Digital Watauga

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Digital Watauga The principal aim of the Digital Watauga Project (DWP) is the digital preservation of Watauga County’s historical images, documents, and other materials.

We are very excited to announce our recent acquisition of the Joanne Aldridge Collection via a generous donation from Jo...
10/20/2026

We are very excited to announce our recent acquisition of the Joanne Aldridge Collection via a generous donation from John & Faye Cooper. These items include a large number of photographs, color slides, and documents, which were found in the former residence of Joanne Aldridge. Joanne Brannon Aldridge is a retired freelance author and editor. Additionally, she taught English at a number of schools, including Appalachian State University. She has a long history of volunteer work, exemplified by her time serving on a number of various local, regional, and state boards. She was also an avid collector of items related to Watauga County’s history.

In this post are a representative few images that have been discovered in this vast collection. The collection will be posted to our website as it is processed and digitized. If you would like to support our work in digitizing the Joanne Aldridge Collection and many others, consider donating to the Digital Watauga Project or becoming a member of the Watauga County Historical Society! Details on how to become involved in our work to preserve Watauga County’s history can be found here: https://www.wataugacountyhistoricalsociety.org/join-usdonate

*Now Online* Cecil Jackson Slide Collection Series 02Series 02 consists of 102 color slides depicting several fundraisin...
08/23/2026

*Now Online* Cecil Jackson Slide Collection Series 02

Series 02 consists of 102 color slides depicting several fundraising events and the celebration of a loan repayment at the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church. There are also several letters to the church from various institutions.

To view the rest of this series, visit our site at: https://digitalwatauga.org/search?query=Cec-Jac-02&query_type=exact_match&record_types%5B%5D=Item&record_types%5B%5D=File&record_types%5B%5D=Collection&submit_search=Submit

*Now Online!* The Howard and Anne Mast Collection.This six-series collection consists of loose and framed photographic p...
08/16/2026

*Now Online!* The Howard and Anne Mast Collection.

This six-series collection consists of loose and framed photographic prints, negatives, a scrapbook, one 1949 Coveteer yearbook, and a “History of Watauga County” written by Arthur Clyde Mast in 1974 that was published in the Watauga Democrat in installments. The images range from the 1910s-1990s and document the Mast family, including images of Anne Mast’s time at Eastern Tennessee State Normal School, Frank Mast’s naval deployment to the Moanalu Ridge Staging Camp in 1945-1946, and Howard and Anne’s children throughout the years. We are grateful to Laura Greene for sharing these items with us! To see the entire collection, visit: https://digitalwatauga.org/collections/show/101

*Now Online* Cecil Jackson Slide Collection Series 04This series consists of color slides depicting Nativity and other p...
07/04/2026

*Now Online* Cecil Jackson Slide Collection Series 04

This series consists of color slides depicting Nativity and other performances at the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church. There are also images of Junaluska neighborhood cookouts, the dance floor of a bar, a fundraiser at Hardin Park Elementary School, and the demolition of the Daniel Boone Hotel.

To view the entire collection, visit: https://digitalwatauga.org/search?query=Cec-Jac-04&query_type=exact_match&record_types%5B%5D=Item&record_types%5B%5D=File&record_types%5B%5D=Collection&submit_search=Submit

05/31/2026

Were you able to make the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Civil War Trails marker on May 21st? If not, read Watauga Democrat's writeup on the event, here: https://tinyurl.com/yt8xe6cm.

This interpretive marker highlights Union General George Stoneman’s Raid through the present-day Boone, and was made possible through a partnership between Town of Boone Historic Preservation Commission, the Downtown Development Business Association, and the Watauga County Historical Society.

Here are the remarks given by Adelia Daly (DW Senior Technician and WCHS Secretary), describing Watauga County's part in the Civil War:

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Boone, NC

Telephone

(828) 264-8784 Ext 2

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