Appalachian Collection Digital Collections
Includes select digitized rare books and manuscripts from the collection.
Audiovisual Materials
Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews
In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University collected interviews from local citizen to create a wealth of data for those interested in researching the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and became a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. This digital collection contains selections from the approximately 600 audiocassette recordings.
Blue Ridge Views News Videos
This digital collection consists primarily of videos about Appalachian musicians and festivals including segments featuring Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and Ralph Stanley. Chuck Hemrick produced this popular weekly news feature focused on local cultural traditions, which were part of the Friday evening news, from February 1990 to September 1993. Although many videos are music-oriented, others focus on molasses, the Appalachian Trail, hiking, cheese making, pottery, gee haw whimmy diddles, grist mills, and art, among other topics.
Carlton and Charles Haney Recordings
This collection includes reel-to-reel and audio cassette recordings of Haney’s bluegrass festivals.
Jack Guy Folk Music Recordings
This digital collection contains the recordings, which Jack Guy personally collected of northwestern North Carolina performers.
Johnny Rhymer Music
The 11 items in this digital collection are from the Johnny Rhymer Music and Papers (AC-825), Series 2 and contains original audiocassettes and phonograph records of 1940s country and bluegrass singers and pickers.
Mountain Home Music, Inc. Collection
Mountain Home Music, Inc. is a non-profit corporation strives to educate and build community through the arts. Many local Appalachian people and groups have performed for Mountain Home Music throughout the years. The contents of the collection are dated primarily in 1994-1995 and generally include broadcasts and recordings. This digital collection is only a portion of the Mountain Home Music materials in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection.
W. Amos Abrams Folksong Collection
William Amos “Doc” Abrams (1905-1991) was chairman of the English Department at Appalachian State Teacher’s College (ASTC) from 1932 to 1946. In the 1930s, Dr. Abrams built a reputation as an enthusiastic collector, scholar and promoter of North Carolina folklore. The W. Amos Abrams Folksong Collection, presented here as part of the Documenting Appalachia digital initiative, consists of approximately 1,100 document pages that comprise some 400 individual song titles, most of which have multiple variants, as well as field recordings from 1938 to 1946.
Camps
Camp Yonahlossee
The digitized scrapbooks, photographs, guest books, and other items in this digital collection are from the Camp Yonahlossee Collection (AC-687). Founded in 1922 by Mrs. A. P. Kephart as a summer camp for girls, Camp Yonahlossee.
Camp Yonahlossee for Girls Exhibit
The “Camp Yonahlossee for Girls” digital exhibit accompanied a physical a exhibit that was installed on the 4th floor of Belk Library & Information Center from June 2022 through March 2023. The digital exhibit includes digitized photographs, scrapbooks, and other materials. Camp Yonahlossee operated from 1922 – the late 1980s.
Children's Literature
Digital Exhibits
Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle
The “Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle” exhibit examines the history and legacy of the experimental educational institution known as Black Mountain College in the Swannanoa Valley of North Carolina from 1933 to 1957. This digital exhibit and document repository is based off a physical exhibit by the same title on display in 2013 at Belk Library and Information Commons. It was greatly expanded and developed in 2018.
Camp Yonahlossee for Girls Exhibit
The “Camp Yonahlossee for Girls” digital exhibit accompanied a physical a exhibit that was installed on the 4th floor of Belk Library & Information Center from June 2022 through March 2023. The digital exhibit includes digitized photographs, scrapbooks, and other materials. Camp Yonahlossee operated from 1922 – the late 1980s.
Elizabeth Ann Parks Grinton Papers Exhibit
This exhibit showcases the contributions of Elizabeth Ann Parks Grinton (1916-2001) who was an educator and an advocate in North Carolina.
Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians, 1983–1993 Exhibit
The “Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians” digital exhibit features the journal with the same name, which was published quarterly in western North Carolina for a decade beginning in the fall of 1983 and ending with the final issue in the spring of 1993. The publication was devoted to the bioregion of former Cherokee land in Appalachia. For more information on the Katúah Journal, see this Appalachian State Special Collections blog post.
Romulus Linney…Back Home in the Mountains
Linney was a playwright and this digital exhibit is on his life and works.
Letters, Diaries, Scrapbooks, & More
Andrew Jackson Greene Collection
The Andrew Jackson Greene Collection consists of more than 160 diaries written by Greene who describes Watauga County’s education system, including Appalachian State Teachers College, cultural and religious life, and agriculture from 1906 to 1942.
Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle
The “Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle” exhibit examines the history and legacy of the experimental educational institution known as Black Mountain College in the Swannanoa Valley of North Carolina from 1933 to 1957. This digital exhibit and document repository is based off a physical exhibit by the same title on display in 2013 at Belk Library and Information Commons. It was greatly expanded and developed in 2018.
Camp Yonahlossee
The digitized scrapbooks, photographs, guest books, and other items in this digital collection are from the Camp Yonahlossee Collection (AC-687). Founded in 1922 by Mrs. A. P. Kephart as a summer camp for girls, Camp Yonahlossee.
Isaac Sansbury Diary
Isaac Sansbury Diary chronicles Sansbury’s service with the 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry (Co. A) for the year 1864. Sansbury was from Ohio and born in 1847. Most entries only cite current locations, which were primarily in West Virginia. It also contains a list which appears to be members of his company. Few narratives of the 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Calvary exist.
John Ross
This collection contains the Resolutions of Pin League to John Ross Document, which is a copy of a resolution of the Cherokee Nation’s Pin League regarding Major General James G. Blunt’s General Order Number 7 and the dismissal of Colonel William A. Phillips.
Kirby and Eller Family Letters, 1826-1938
This digital collection contain correspondence between the Kirby and Eller families of Ashe County, North Carolina. The letters focus mainly on day-to-day events such as planting and harvesting crops, health and illness, and household tasks, but also include references to the Civil War.
Leo Finkelstein Papers
This collection contains materials relating to Leo Finkelstein, resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the Asheville Lions Club, and the Beth Ha-Tephila Cemetery in Asheville.
Moonshining in Burke County
The Moonshining in Burke County: The Career of N.C. ABC Officer Fred Hennessee scrapbook collection was created by Fred Hennessee during his law enforcement career.
Ralph Fickel’s Mountain Notes
This digital collection includes 12 of Fickel’s climbing journals from the Ralph Fickel Papers (AC-490).
Taylor and Moore Store Ledger
The Taylor and Moore Store, operated by Henry Taylor, served the citizens of Valle Crucis, North Carolina in the 1860s to 1870s. The 616-page ledger documents the business activity of the Taylor and Moore General Store. It includes various advertisements, handwritten notes, cancelled checks, letters, legal documents, and account records, dated 1853-1917.
Local Newspapers
Jefferson Post
The Jefferson Post was a twice-weekly newspaper printed in West Jefferson, North Carolina. Printing news, announcements and obituaries for Ashe County, the newspaper was owned by Civitas Media of Davidson, North Carolina, and had a circulation of 6,500. The Jefferson Post began publishing in 1988.
Watauga Enterprise and Watauga Democrat, 1888-1895
The Watauga Democrat was first published in 1888. Many issues have been digitized and available through a variety of online resources and databases.
- 1888-1895: Browse in App State’s Digital Collections
- 1888-1928: Search in Newspapers.com as part of App State’s subscription.
- 1888-1934: Browse and search via the Library of Congress
- 1923-1970: Browse and search via Digital NC
- 2005 – current: Search via Newbank as part of App State’s subscription. Articles are text only.
For years not covered via these resources, check the library catalog for issues on microfilm.
Maps & Land Documents
Appalachian Land Ownership Survey Records
Beginning in the fall of 1978, the Appalachian Land Ownership Task Force – a coalition of community groups, scholars, and members of the Appalachian Alliance – conducted the Appalachian Land Ownership Survey to examine land ownership patterns within the 90 counties within the Appalachian region. This digital collection is only a portion of the Survey-related materials in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection.
Ralph Fickel’s Mountain Notes
This digital collection includes 12 of Fickel’s climbing journals from the Ralph Fickel Papers (AC-490).
Music Scores
I.G. Greer Folksong Collection
The I. G. Greer Folksong Collection, presented here as part of the Documenting Appalachia digital initiative, consists of approximately 1,100 document pages that comprise more than 300 individual song titles, some with as many as ten distinct variants.
W. Amos Abrams Folksong Collection
William Amos “Doc” Abrams (1905-1991) was chairman of the English Department at Appalachian State Teacher’s College (ASTC) from 1932 to 1946. In the 1930s, Dr. Abrams built a reputation as an enthusiastic collector, scholar and promoter of North Carolina folklore. The W. Amos Abrams Folksong Collection, presented here as part of the Documenting Appalachia digital initiative, consists of approximately 1,100 document pages that comprise some 400 individual song titles, most of which have multiple variants, as well as field recordings from 1938 to 1946.
Oral Histories
Appalachian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Oral History Project
The Appalachian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Oral History Project documents the growth of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community within the Appalachian Region of North Carolina and its effect on regional character, culture, diversity, and values. The project’s outcomes included this oral history project and a symposium.
Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews
In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University collected interviews from local citizen to create a wealth of data for those interested in researching the Appalachian Region. The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and became a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. This digital collection contains selections from the approximately 600 audiocassette recordings.
Photos of Appalachia
Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle
The “Black Mountain College: Innovation in Art, Education, and Lifestyle” exhibit examines the history and legacy of the experimental educational institution known as Black Mountain College in the Swannanoa Valley of North Carolina from 1933 to 1957. This digital exhibit and document repository is based off a physical exhibit by the same title on display in 2013 at Belk Library and Information Commons. It was greatly expanded and developed in 2018.
Broyhill, Senator James Thomas – Photographs
James Thomas Broyhill was an American businessman and politician from North Carolina. This digital collection of photographs is from the James Thomas Broyhill Papers (AC-100), which cover the 23 years he served in the US House of Representatives and the 6 months he served in the US Senate.
Dollar Family Photographs, Pottertown, Watauga County, North Carolina
This collection includes images of the Dollar Family, dated November 9, 2011.
Jack Jeffers Photography Collection
Jack Jeffers is a fine arts photographer who spent almost forty years documenting the people and landscapes of the Appalachian region. This collection features his photographs, which he donated in 2011. Photo subjects include landscapes, people, animals, and the logging railroad.
Jesse Amos Hampton Family photographs
The Jesse Amos Hampton Family Photographs collection consists of photographs of several identified and unidentified persons and families taken between 1917 and 2004, mostly by Mr. Hampton.
Leo Finkelstein Papers
This collection contains materials relating to Leo Finkelstein, resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the Asheville Lions Club, and the Beth Ha-Tephila Cemetery in Asheville.
Moonshining in Burke County
The Moonshining in Burke County: The Career of N.C. ABC Officer Fred Hennessee scrapbook collection was created by Fred Hennessee during his law enforcement career.
Preserving and Sharing the Story of the Lincoln Heights Rosenwald School
Open from 1924-68, Lincoln Heights educated and employed black southerners through the Jim Crow Era and the height of the 20th-century Civil Rights Movement. In 2017 Appalachian State University organized an event involving the digitization of 133 artifacts associated with the school and provided by the alumni.
Reverend J. Norton Atkins Selected Photographs
This digital collection contains seven images from the photograph series of The Reverend J. Norton Atkins Papers. The photographs in this collection were taken by Reverend Atkins, an amateur photographer, during his time in Ashe and Watauga Counties in North Carolina.
Shull’s Mill Photographs
This digital collection includes select photographs from the Shull’s Mill papers (AC-621), which also includes documents, land deeds, and ledgers. Shull’s Mill opened around 1835 as a gristmill owned and operated by Phillip Shull. The town of Shull’s Mill was a small farming community and stopping place on the toll road from Valle Crucis to Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
Smyth County, Virginia Selected Photographs
Smyth County, Virginia Lifetime Collection is a compilation of materials related to Smyth County, Virginia. Subject areas include religion, mills and industry, folklife, agriculture, architecture, education, and community events.
The David Isaacs, “Yesterday’s Harvest” Digital Scrapbook Collection
The scrapbook primarily concerns farming and rural life in the Appalachian region. The purpose of the scrapbook is “to show how community, family, and tradition have stayed constant in a time when holding on is much more difficult than letting go.”
Publications on Appalachia
Appalachian Consortium Press Publications
The Appalachian Consortium Press was founded in 1973, making it the first publisher devoted to Appalachia. The Press published proceedings of the early Appalachian Studies Conferences, the Linear Barks Conferences, and the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Golden Anniversary Conference, as well as scholarly books and reference materials, including the first contemporary and comprehensive bibliography of the region (Bibliography of Southern Appalachia), oral histories, environmental studies, and poetry. The Appalachian Consortium Press published multidisciplinary scholarly works in history, literature, photography, music, sociology, folklore, and environmental studies that together provided a holistic view of the region. It dissolved in 2004.
Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians Records
Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians, later simplified to Katúah Journal, was published from 1983 to 1993. A quarterly publication, it was focused on the bioregion of former Cherokee land in Appalachia. The early issues of the journal explain the meaning of the Cherokee name, Katúah, and why the editors wanted to view the world through a bioregional lens, rather than political boundaries. A volunteer production, the editors took a holistic view in tackling social, environmental, mental, spiritual, and emotional topics of the day, many of which are still relevant. This digital collection is only a portion of the Katúah-related materials in the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection.
Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians, 1983–1993 Exhibit
The “Katúah: Bioregional Journal of the Southern Appalachians” digital exhibit features the journal with the same name, which was published quarterly in western North Carolina for a decade beginning in the fall of 1983 and ending with the final issue in the spring of 1993. The publication was devoted to the bioregion of former Cherokee land in Appalachia. For more information on the Katúah Journal, see this Appalachian State Special Collections blog post.
University Photos
University Publications
University Yearbooks