The roots of the Trinity College Historical Society (TCHS) can be traced back to 1892, when Professor Stephen B. Weeks decided to enhance the College's library by collecting a wide range of material on Southern history. The intent was "to rescue from forgetfulness the names and deeds of our first settlers." This website, presented by the Duke University Libraries, allows visitors to learn about...

The Documenting the American South collections from the University of North Carolina are a veritable cornucopia of material about the vast cultural and historical legacy of this complex region. The digitization project was made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant distributed through the State Library of North Carolina. Visitors can delve into the colonial and state records of...

A leisurely drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway may not be a luxury everyone has time for, so why not take a look at this digital version? It's a worthy surrogate crafted by the good folks at the University of North Carolina Libraries, along with help from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and other partners. The Parkway was conceived during the Great Depression and finished in...

Back in 2003, the North Carolina History and Fiction Digital Library was started and the first year was quite a success. The project began with the digitizing of 200 texts pertaining to the history of 29 eastern North Carolina counties. Over the past few years, in partnership with the Historic Hope Foundation, Tobacco Farm Life Museum, the Country Doctor Museum, and members of ECU's College of...

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has created this excellent resource on the culture, history, and geography of the Great Smoky Mountains. The resource was created as part of a collaboration with the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project, and it includes digital collections, a regional bibliography, and a comprehensive listing of organizations in the region. The Digital Collections area...

The goal of the North Carolina Exploring Cultural Heritage Online (NECHO) website is to promote "the use of digital technologies to broaden and enhance access to North Carolina's cultural heritage and fosters collaboration among all the state's cultural resource institutions through grant funding, education and training opportunities and digitization activities." While information science...

Created in 1972, the North Carolina Humanities Council is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that works to make the humanities "a cornerstone of public life." The Council's bright and well-designed website contains information about grant-making initiatives, upcoming events and talks, and publications as well as a gallery of images. First-time visitors...

Geographers, historians, and urban planners all enjoy the fantastic Sanborn maps, which were produced from 1867 to 1977 by the Sanborn Company of Pelham, New York. Each map offers a snapshot of the built environment the town or city it covers, complete with information about fire alarms, water mains, sidewalks, frontage, and a host of other germane details that could be used for insurance...

Preservation North Carolina was created in 1939, and works to promote and protect the buildings and landscape of the Tarheel State. The organization has five regional offices across the state and visitors can learn about their ambitious mission and work on this well-designed site. Here visitors can make their way through Events, In the News, and Features. This last area offers visitors insights...

Located west of Charlotte, the town of Shelby has a great deal of history. The town is perhaps best known as the headquarters of the "Shelby Dynasty" which had considerable government influence for several decades during the first half of the 20th century. The town was named after Colonel Issac Shelby, an officer in the Revolutionary War, and was established as the county seat in 1843. This travel...