Sherrills Ford Strings

We recently acquired a photograph to add to our archives. The writing on the back says, "Sherrills Ford Young Tarheels Farmers Band 1934-36." It was given by Mr. Charlton Lindler, who is the last on the right in the first row, with the banjo. Thank you for your contribution! Does anyone know anything more about this group?

Confederate Memorial

Monday marked Confederate Memorial Day in both North and South Carolina. May 10 commemorates Stonewall Jackson's death in 1863 and the capture of Jefferson Davis in 1865. Five other states also officially observe Confederate Memorial Day: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. Common events on this date include services and ceremonies to place flags and wreaths on Confederate graves and memorials. This wreath was added by the UDC to the memorial on the courthouse square in downtown Newton.

The holiday is usually surrounded by controversy. What do readers think? Is Confederate Memorial Day necessary? Did you know about the ceremony?

Retro summer

Tomorrow and Friday's weather is supposed be hot, hot, hot! Thought I'd share this photo from the archives. Does anyone know who these bathing beauties (taken in Hickory) might be?

Preservation Week

President Obama once wrote, “Part of America's genius has always been its ability to absorb newcomers, to forge a national identity out of the disparate lot that arrived on our shores.“ The memories and treasures of individuals, families, and communities are essential to the record of this process—they contribute to our understanding of history and its participants just as collections in libraries, museums, and archives do.  

Memories and treasures should last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. The first national collections Preservation Week, “Pass It On!”, will take place May 9-15, 2010. Sponsored by the ALA’s Association of Library Collections and Services and partner organizations, Preservation Week will inspire actions to preserve personal, family and community collections of all kinds, as well as library, museum and archive collections. It will raise awareness of the role libraries and other cultural institutions can play in providing ongoing preservation information. Local libraries, museums, and archives are asked to do one thing in their communities to celebrate Preservation Week, even if the action or activity is small. For more information, visit http://www.ala.org/preservationweek.

The first Mother's Day holiday

From The History Channel:

"On this day in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issues a presidential proclamation that officially establishes the first national Mother's Day holiday to celebrate America's mothers.

The idea for a "Mother's Day" is credited by some to Julia Ward Howe (1872) and by others to Anna Jarvis (1907), who both suggested a holiday dedicated to a day of peace. Many individual states celebrated Mother's Day by 1911, but it was not until Wilson lobbied Congress in 1914 that Mother's Day was officially set on the second Sunday of every May. In his first Mother's Day proclamation, Wilson stated that the holiday offered a chance to "[publicly express] our love and reverence for the mothers of our country."

This sweet photograph of a mother and daughter is from the archives. Happy Mother's Day!

V-E (Victory in Europe) Day

May 8, 1945 marks V-E or VE Day, the day on which the Allied forces accepted the surrender of Nazi German forces, ending the reign Adolf Hitler's Third Reich in Europe. Many of Catawba County's World War II vets served in the European Theater. We'd like to share a few snapshots of Catawba soldiers we've had the pleasure of scanning over the past few weeks: 

  

"Hello Mom, This is me taking it easy on a spring day here in Germany. I'll be sitting on the porch at home soon. Love, Joe"

Happy birthday, Jen!

Today is a CCHA staffer's birthday--Jen--museum registrar, Murray's Mill site manager, and milling extraordinaire! Happy birthday!!