cubic feet) from the back of the stacks to the front for better access. He also cleaned five rows of shelving with ethanol. Samantha shifted approximately 735 cubic feet of materials, including photographic collections, periodicals, and unprocessed accessions. She also assigned new call numbers to 150 collections and relabeled 200 boxes. Stuart Parks relocated the framed artwork and renumbered digital files. He also helped move shelving and cut folders to rehouse maps. All in all it was a productive, albeit exhausting, week!

Measuring a volume’s dimensions

Crowdfunding Is My Jam

KIM ANDERSEN, Audiovisual Materials Archivist

Crowdfunding may mean the difference between just limping along and being able to make progress for the archival community, and in humanities endeavors in general, in these lean times. For me as the audiovisual materials archivist at the State Archives of North Carolina, crowdfunding is arguably the greatest thing since safety film! Our campaign, “Fund the Work of Raleigh's Photo History Detective,” ended in October 2017. We exceeded our goal by mere pennies, and we could not be happier.

The money we raised will fund the work of local historian Karl Larson, who is instrumental in researching and identifying the unidentified photographs in our holdings. My staff and I have also analyzed our experience to draw up a small set of “dos and don’ts” to hopefully assist others in our institution and beyond who want to embark upon similar fundraising campaigns.

Help Save North Carolina Military History!

Next up is a crowdfunding campaign to fund projects in the State Archives Military Collection. Currently the Military Collection has a trove of unprocessed historical materials: artwork, letters, photographs, and posters—all created by or documenting North Carolinians from all over the state—including children’s WWII home front posters, photographs of Red Cross activities, letters from a US Navy sailor in the Pacific Theater, and letters from an African American army officer in Korea. The funds raised will go toward hiring a part-time contract archivist to arrange and describe the records so we can provide researchers and the general public better access and introduce these gems to a wider audience.

Salute to Our Volunteers

Sandy Reid has been a volunteer with the Western Regional Archives (WRA) since 2013. During her tenure, she has assisted with a variety of projects, including cleaning, culling, and processing collections, but her most formidable accomplishment was creating an inventory for the Blue Ridge Parkway Photograph Collection. It was no small undertaking. Because the collection contains over four thousand black and white images, the project took three years to complete. “But I soldiered on,” she said with a smile.

The Lenoir, North Carolina, native learned about volunteering opportunities when she attended a lecture at the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Western Office. After hearing lead archivist Heather South talk about the WRA, she decided to come in a few hours on Wednesday afternoons.

Sandy and her husband, Bill, moved to the Asheville area from Raleigh six and a half years ago. Both love the area, where they had vacationed and spent long weekends, and they fulfilled their dream to retire in the mountains. In her spare time, Sandy enjoys gardening and running. She also volunteers at the North Carolina Arboretum and at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Asheville. She says she enjoys volunteering at the WRA because she has “an interest in history and a love of the area.”

Grant Awarded to Digitize Collections

A grant was recently awarded to the State Historical Records Advisory Board and the State Archives of North Carolina that will enable some of North Carolina’s smaller cultural repositories that have the need but not the means to digitize their materials—including historical and genealogical societies, public libraries, museums, historic sites, and other institutions that hold unique records—to make their collections more accessible. The two-year program, “Digitizing North Carolina’s Hidden Collections,” provides for the transport, scanning, and online publishing of North Carolina historical records and archival materials through partnership with the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center. As part of this program, workshops will be offered that teach the basics of preparing collections to be scanned.

Read more about this project on the State Archives’ blog. Scanned records will be accessible through the Digital Heritage Center and eventually through the Digital Public Library of America.

Growing into the Family Historian

Genealogy Workshops Offered at Charles B. Aycock Birthplace

Friends, members, and others interested in genealogy came together at the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace in Fremont, North Carolina, for a series of three genealogical workshops. The beginners workshop was held January 20, 2018; the intermediate-level workshop on February 17, 2018; and the advanced genealogy workshop on March 24, 2018. The day-long workshops were cosponsored by the Friends of the Archives and the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Advisory Committee. Staff members from the State Archives of North Carolina, Chris Meekins and Debbi Blake, and the Government and Heritage Library of the State Library of North Carolina, Kay Tillotson, presented to capacity audiences.

In the first workshop, the participants learned how to decipher colonial handwriting and discovered important resources for conducting genealogical research available at both repositories. The intermediate workshop session went beyond, and built upon, the basics of genealogy. It focused on overcoming genealogical problems and roadblocks using archival resources and specific case studies. In addition, the workshop taught how to effectively analyze documents.

The advanced session focused on solving problems using documents in the State Archives and ways to organize and share genealogical information. Additional topics covered were how to find female ancestors, effectively use deeds, and bring research together to write a family history.

Genealogy Workshops

Left, below: Participants attend genealogy workshops organized by the Archives at the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace in Fremont, NC.

World War I Papers Displayed at Alamance Community College

One thousand people, primarily students, viewed World War I materials from the State Archives at Alamance Community College (ACC) on Thursday, March 29. In commemoration of that war, ACC held a daylong event with costumed reenactors portraying sailors, soldiers, and aviators. Original military and nurses’ uniforms were on display, as well as artifacts from the North Carolina and the Great War exhibit.

Documents displayed were collected by soldiers during World War I. In his diary from the fall of 1918, Isham B. Hudson, a Sampson County native stationed in France, wrote about Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. His diary and other war documents are available through North Carolina Digital Collections.

Comings & Goings

The Collections Management Branch has welcomed new conservation technician Kate Vukovich. Kate recently completed her graduate studies at the University of Iowa. She received an MA in library and information science with a graduate certificate in book studies/book arts and technology. Prior to that, she received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College in English–creative writing track with minors in the book and Asian studies. Kate has previous experience working as a student assistant at the University of Iowa in a variety of capacities, including in the Preservation Department’s Book Repair Unit, in Special Collections, and at the Hardin Library reference desk.

Joining Archives and Records at the State Records Center are Jordan Blais and Kegan Bly. Jordan previously worked with the Department of Corrections as a processing assistant. Kegan Bly previously worked with the Butterball Corporation. Anthony Peterson returned to the Records Center last year after working with the City of Durham and the Department of Corrections. With the addition of Jordan and Kegan, along with Anthony, the State Records Center is back to full staff.

The Government Records Section welcomed our newest records description archivist on January 2. Alex Dowrey is originally from the Buffalo area but is no stranger to North Carolina. While completing her master’s degree in library science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she interned at the Duke University Medical Center Archives, where she arranged and described collections and helped create a digital preservation workflow for the Medical Center’s born-digital materials. In addition, Alex holds a master’s degree in history from Virginia Tech, where she also earned a certificate in public history.

Historical Hoot

DEBBI BLAKE
Head, Collections Services Section

“Note those that are mark’d thus ┼ before their names are gone out a Pirateing againe”

Upcoming Events

Documents on Display

The Museum of the Albemarle
Elizabeth City, NC

February 28–June 4
Lords Proprietors documents

May 10–14
The Carolina Charter

Celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Albemarle Precinct.
(252) 335-1453

Mountain Gateway Museum
Old Fort, NC

September 1–17
Treasures of the Archives Exhibit
(828) 668-9259

The Friends of the Outer Banks History Center Annual Meeting

Outer Banks History Center
Friday, April 20
6:00 pm

The Friends’ annual business meeting will be followed by a presentation by Chris Nason, coordinator of the Southern Shores Flat Top Documentation Initiative, on his efforts to document Frank Stick’s architecturally significant flat top houses in Southern Shores.

For more information, call (252) 473-2655 or email obhc@ncdcr.gov.

“World War I: The Forgotten War” Lecture Series

Charlotte Museum of History
Charlotte, NC

Thursday, May 10
6:00–8:00 pm

Join Matthew Peek, Military Collection Archivist at the State Archives of North Carolina, for a talk titled “NC Organizations’ Contribution to the War Effort.”
(704) 568-1774

North Carolina Genealogical Society 2018 Speakers Forum

State Archives of North Carolina
Raleigh, NC

Saturday, June 23

More information about submitting proposals for the Speakers Forum can be found on the NCGS website at www.ncgenealogy.org/news/call-papers-ncgs-2018-speakers-forum/.

Between Form and Content: Perspectives on Jacob Lawrence and Black Mountain College

Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
Asheville, NC

September 10, 2018–January 12, 2019

For more information, call (828) 350-8484 or email info@blackmountaincollege.org.

The Friends of the Archives, Inc., was formed in 1977 to provide non-profit support to the State Archives of North Carolina. Through generous donations, the Friends have purchased valuable collections for the Archives, helped to conserve documents and maps, and purchased chairs for the Archives’ Search Room. The Friends also sponsors workshops and other activities, and helps coordinate a volunteer and intern program for the State Archives.

SUPPORT THE FRIENDS OF THE ARCHIVES TODAY!

☐ New Member ☐ Renewal

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Please make checks payable to the Friends of the Archives and mail with this form to:

The Friends of the Archives
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4614

The Friends of the Archives, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. Donations may be tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please check with your tax preparer for details. FOA membership dues cover the period of the calendar year January through December.

FOA Officers & Board of Directors 2017–2018

President
JO ANN WILLIFORD

Vice-President
KAREN PAAR

Secretary-Treasurer
SARAH KOONTS

Past-President
DICK LANKFORD

Ex Officio Members: Kevin Cherry, Susi Hamilton
Members at Large: Andrea Gabriel, Donna Kelly
Board Members: Jennifer Daugherty, Stewart Dunaway, Ann Flint, Troy Kickler, Jack McGeachy, Robert Moss, Larry Odzak, and Jason Tomberlin