Orange County History Guide: Other Resources
Orange County Newspapers
Since Orange County’s founding, more than fifty newspapers have been established in Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and throughout the county. Many only ran for a year or two. This list contains only newspapers in the North Carolina Collection that ran for more than two years. Most are available only on microfilm. The call numbers given are for either the print copies, the microfilm reels, or both as noted.
- Chapel Hill News LeaderCall Number: C071 C46cSemiweekly published from 1954 through 1959. Available on microfilm.
- The Chapel Hill NewsCall Number: C071 C46h 1992-Triweekly paper published since 1992. Currently received on microfilm.
- The Chapel Hill NewspaperCall Number: C071 C46h 1972-1992Daily paper that ran from 1972-1992. 1972 through 1976 issues are available in print and 1972 through 1992 issues are available on microfilm.
- The Chapel Hill WeeklyCall Number: C071 C46gPublished weekly from 1923 until 1955 and semiweekly from 1955 until 1972. Available in print and on microfilm.
- The Herald-SunCall Number: C071 D96h1Daily paper covering Chapel Hill and Durham beginning in 1991. Microfilm copies are currently received.
- The Hillsborough RecorderCall Number: C071 H65Weekly paper that ran from 1820-1879. Available on microfilm.
- The News of Orange CountyCall Number: C071 N56oWeekly paper begun in 1893 and still currently received in print at the collection.
- Orange County ObserverCall Number: C071 O63oWeekly paper that ran from 1880 until around 1918. The microfilm at the NCC contains most of the issues from 1880 until 1916.
- Chapel Hill Ledger byCall Number: C071 C46L1Publication Date: 1879-1880On microfilm. Also available via Newspapers.com
Resources for Neighboring Counties
Because Orange County originally encompassed a much larger area of land than it does today, the history of other counties formed partially or completely from parts of Orange can often be of use to the researcher. The books listed below provide some general information for the counties whose history most often intersects with that of Orange - Alamance, Chatham, and Durham.
- Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina byCall Number: C971.32 A54dPublication Date: 2011Comprehensive and up-to-date narrative history of Durham County. Widely recognized as one of the best histories available for a North Carolina county. Also available in the Reading Room.
- The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, North Carolina byCall Number: C971.19 O81aPublication Date: 1991Comprehensive narrative history of architecture in Chatham County followed by almost three hundred pages of information about individual buildings, with accompanying photographs.
- Architectural History of Burlington, North Carolina byCall Number: C971.1 B96aPublication Date: 1987A short history of architecture in Burlington, Alamance County, followed by an inventory of architecturally important buildings in the town. Buildings are grouped by sections of the town and pictures are included with the descriptions.
- The History of Alamance byCall Number: C971.1 S86sPublication Date: 1986First published in 1900, this history of Alamance covers only the early period of the county's history, up until about the mid-nineteenth century. It also includes histories of prominent county families.
- The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory byCall Number: C971.32 D96r1Publication Date: 1982Comprehensive inventory of Durham buildings organized by geographic location with lots of photographs.
- Chatham County, 1771-1971 byCall Number: C971.19 H13c1Publication Date: 1976Though somewhat uneven in style, this lengthy history of Chatham County includes important dates, information about churches, and lists of public officials. Most of the book is divided into short sections addressing a specific topic, such as a particular town, church, or event, so information is easy to locate. Also available in the Reading Room.
- The War of the Regulation and the Battle of Alamance, May 16, 1771 byCall Number: Cp970.25 p88wPublication Date: 1976A brief history of an important battle during the War of the Regulation written by a notable North Carolina historian.
- Alamance in the Past byCall Number: C971.1 B68aPublication Date: 1971Based on columns Don Bolden wrote for a newspaper in Burlington, this book is difficult to use, but is essentially the only recent comprehensive history of Alamance County in the Collection. There is no index, but some of the biographies, histories of schools, and histories of particular towns are separated into different sections. The second volume contains only pictures and their descriptions.
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