Community map of the Dunn’s Rock area from the Dunn’s Rock Community Club 1955 scrapbook.  A corresponding list identifies who resided at each numbered location.

The Scrapbook
Collection in the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room at the Transylvania County
Library contains approximately 150 Community Center, Home Demonstration Club,
and 4-H Club scrapbooks. 

In the 1950s
rural neighborhoods organized community clubs to bring people together for
educational, civic, and social purposes. 
Each community club was encouraged to create an annual scrapbook
featuring the people and places within their community through newspaper articles,
photographs, and other memorabilia. 
These scrapbooks have proven to be a wonderful record of life in
Transylvania County from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. 

The
scrapbooks were scanned by community volunteers.  A few communities decided to leave their
books at the Library to be stored, while others took them back to their
centers.  Only a small number are
available online.  Sixteen Little River
Community Club scrapbooks can be viewed at DigitalNC.org.  The others can be viewed at the Library with
advance notice.

Photograph of Fortnightly Club members, circa 1920s, from a Fornightly Club scrapbook.

Women’s
Clubs and Garden Clubs also used scrapbooks as a way of recording their
activities in the community.  Some of
these groups have also donated their photograph albums, minute books, and other
supporting materials to the Library to preserve a record of their organization
and its work.  The AAUW, Fortnightly
Club, Mathatasian Club, Waightstill Avery Chapter DAR, Wednesday Club, Sylvan
Valley Garden Club, and Transylvania Garden Club are among those who have some
records preserved in the Local History Room.

Changing
lifestyles have led to less involvement in community and civic clubs throughout
the United States.  Transylvania County
is fortunate to still have several active community centers and clubs that
connect us to our community and to have these records showing past activity.

Photographs
and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina
Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit
the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about
our history and see additional photographs. 
For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.