Posted in Tar Heelia on December 31, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Travel + Leisure just posted an article titled “World’s Strangest New Year Traditions.” The piece details traditions from Belarus to Japan, but I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed in the magazine. They left out one of the most unusual of New Year traditions: “shooting in the new year.” According to Kevin Cherry, [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia on December 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Check out Harry McKown’s latest entry in the “This Month in North Carolina History” series. To start the new year, Harry examines the American Tobacco Company and its connection to North Carolina and the Duke Family, with his entry “January 1890 — Creation of the American Tobacco Company.”
Posted in Tar Heelia on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I found this great illustration showing North Carolina elevations in the corner of Shaffer’s Township Map of North Carolina, published in 1886. Click on the image for a much larger version. This is an interesting way of showing the relative elevations of North Carolina towns and mountains from the lowest point, the bottom of the [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia on December 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Former NC Miscellany front-man Nick Graham pointed out this recipe quite some time ago, and I’m just getting around to sharing it. It comes from A Bachelors Cupboard; Containing Crumbs Culled from the Cupboards of the Great Unwedded, which was published in 1906 but has recently been digitized by the Internet Archive. The drink has [...]
Posted in From the Stacks, Tar Heelia on December 23, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The North Carolina Collection Gallery recently received this Champion Compress and Warehouse Company aluminum trade token from a donor in South Yorkshire, England. The Wilmington-based company, which was opened in 1879 by Alexander Sprunt and Sons, established numerous overseas warehouses, including one in Liverpool. In the 1880s merchants all over the United States began issuing [...]
Posted in Postcards on December 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The latest forecast has it at rainy and 68 degrees on December 25. Since it doesn’t look like Chapel Hill is going to have a White Christmas, let’s enjoy snow in another way. This photo shows several people gathered in a snowy downtown Hamlet street. Hamlet must have had quite a winter in 1910. Here [...]
Posted in Postcards on December 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »
After describing dozens and dozens of street scenes in rendered sepia or black and white, I often worry that I’m going to miss something significant because I’m so familiar with the images. However, after noticing the man working on the utility pole at the left, I decided that my “I Spy” skills are still pretty [...]
Posted in From the Stacks, Postcards, Tar Heelia on December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Tryon, 1913 Not too long ago we came across this booklet of postcards titled “Tryon, N.C.: ‘Switzerland of America’, Watch Us Grow.” The bird’s eye view of Tryon above is an image taken from the booklet. All the images are printed in black and white on thin paper and are all connected to one another, [...]
Posted in Postcards on December 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve added several towns not previously represented on our digital collection of North Carolina Postcards! New towns include: Marshall, Madison County; Mayodan, Rockingham County; Newton Grove, Sampson County; Lawndale, Cleveland County; and Liberty, Randolph County.
Posted in From the Stacks on December 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
For those of you planning holiday parties, I offer the following beverage recipes from the Woman’s Club Cook Book of Southern Recipes, which was published in 1908 by members of the Woman’s Club of Charlotte. Enjoy! Christmas Temperance Punch Yule Punch
