All Things Alamance: All Things Alamance

Alamance Magazine and its predecessor City-County Magazine contain feature stories on local people, places, and events.  City-County Magazine started publishing in 1986 and changed its name to Alamance Magazine in 2003.  There is a name and subject index to magazine articles from City-County and Alamance Magazine in the Local History Room at May Memorial Library.  Alamance Magazine is no longer in publication.

Spoon Maps

Some of the most detailed maps of Alamance County were created by William Luther Spoon, a civil engineer.  He was the Supervisor of Roads in Alamance County and he drew and published two maps of Alamance County that include the names of rural landowners--one in 1893 and one in 1928.  A surname index is available for the 1893 map.  The 1893 Spoon Map is available to view at the UNC Libraries website at https://web.lib.unc.edu/nc-maps/interactive/MC_001_1893s.php

Stout Historical Maps

Garland Stout was an historian who took contemporary maps of North Carolina counties and identified the churches, cemeteries, post offices, grist mills, and industrial sites of former times on the maps.  The Local History Room at May Memorial Library has his Alamance County map, which was revised in 1975, along with his maps of various surrounding counties in the north central North Carolina area.

Please consult the Geographic Names Information Service on the internet for a list of more than 400 recognized places in Alamance County and their GPS coordinates at

https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic  

Sites inside Alamance County that are listed include: Municipalities, Churches, Parks, Schools, Cemeteries, Reservoirs, Dams, Streams, Airports, etc.

Several newspaper series that ran frequently in back issues of the Burlington Times-News contain feature stories about Alamance County people, places, and events of the past.  They are:

Alamance in the Past

Don Bolden, editor emeritus of the Burlington Times-News, started a series of historical articles in the 1970s for the U.S. Bicentennial that were collected into two books under the title Alamance in the Past.  There is an index to the Don Bolden newspaper historical articles on the Alamance County Libraries webpage from 1974-1976 and from 1978-1985.  The web link is available at 1974-1976 and 1978-1985.

In Days Gone By

Julian Hughes was a textile worker and amateur journalist who wrote biographical sketches during the 1950s of well-known locals who were prominent during the early part of the 1900s.  His series of articles ran in the Burlington Times-News throughout the 1950s under the headline "In Days Gone By"  An index is available at Julian Hughes newspaper index.  Fulltext of the rough drafts for this series is available online (excludes accompanying photos)

Times-News Progress Edition

The Times-News progress edition was a special supplement to the local newspaper that was published each January to review "the state of the county".  An index to early issues of the progress edition from 1949 -1960 may be found at Times-News Progress Editions index.

Alamance County is the location for several annual events that have been held continuously for many years.  They include:

Battle of Alamance Commemoration takes place on or near May 16 at the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site to remember the 1771 tax revolt skirmish. 

Carousel Festival takes place in mid-September each year since 1987 at Burlington City Park to celebrate the Dentzel Menagerie Carousel in the park

Festival of the Oaks is an outdoor arts festival that has been held each October in the town of Elon since 1992 

Halloween Fireworks have ended the annual Halloween Event in Burlington City Park since 1946

Mebane Dogwood Festival is an outdoor arts festival that has been held each April in Mebane since 1988

Redbud Festival is an outdoor festival tthat has been held each April in Saxapahaw since 1995

Sword of Peace is an outdoor historical drama at Snow Camp that has been performed each summer since 1974

Uncle Eli's Quilting Party is a community quilting bee that has taken place in Eli Whitney on the first THursday in April cince 1931

Some events of long duration are now defunct.  The include the Alamance Balloon Festival, Arts Round the Square, the Habitat for Humanity Flea Market, and the Bass Mountain Music Festival.

Newspapers on Microfilm at May Memorial Library

The Hillsborough Recorder (1820-1854); The Alamance Gleaner (1875-1931), The State Dispatch (1908-1915), The Mebane Leader (1911-1915), The Times-News (1927-present)

Newspapers via the Internet

The Alamance Gleaner  (1875-) https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/alamance-gleaner-graham-nc/

The Mebane Leader (1911-1915) https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/mebane-leader-mebane-nc/

The Twice A Week Dispatch (1910-1915)  https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/the-twice-a-week-dispatch-burlington-n-c/

There are a number of photographic histories of Burlington and Alamance County.  They include:

Alamance County was once well-known as a textile center with special emphasis on the production of hosiery.  In 1959, Alamance County became the birthplace of pantyhose when Glen Raven Mills introduced Panti-legs based on a 1956 patent.

The Local History Collection has information on many local civic organizations, both current and defunct.  There are scrapbooks in the collection from the following organizations:

Burlington Writer's Club, Burlington Council of Garden Clubs, Business and Professional Women's Club, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, League of Women Voters, National Federation of Music Clubs, Tuesday Afternoon Club, Wayside Garden Club and several others

Alamance County Public Libraries provide free and open access to lifelong learning, resources for everyday living, and reading for pleasure in a welcoming environment.  Our collections, services and programs enhance the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. Contact the Library webmaster.

Alamance County Public Libraries operates as a Department of Alamance County Government.  Visit the Alamance County Website at www.alamance-nc.com.