The document is called The Truth Concerning Pitt County Finances, and it invites every man to look at county records for himself. It says: “The Fusionists are circulating throughout Pitt County a statement that the present Board of County Commissioners saved the people $4, 742.80 . . . (However) An examination of the records shows . . . “ The date of the document is 1898.
The North Carolina Collection at East Carolina University’s Joyner Library has a number of these interesting historical documents, called broadsides, which are printed on one side of a sheet of paper and meant to be posted where people could read them.
An 1891 broadside says $1800 Reward and offers this large amount of money for the arrest of persons who were burning down tobacco “pack houses” in the Chicod Township area. It is signed by J. J. Laughinghouse and J. Bryan Grimes.
Another broadside from the 1880s advertises a new business. In New Machine Shop in Plymouth, NC, T. A. Perry says: “I take this method of informing the public that I have erected in Plymouth, N.C., a Machine and Blacksmith shop, where, aided by steam power, I am prepared to do ALL KINDS OF MACHINE WORK . . .” He goes on to describe, in detail, what kinds of machines he can work on, what services he offers, and what he can also sell.
Not all the broadsides in the North Carolina Collection date from so far back. A 1995 document shows the USS North Carolina, giving quick facts, historical and technical information, and the layout of the ship. This kind of broadside would be posted in a classroom or at a public presentation, perhaps.
A colorful poster from 2003 is called Tempests from the Tropics: Atlantic & Gulf Coast Hurricanes. Created by the East Carolina University Geography Department and GeoClub, it shows storm paths, population densities, and how hurricanes form, among other things.
Broadsides are a special kind of library material and one that might not be considered by those looking for information on a variety of topics. They can be a source of firsthand historical information, as well as being educational and just plain interesting. Look for them in the library’s online catalog, the same place where books can be found. They can’t be checked out but can be used in the North Carolina Collection.
And, incidentally, the broadside about Pitt County finances is available on the web (www.lib.ecu.edu/ncc/historyfiction/document/the) and shows that the county’s expenses in 1875 through 1896 went from $8,058.87 to $18,344.69.
Area residents and visitors, as well as the East Carolina community, are welcome of to use the North Carolina Collection on the third floor of J. Y. Joyner Library. For more information, call 252-328-6601 or see the collection’s home page at www.lib.ecu.edu/NCCollPCC/ncchome.htm.
Nancy P. Shires is a librarian in the Verona Joyner Langford North Carolina Collection
