Ruth South talks about working with the NYA (National Youth Administration) under Roosevelt's New Deal policy and the classes she took on weaving. She has been weaving with homespun wool her whole life and sees homemade crafts as a very important part of life. It is certainly an integral part of the mountain community life during the early twentieth century. South also took classes in wood-working at Pendelum and Berea.

Ira Shull was born November 8, 1892 in Valle Crucis, North Carolina on a farm where he grew up. During his young adult life, he moved out west to the Washington area, specifically Spokane where he worked on a ranch. Mr. Shull had a hand in bringing telephone lines to the Boone area in the 1940s.

Mr. Shull refers back to his childhood and community life in Valle Crucis including politics, transportation, postal service, outlaws, and homemade remedies. He goes into detail about his experience farming livestock and crops. Mr. Shull also talks in detail about the Great Depression including the WPA projects going on at that time. He shares stories of outlaws and the Civil War his grandfather shared with him as a child.

Mary Burnham was born in Avery County where she grew up and attended Mission School for her first nine years of education. She then went to boarding school called Hannamore Academy in Ragerstown, Maryland. Ms. Bornham continued her education at Hood College in Fredrick, Maryland and Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then worked at Swarthmore College for four years as a librarian. She also went to UNC for graduate study in ancient and Medieval history. Ms. Burnham worked as a librarian in the department of zoology at Cornell University and at Shaddock Hospital in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts where she met her husband and eventually after retirement made her way back to the Valle Crucis area.

Ms. Burnham explains the history of the Mission School she attended. Ms. Burnham goes into detail about the Valle Crucis community including its history, major events, and the current differences compared to her childhood. Her memories of the area also include politics, specifically elections and the typical transportation of the area. Ms. Burnham then speaks of the traditions and customs of the area such as quilting and weaving. Other traditions she talks about include picking herbs, folktales, and group activities she experienced as a child. Ms. Burnham recollects the Great Depression and its effects on the neighborhood including the public schools and churches.

Andrew Jackson Greene kept this diary from June 13 through September 29, 1925. He recorded an entry for each day. In this diary he kept detailed descriptions of the weather in addition to daily activity records, and travel records. He also wrote about his work in the Watauga county churches. He frequently wrote of work at Appalachian Training School and of the guest speakers that came to visit. He frequently visited sick neighbors and friends such as Conly Glenn.

This diary was recorded by Andrew Jackson Greene from January 25th through April 29th, during the year of 1928. Greene wrote each day an account of what he experienced that day. His typical day involved Willlowdale Baptist Church, Appalachian Training School, visits with neighbors, and a trip to Boone.

This diary was recorded from November 11, 1928 through February 12, 1929 by Andrew Jackson Greene. This diary starts on a big day for the Greene family as Lester Doughton Greene turned 18 years old and the family held a celebratory dinner in his honor. A.J. Greene continues to teach at Appalachian State Normal School. He enjoys spending time with his colleagues. He continues to devote himself to regular church meetings, bible study, and Sunday school.

This diary was kept by Andrew Jackson Greene from May 18 through July 30, 1929. This was a period of gloom for Greene. He found life’s burdens to be much too heavy. He used his diary as a place to dump his burdens so that he could continue. He wrote about the things that bothered him, and the things that brought him joy. He typically included information about the weather, his friends and family, the school, and church.

In this diary, Greene includes the usual weather reports, writings about the college, and community information. Upon not feeling well, Greene took time to arrange his diaries. At this point he had “almost 100 composition books filled with current events and personal meditations.” Greene wrote that he may have recorded things that should be erased. He wrote that readers should remember he is human.

This diary was recorded from November 29th through December 22nd, 1937. This diary has many of Greene’s thoughts on the local holiday festivities such as parades and decorations. In this diary Greene also makes note that he writes news for the paper. Some locals named in this diary include W.M. Thomas, Hattie Pogroms, H.R. Eggers, and many more. There is a wealth of information provided about Appalachian State Teacher College through the accounts of faculty meetings, assemblies, chapel hour, and Greene’s classroom. Some buildings named throughout this diary include the Administration building, Justice Hall, the gymnasium, Newland Hall, and Lovill Hall. Many of these buildings remain on the campus of Appalachian State University today.

This diary was recorded from February 25 through March 16, 1938 by Andrew Jackson Greene. He provided insight on the life of a Watauga County resident, church member, and teacher at Appalachian State Teachers College. Greene included weather records, travel records and personal reflections for each day. He wrote about the bus stations, the local stores, the Greene Inn, and of course the college.

This diary was recorded by Andrew Jackson Greene from August 18 through September 4, 1938. Inside this diary one will find personal reflections and records. Greene recorded the daily weather, and his many travels. He also wrote each day about what he had done, observed, and heard. Through these writings one can find information about the many different areas of Watauga County from Vilas to Boone, including many landmarks such as Appalachian State Teachers College, and Willowdale Baptist Church.

This diary was written daily by Andrew Jackson Greene from April 24 through July 12, 1941. This diary is composed of entries full of weather records travel records, and personal reactions to events of the day. He also wrote daily about his declining health. He struggled to do many of the things he wanted because of his health. Walking longer distances became nearly impossible, and he was eventually in the hospital.

The ledger and some loose documents include various advertisements, handwritten notes, cancelled checks, letters, legal documents, and account records (possibly from a day book), dated 1853-1917, and undated. The 616-page ledger documents the business activity of the Taylor and Moore General Store of Valle Crucis, North Carolina, primarily during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, with some early twentieth-century notations as well. Entries indicate payments were made in cash or by bartering goods. Products sold include dry goods, groceries, shoes, and hardware.