When I was up by the Great Dismal Swamp a few days ago, Ms. Wanda Lassiter graciously introduced me to the history of Hobbsville, a rural community in Gates County, N.C. Wanda is the head curator at the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City and a lifelong resident of Hobbsville. With the help of her mother and two of her former high school teachers, she brought Hobbsville's history to life.
Lumber Industry
The Sawmill Workers of the Roanoke River, 1938-1939
In this second photo-essay in my "Working Lives" series, we go inside a sawmill, a handle mill, and a veneer plant that were located on the banks of the Roanoke River in 1938 and 1939.
Wharf Pilings and Sawdust: Visiting the Lost Villages of Hyde County, N.C.
More than 50 years ago, a high school history teacher named Morgan Harris and his students at Mattamuskeet High School created what I believe are the only surviving maps of four lumber mill villages in Hyde County, N.C.
The Italian Workers: The Life and Times of the Immigrants who Built North Carolina’s Railroads
In 1920 an Italian immigrant named James Torsigno-- a railroad construction worker-- was unjustly accused of murder in Belhaven, N.C.. His case opened a rare window into the world of the thousands of Italian immigrant laborers that were building railroads in North Carolina in the early 20th century.
