Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

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

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

 

Tornado Maps:  

Wildfire Map: 

 

Sources:  

  

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Resiliency in the Face of Natural Disasters: North Carolina Hurricanes

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

 

Hurricane Path Maps:

  

Sources: 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

Sources Mentioned: 

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

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

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

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

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

Call the Granny Woman: Appalachian Dialect Spotlight

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

 

Sources Mentioned:

Suggested Archival Collections:

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

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

 

Other Works Cited:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sources mentioned:

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

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

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

 

Sources Mentioned:

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

 

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

True Stories Behind Where the Crawdads Sing: Oyster Wars

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

 

Sources Mentioned 

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

   

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

   

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

   

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

  

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

   

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

  

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

  

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

  

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

  

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

 

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

Sources Mentioned: 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Sources Mentioned:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

Sources Mentioned:

 

General

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

 

Omie Wise

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

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

Randolph County, Superior Court Minutes, 1811, CRX 86

Randolph County, Miscellaneous Records, CR.081.928.1

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

 

Frankie Silver

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

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

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

 

Tom Dula

Tom Dula Papers, PC.1272

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

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

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

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

 

Ellen Smith

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

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

 

Lawson Family

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

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

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

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