Check Out What’s New to the Collection

Take a moment and get acquainted with over 300 of the newest additions to the North Carolina Collection now listed on our “What’s New in the North Carolina Collection?” page.  From politics (Christensen, Rob. The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics: The Personalities, Elections, and Events That Shaped Modern North Carolina) to mystery (Lamb, Amanda. Deadly Dose: The Untold Story of a Homicide Investigator’s Crusade for Truth and Justice) to baking (McDermott, Nancie, and Becky Luigart-Stayner. Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations) and of course UNC basketball (Miller, Wes, and Adam Lucas. The Road to Blue Heaven: An Insider’s Diary of North Carolina’s 2007 Basketball Season), these titles cover it all.  To see the full list simply click on the link in this entry or click on the “What’s New in the North Carolina Collection?” link under the heading “Pages” in the right column. As always, full citations for all the new titles can be found in the University Library Catalog and they are all available for use in the North Carolina Collection Reading Room.

Elisha Mitchell: A Man, His Watch, and a Mountain

Professor Elisha Mitchell taught chemistry, mineralogy, and geology at UNC until he fell to his death trying to prove that Mt. Mitchell was the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.  At the time, the mountain was called Black Dome, but was later renamed in Mitchell’s honor.  At a height of 6,684 ft., Mt. Mitchell is in fact the tallest peak in the Eastern US.  The image above is a copy of an engraving in the NCC’s photo archives, 87-188.

Mitchell was wearing this pocket watch, which is believed to have stopped at the exact time of Mitchell’s death – June 27, 1857, 8:19:56.  The pocket watch is part of the North Carolina Gallery’s collection, as is Mitchell’s mortar and pestle.

The real photo postcard below was recently uploaded to the North Carolina Postcards website, which has several more views of Mt. Mitchell that can be browsed here.  In addition to biographical information, The NCC holds some material on Mitchell’s scientific research, and even a script for the theatrical performance of Mitchell’s last climb up the Black Dome.