Western NC Your Focus? Check out the Edith M Clark History Room!

Along the former Old Wagon Road / Great Philadelphia Wagon Road in Rowan County, North Carolina, lies the historic town of Salisbury. Founded in 1753, Salisbury was settled primarily by Scots-Irish and Germans. It was the largest city in western North Carolina in the 1700s and early 1800s. During the Civil War, it had the only Confederate Prison in the state.

Today this charming city boasts five local historic districts and ten historic districts listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to its rich history, Salisbury also is home to one of the best genealogical libraries in the southeast.

With over 19,000 books, 5700 microforms, 51 computer databases, and 268 manuscript collections, the Edith M. Clark History Room on the third floor of the Rowan Public Library in Salisbury comprises one of the largest genealogical and historical collections in North Carolina. The History Room’s collection focuses on Western North Carolina, especially all areas of old Rowan County.

However, it also contains records for other North Carolina counties, bordering states, and other states relevant for studying migration routes to/from Rowan County. In addition to the many books, genealogical journals, and manuscript collections available at the library, some highlights of the history room’s holdings include:

● The McCubbins Collection
● Jo White Linn Collection
● Archibald Henderson Collection of books on drama, literary criticism, & American history
● The Craige Collection of North Caroliniana
● The Christian Reid Collection of books by local author Francis Fisher Tiernan
● Family histories
● An extensive collection of Civil War records
● Salisbury Confederate Prison materials
● Draper Manuscripts (North Carolina Papers, Tennessee Papers, Draper's Life of Boone, Daniel Boone Papers, Rudolph-Ney Papers, King's Mountain Papers, and Mecklenburg Declaration Papers, & Miscellanies)
● North Carolina county records on microfilm
● Historic western North Carolina newspapers on microfilm, such as the Carolina Watchman and the Western Carolinian
● Historic North Carolina maps
● Salisbury City Directories, beginning in 1901

Some of the library’s records are available online, such as their

Digital Archives and the Theo Buerbaum collection of historic Salisbury postcards. The library’s online catalog includes records in the history room, which makes planning your research easy. They also have online finding aids for the history room. So, while you’re coming to North Carolina for the NGS Conference, be sure to make a stop in Salisbury at their wonderful library.

[Content provided by: Elaine Turk Nell]