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Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

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Connecting the Docs is a podcast from the State Archives of North Carolina. Our archivists use archival materials to bring you fascinating, true stories from around the Old North State. Sometimes archival records solve a puzzle, and other times, they start one.Copyright 2019 All rights reserved. Political Science Politics & Government World
Episodes
  • Black Mountain College: Experimental Education in the Mountains of North Carolina

    Black Mountain College: Experimental Education in the Mountains of North Carolina
    Dec 23 2025
    One of the nation’s most significant experiments in education and community took shape right outside of Asheville, North Carolina, and it started during the Great Depression. When a small group of students and teachers renounced their old university to begin building an educational community in Black Mountain, NC, they couldn’t have realized that it would attract and produce some of the world's best minds in avant-garde visual art, poetry, architecture, and music (including people like Buckminster Fuller, Charles Olson, William and Elaine de Kooning, Ruth Asawa, Ray Johnson, Jacob Lawrence and Gwendelyn Knight Larence, Arthur Miller, Josef and Anni Albers). What they did know is that the traditional American education system was failing, and that they could counter the nation’s problems with a new type of learning. Today, podcast intern Amelia Gantt explains to host John Horan, Correspondence Assistant Annabeth Poe, and Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton that this experiment developed from the Great Depression to post-war anti-communism. Listen along to understand why many, including Eleanor Roosevelt, suggested ‘progressive education’ as the only path towards a better version of America, and how that promise for a better future lived on even after the College closed. Primary Sources: Roosevelt, Eleanor, “My Day.” March 21, 1936. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 10. “Education in Wartime.” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, vol. 3, no. 7, July 1945. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-bulletin-newsletter-iii-no-7-1945/3657369?item=3657505 . Adamic, Louis. “Education on a Mountain: The Story of Black Mountain College.” Theodore and Barbara Loines Dreier print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID PC.1956.74. Adamic, Louis, Correspondence 1934-1937. Black Mountain College Records print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 506.2.1.6. [“Artistic approach to life…” letter from Adamic to Rice] Black Mountain College Digital Collection, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/spotlights/bmc . Western Regional Archives Flickr Photo Collections https://www.flickr.com/photos/133487183@N07/albums/ . Straus, Erwin, “Education in a Time of Crisis.” Black Mountain College Bulletin, vol. 7, April 1941. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-education-time-crisis/3657509?item=3657766 . Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter print collection, Western Regional Archives, Record ID 506.2.26 and 506.2.27. Albers, Josef, “Address for the BMC Meeting at New York.” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, June 12, 1940. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 12. “Education for democratic citizenship...” Black Mountain College Bulletin Newsletter, vol. 1, no. 3, pg. 1, April 1943. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.6. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/black-mountain-college-bulletin-newsletter-i-no-3-1943/3657360 . Gisela Kronenberg (Herwitz) Letters print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID PC 7073. Charles P. Boyce interview by Mary Emma Harris, North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.3, Box 27. Released Interviews [Paul Francis Williams, Stuart Atkinson, Leonard D. “Knute”, Betsy Anne Weinrib (Williams), Thomas Scott Cutshaw], North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.4, Box 37. “100 Things You Should Know About Communism,” 1951. State Bureau of Investigation: Organized Crime Control Division, North Carolina State Archives. Record ID 136.2, Box 3. Kraft, Kathy, “On Education.” Radish, February 1969. State Bureau of Investigation: Organized Crime Control Division, North Carolina State Archives. Record ID 136.2, Box 8. Clayre, Alasdair, “The Rise and Fall of BMC,” The Listener, March 27, 1969. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print collection, Western Regional Archives. Record ID 61.12.2, Box 12. “A North Carolinian Writes From New York City.” Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel, January 11, 1942. North Carolina Museum of Art, Black Mountain College Research Project print ...
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Unto These Hills: Behind the Scenes

    Unto These Hills: Behind the Scenes
    Nov 26 2025

    North Carolina is known as the birthplace of the American outdoor drama. One of its longest running outdoor productions, Unto These Hills, celebrated its 75th anniversary this year. To capture the spirit of that diamond anniversary, Connecting the Docs host John Horan, podcast interns Chris Deitner and Amelia Gantt, and producer Danielle Shirilla had an opportunity to travel west to watch the show and interview Communications & Development Director Chelsey Moore and Delegate at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, as well as Props Lead for the show, Devon Cucumber, about the drama, its history, and its longevity.

    Special thanks to the Cherokee Historical Association and the cast and crew of Unto These Hills for letting us use original audio from a live production in this episode.

    Primary Sources:

    Backstage at “Unto These Hills” by John H. Hemmer, North Carolina. Dept. of Conservation and Development Records, ConDev8273A, State Archives of North Carolina, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/backstage-at-unto-these-hills./344166.

    Dorothy Eugenia Richardson Collection, PC.2172, State Archives of North Carolina.

    Unto These Hills Performance, Governor's Papers -- James Grubb Martin (11 December 1935 --) [First and Second Administrations], Record ID: 373.4.27.23, State Archives of North Carolina.

    Secondary Sources:

    Faulkner, Ronnie W., et al. “Outdoor Dramas.” NCPedia, 2006, https://www.ncpedia.org/outdoor-dramas.

    Gaison, G. "We're still here": Eddie Swimmer on Cherokee History, Life, and Outdoor Drama in the Appalachian Mountains. North Carolina Literary Review, (19), 46-59, 2010.

    “Outdoor Dramas to Enjoy Under the Stars in North Carolina.” VisitNC, https://www.visitnc.com/list/outdoor-dramas-enjoy-under-stars-north-carolina.

    “Unto These Hills.” Wikipedia, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unto_These_Hills.

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    1 hr
  • With Liberty and Rations for All: Managing Food During WWII

    With Liberty and Rations for All: Managing Food During WWII
    Nov 5 2025
    We all remember how difficult it was to grocery shop during the COVID-19 lockdown, but imagine if a government agency had legally allotted a certain amount of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or bread to each person per month...and kept it up for three years! It might seem impossible to fathom, but this was the nation’s reality only 80 years ago. In this episode, host John Horan hears from Microfilm and Imaging Specialist Erin Templeton as she describes the rationing system on the national level; we learn which items were most protected, why ration stamps were different colors, and what happened if you broke the rules. Then, former Intern Chris Deitner zooms in to investigate life with the rationing system in North Carolina, gauged from material in the State Archives. Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore ends by sharing three 1940s holiday recipes, highlighting the creative methods that citizens on the Homefront used to adapt classic recipes with limited supplies. SANC Sources: “Health Bulletin.” 1943, v.58: no.1-12, p. 190. North Carolina Board of Health Bulletins, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/health-bulletin-1943-v.58-no.1-12/1952377?item=2008460 WWII Military Posters Collection: Food Supply, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/documents?filter_17=World%20War%2C%201939-1945--Food%20supply--United%20States&applyState=true “Maud and Frank Stick War Ration Books, 1940s,” Private Collections, PC.5073.4, pg. 2 and 7 https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/maud-and-frank-stick-war-ration-books-1940s/767056 Robert L. and Mary Lee (Swann) McMillan Papers, December 1943. Private Collections, PC.1677, Box 3 “We came across an interesting lad...” The Barrage [Camp Davis], November 1942. Military Collection: NC Camp Publications, WWII 5, Box 3 Folder 3, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-barrage/435965?item=436333 “For War Service.” 1945. Military Collection: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.36, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/for-war-service/432387 “Rationing Drives Man to Army.” The AA Barrage [Camp Davis], July-Sept 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/camp-davis-the-aa-barrage/459755?item=459823 “Homemaker’s War Guide,” 1942. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.40, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/homemakers-war-guide/462546 Student Scrapbook [Scotland County], Military Collection: WWII Papers, County War Records, Box 85. “Pasquotank County Victory Garden Contest,” 1944. Military Collections: WWII Posters, WWII 11.F4.P4, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/pasquotank-county-victory-garden-contest/448885 “Plenty of exercise in maintaining a garden plot...” Pasquotank Patrol [Elizabeth City], 10 June 1943. Military Collections: NC Camps Publications, WWII 5, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/elizabeth-city-naval-air-station-the-pasquotank-patrol/348286?item=348339 “To Do My Part on the Home Front,” Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.31, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/to-do-my-part-on-the-home-front/459370 WWII Poster Collection: Rationing Posters, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/collections/world-war-ii?search=ration&searchtypes=Metadata|Full%20text&filter_10=Posters&applyState=true “How to Keep Your Food Bill Down,” 1943. Military Collections: WWII Posters, MilColl.WWII.Posters.5.32, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/how-to-keep-your-food-bill-down/447116 Kannapolis Daily Independent War-Time Cook Book, 1943. Military Collection, WWII PC Box 90 “OPA Announces Turkey Prices for this Area...” The Monroe Enquirer [Monroe, NC] 8 Nov 1943. Newspaper Collection, https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93065776/1943-11-08/ed-1/seq-1/ Wartime Holiday Menus: Private Collections, Jane S. McKimmon Papers, PC.234.23, 1929 Christmas Dinner Menu at the Governor’s Mansion Military Collection, WWII 265, 1943 Camp Lejune Signal Battalion Christmas Dinner Menu Military Collection, WWII 148, 1944 MCAS Cherry Point Christmas Secondary Sources: US Composting Council, Victory Gardens https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/victorygardens Archives Test Kitchen: WWII Rationing, History For All the People, https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2024/12/17/archives-test-kitchen-wwii-rationing/ "Food Rationing on the WWII Home Front,” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/food-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm “Coffee Rationing on the World War II Home Front,” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/coffee-rationing-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm
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    42 mins
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