Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

As the United States continues to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the nation has spent a lot of time remembering the success and strength of the Patriots who fought for their freedom from tyranny. From where we stand today, it is difficult to imagine opposing such a righteous cause, but those who fought for the British Crown were just as diverse and complex as their rebellious counterparts. In this episode, we’re dissecting some of the varied reasons why supporting independence in 1776 was not the obvious choice that it is now. 

 

Joining our host John Horan for this discussion of controversy and loyalty is Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore, Information Management Archivist Michelle Witt, and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton. 

 

 

Primary Sources: 

Halifax Resolves. Secretary of State, Revolutionary War Records, Fourth Provincial Congress, SR.12.13.3.006. 

 

Josiah Martin Proclamation – 1776. British Records, Loyalist Claims, Record ID: 21.3.15.17. 

 

“Diplomacy talks with Cherokee.” Secretary of State Records, SR.12.13.3.11. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/continental-congress-records-diplomacy-talks-with-the-cherokee-nation-and-the-muskogee-nation-april-15-1776/433430?item=433436. 

 

“Letter from General Rutherford to the Council of Safety about the expedition against the Cherokees, July 5th, 1776.” Secretary of State, Council of Safety, SR.12.13.3.00511. https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr10-0275. 

 

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation. The Virginian Gazette, 25 November 1775, p. 3, Container ID: NSP.5. 

 

“Joseph Hart ordered to take the Oath of Allegiance or Exit North Carolina.” Granville County, Miscellaneous Records, CR.044.928.26. 

 

“Article concerning the departure of loyalists.” NC Gazette, New Bern, 25 July 1777, Container ID: 18Cen-2. 

 

Confiscation – Cornell v. Spyers Singleton – 1786. District Court Records, New Bern District, Miscellaneous Records, SR.398.6, Box 39. 

 

“Petition to the General Assembly from Mary Lewellin, John Llewelyn’s wife.” GASR, Nov-Dec 1777: Senate Joint Resolutions, Record ID: 66.8.10.9.2, Box 1. 

 

“Narrative of Colonel David Fanning, Written by himself, Detailing Astonishing Events in North Carolina, from 1775 to 1783.” David Fanning Paper collection, PC.489. 

 

“An Act of Pardon and Oblivion.” GASR, Session Laws, 1783, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/acts-of-assembly-of-the-state-of-north-carolina-1783-april/3691863?item=4230279. 

 

“The Proceedings of the Long Island of Holston River with Cherokee Nations; Avery Treaty, 1777.” Governor’s Office, GO.132, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/proceedings-of-the-treaty-of-the-long-island-of-holston-river-with-cherokee-nations-avery-treaty/6153047. 

 

Allen MacDonald – 1784. British Records, Loyalist Claims, Record ID: 21.3.6.2. 

 

William Hooper Papers. PC.1141. 

 

 

Secondary Sources: 

“From Regulators to Revolution: The War of Regulation.” Connecting the Docs, 15 January 2025, https://connectingdocs.podbean.com/?s=regulators. 

  

Morrow, Megan. “Thomas Peters: Black Loyalist, Politician, and a Founding Father of Sierra Leone.” ANCHOR. Library of NC. February 2025, https://www.ncanchor.org/anchor/thomas-peters. 

 

 Kassa, Kemisa. "The Black Pioneers Loyalist Company." ANCHOR. Library of NC. 2024, https://www.ncanchor.org/anchor/black-pioneers-loyalist. 

In 1976, the United States marked 200 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence—but it wasn’t just about fireworks and parades. On a national level, the Bicentennial celebrated famous leaders and events from 1776. As the country grappled with foreign and domestic issues, citizens reflected on what freedom meant. People in communities throughout North Carolina used the Bicentennial to share their own stories. Join America 250 NC Educator Alana Gomez, Correspondence Assistant Annabeth Poe, podcast intern Emily Johnson, and host John Horan as they reflect on the 1976 Bicentennial and this year's 250th commemoration of the United States of America. 

 

Learn more at https://www.america250.nc.gov/. 

 

Primary Sources: 

North Carolina American Revolution Bicentennial Committee Record Group, SR.60: Series 3, Committee Minutes File, 1969-1976; Series 10, North Carolina Bicentennial Committee Project File, 1968-1976; Series 18: Publications File, 1971-1976 . 

 

 

 

News and Observer Negative File, Tuscarora Protest Photos, 1973. NO.8Apr1973.2, News and Observer Negative Collection, State Archives of N.C., https://appx.archives.ncdcr.gov/findingaids/PHC_NEWSOBSERVER_News_and_Obser_.html. Copyrighted by the N&O. 

 

 

External Primary Sources: 

Daly, Christopher B. “The Peoples Bicentennial Commission: Slouching Towards the Economic Revolution.” The Harvard Crimson, 28 April 1975, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1975/4/28/the-peoples-bicentennial-commission-pif-you/. 

 

Sluder, Rick. “All-American Bicentennial Home Oozes with Patriotism,” News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 12 January 1976, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=rick%20sluder%20oozes&docref=image/v2%3A142AF7DDEFE5AB9C%40EANX-NB-15747E95EE882247%402442790-1570AB882C395BDE%409-1570AB882C395BDE%40.  

 

Wood, Ernie. “Blacks Protest at Halifax Event,” News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 13 April 1976, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=blacks%20protest%20event%20at%20halifax&docref=image/v2%3A142AF7DDEFE5AB9C%40EANX-NB-1570DF18349B57A9%402442882-156DFB9DC8404844%401-156DFB9DC8404844%40.  

 

Secondary Sources:  

Gordon, Tammy. The Spirit of 1976 Commerce, Community, and the Politics of Commemoration, 2013. University of Massachusetts Press, https://www.umasspress.com/9781625340436/the-spirit-of-1976/.  

 

NC listings in the National Register of Historic Places, N.C. State Historic Preservation Office, https://www.hpo.nc.gov/survey-and-national-register/national-register-historic-places/nc-listings-national-register-historic-places. 

 

“Spirit of ‘76 in North Carolina.” America 250 NC, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/083aedd5fb824e4bacc0289867930269. 

 

Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, North Carolina Museum of History, Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 1976, v.16: no.1, North Carolina Digital State Publications Collection, Library of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/tar-heel-junior-historian-1976-fall-v.16-no.1/3704586?item=4498450. 

   

Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, North Carolina Museum of History, Tar Heel Junior Historian, February 1975, v.14: no.3, North Carolina Digital State Publications Collection, Library of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/tar-heel-junior-historian-1975-february-v.14-no.3/3704570?item=4498368. 

 

Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, North Carolina Museum of History, Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 1975, v.15: no.1, North Carolina Digital State Publications Collection, Library of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/tar-heel-junior-historian-1975-fall-v.15-no.1/3704583?item=4498540.  

 

Wines, Larry. “The Story of the 1975 – 1976 American Freedom Train.” (n.d.), https://www.freedomtrain.org/american-freedom-train-home.htm . 

 

Wolford, Taylor. “Tuscarora Protest of 1973.” News, NC State University Libraries, North Carolina State University, 2023, April 17,  https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/news/special-collections/tuscarora-protest-1973. 

 

Special thank you to those who shared their Bicentennial memories with us, including:  

Kevin Brice 

Elizabeth Hayden 

Michael Sagar  

Karen Thornton 

Steve Tracey 

Katharine Kennedy 

Connecting the Docs is back for a short commemorative series focused on the 250th anniversary of American independence! To start things off, we are joined by Professor Kathleen DuVal of the University of North Carolina. Professor DuVal is a Pulitzer Prize winning author of Native Nations: A Millennium in North America and a Carl W. Ernst Distinguished Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC. Along with host John Horan, Correspondence Associate Annabeth Poe, Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton, and podcast intern Emily Johnson, Professor DuVal reflects on the impact of the American Revolution and highlights the documents that transformed an idea into a movement.  

 

Primary Sources: 

“Constitution of the United States as Approved by North Carolina.” 1789. Federal and State Constitutional Materials, VC.47.5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/constitution-of-the-united-states-as-approved-by-north-carolina-1789/788120 . 

 

“State Constitution of 1868.” 1868. Federal and State Constitutional Materials, VC.47.6, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/state-constitution-of-1868/788179 . 

 

“John Adams, Thoughts on Government.” 1776. Treasures Collection: Founding Documents, VC.1.2, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/john-adams-thoughts-on-government/411653 . 

  

 

Secondary Sources: 

DuVal, Kathleen. Independence Lost. Random House, 2016. 

 

Brundage, W. Fitzhugh et al. Foundations of American Democracy: A Critical Documents Reader. UNC Department of History, 2025. 

 

“Government and Heritage Library Card.” Library of North Carolina, https://library.nc.gov/search-library/access-materials-and-resources/government-and-heritage-library-card. 

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 . 

 

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. 

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   

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  

 

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/ 

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.   

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/.