BOONE, N.C. — Tucked away on the fourth floor of Appalachian State University’s Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons is the Special Collections Research Center, a treasure trove containing items that preserve the university’s history and that of its home — Appalachia.
The Special Collections faculty and staff collect, preserve and make accessible primary source materials that support teaching and learning at App State and in the community.
The Appalachian State University seal patch and pennant pictured belonged to Elizabeth Brown Scoggins, granddaughter of university co-founders D.D. Dougherty and Lillie Shull Dougherty. Scoggins attended Appalachian State Teachers College for two years before transferring to Greensboro College.
Shown is the Appalachian State Teachers College (ASTC) varsity letter jacket, circa 1940, worn by James Storie ’42. He married fellow ASTC student Elizabeth Storie ’42 (née South), and they both played and lettered in basketball. This jacket, plus letter sweaters belonging to the Stories, are housed in the University Archives Artifact Collection.
These coal chunks were collected by sociologist and activist Helen Matthews Lewis. The subject of coal mining in both South Wales and Appalachia features prominently in her papers, which are housed in Special Collections.
Kim Sims, who joined the University Libraries faculty in spring 2019 as coordinator of special collections and university archivist, said strategically promoting App State’s history, heritage and traditions is a great way to connect or re-connect with alumni, as well as current students, faculty and staff.
“My hope is to get alumni and students interested and invested in what Special Collections has to offer, ultimately making them stakeholders and agents for growth within the collections,” she said.
“Our collections are available to everyone for research, whether they are affiliated with the university or not,” she added. “The collections are here to be used, and we want them to be used. We also have a conservation lab, a blast freezer and cold storage — resources which allow us to better care for the collections entrusted to us.”
Nicknamed “The Sweethearts of Country Music,” Lulu Belle Wiseman (born Myrtle Eleanor Cooper) and Scotty Wiseman, natives of Boone and Spruce Pine, respectively, were a major country music recording act during the mid-20th century, headlining the WLS-AM show “National Barn Dance” and appearing in several Hollywood motion pictures. After they retired from show business in 1958, Scotty Wiseman became a teacher and Lulu Belle Wiseman was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Their 1964 album “Down Memory Lane,” pictured at top left, includes many of the Wisemans’ most popular songs. The Vogue Picture Record (78 RPM), pictured top right, features the songs “I Get a Kick Out of Corn” and “Have I Told You Lately that I Love You.” Shown at bottom left is Scotty Wiseman’s D-18 Martin Guitar (1952). Lulu Belle Wiseman wore the dress shown at bottom right for performances and on the cover of the “Down Memory Lane” album.
Nicknamed “The Sweethearts of Country Music,” Lulu Belle Wiseman (born Myrtle Eleanor Cooper) and Scotty Wiseman, natives of Boone and Spruce Pine, respectively, were a major country music recording act during the mid-20th century, headlining the WLS-AM show “National Barn Dance” and appearing in several Hollywood motion pictures. After they retired from show business in 1958, Scotty Wiseman became a teacher and Lulu Belle Wiseman was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Their 1964 album “Down Memory Lane,” pictured at top left, includes many of the Wisemans’ most popular songs. The Vogue Picture Record (78 RPM), pictured second from top, features the songs “I Get a Kick Out of Corn” and “Have I Told You Lately that I Love You.” Shown at third from top is Scotty Wiseman’s D-18 Martin Guitar (1952). Lulu Belle Wiseman wore the dress shown at bottom for performances and on the cover of the “Down Memory Lane” album.
Pictured at left, a car is airborne during a NASCAR race. NASCAR has since added safety roof flaps to keep cars on the ground during a crash. Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, pictured at right, was one of the most popular and successful NASCAR drivers during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Pictured at top, a car is airborne during a NASCAR race. NASCAR has since added safety roof flaps to keep cars on the ground during a crash. Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, pictured at bottom, was one of the most popular and successful NASCAR drivers during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Pictured at left, this 1970 recording features Richard Petty narrating racetrack action. Petty, known as “The King,” won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and 200 races. He played himself in the 1972 movie “The Richard Petty Story” and voiced “The King” in the 2006 Pixar film “Cars.” He was one of several popular NASCAR drivers whose story appeared in comic book form. “The Richard Petty Special” comic, pictured at right, was published by Canadian comic book company Vortex Comics.
Pictured at top, this 1970 recording features Richard Petty narrating racetrack action. Petty, known as “The King,” won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and 200 races. He played himself in the 1972 movie “The Richard Petty Story” and voiced “The King” in the 2006 Pixar film “Cars.” He was one of several popular NASCAR drivers whose story appeared in comic book form. “The Richard Petty Special” comic, pictured at bottom, was published by Canadian comic book company Vortex Comics.
This chicken-shaped cookie cutter was possibly made by Elijah Dougherty, grandfather of university co-founders B.B. Dougherty and D.D. Dougherty.
This handcarved cane was made for Appalachian State University’s Dr. Cratis D. Williams, who is widely considered the father of Appalachian studies. From 1958–75, Williams served as dean of App State’s graduate school, which is named in his honor. The cane is inscribed with its carver’s initials, “H.D.W.,” and features images and words reflective of Williams’ life, including a banjo, a corn liquor jug and the word “folklore.”
In addition to books and manuscripts, the collections also include oral histories, audio recordings — including the earliest known recording of Grammy Award-winning folk musician Doc Watson — and moving images, as well as artifacts.
Sims said she hopes to expand the holdings to include book arts, medieval manuscripts, Victorian literature and items that document underrepresented communities.
Shown are the two sides of the Howard V. Gragg’s Watauga Literary Society membership coin from 1926. The Watauga Literary Society was one of the three original literary societies founded at Appalachian State University.
Pictured is one of several blueprints for the Land of Oz theme park in Beech Mountain, which operated from 1970–80 and was inspired by L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wonderful World of Oz.”
The bottle of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey pictured was personally selected for Appalachian State University’s Dr. Cratis D. Williams and was distilled, aged and bottled by Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. on Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky.
This dulcimer, circa 1980, was made by Stanley Hicks, a native of Beech Mountain. It was gifted by Hicks — through Frank Proffitt Jr. — to Cheryl Oxford upon the completion of her doctoral research on Beech Mountain Jack Tales in 1987. Oxford donated the dulcimer to the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection in 2018. Both Proffitt and Hicks performed on Appalachian State University’s campus over the course of a few decades.
Earlier this year, Special Collections began collecting artists’ books — works of art that utilize the form of a book — thanks to a monetary donation from App State alumna Maxine McCall ’60 ’65 and her late husband, Don McCall, which was made in memory of Allie Hodgin ’34, a former reference librarian at App State. Sims said some of these new acquisitions are related to underrepresented communities, specifically the LGBTQ+, African American and Latinx communities.
“It is important that students and alumni find themselves and their communities represented here and also that we are able to provide opportunities to work with faculty to engage their classes with primary source material by supporting the curriculum,” Sims said.
The paddle ball pictured is signed by the 1947 staff of The Rhododendron yearbook, which was first published in 1922 when Appalachian State University was known as Appalachian Training School. Production of the yearbook ended in 2006.
The wooden gavel pictured is inscribed with the sentence “Made from tree D. (Daniel) Boone camped under in Boone, N.C.”
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
About University Libraries
University Libraries at Appalachian State University serves the students, faculty and staff of App State’s Boone and Hickory campuses, contributing to the university’s mission of learning, teaching, advancing knowledge, engagement and effectiveness. Belk Library and Information Commons, the Erneston Music Library and the Hickory Library and Information Commons provide academic resources for all App State students and faculty. Within Belk Library, students and faculty find group and quiet study spaces, digital devices to check out, the Digital Media Studio, the Makerspace, the Virtual Realty Studio, the Special Collections Research Center and more. Learn more at https://library.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
![App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]](/_images/_posts/2025/04/ai-concentration-600x400.jpg)
