Surry Digital Heritage | Surry County History & Genealogy · Item sets

Surry County Agricultural Society Journal from 1819-1823

The Surry County Agricultural Society Journal from 1819-1823 edited by Nannie May Tilley and published in the October 1947 issue of the North Carolina Historical Review. This journal was found among the papers of David S. Reid, governor of North Carolina from 1851-1854 and is now preserved in the library of Duke University. The journal was written during the time of poor economic, social and education conditions of Surry County. This agricultural society was not large in membership.

Mount Airy Youth Foundation

Items pertaining to the Mount Airy Youth Foundation, a non-profit organization to support the sports programs at Mount Airy High School. It was organized during the mid-1940s and early records reflect that the money was raised mainly through donations and a few small fundraisers.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Items from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, a program run through NC State University (formerly North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering). Topics include agriculture, health and nutrition, and youth 4-H development.

American Freedom Association

Literature and records from the American Freedom Association, founded in 1953. The program began in 1947 as the Mount Airy Chapter of the United World Federalists Movement. from the American Freedom Association website: The American Freedom Association was formed in June, 1953 "by a group of citizens who were convinced that a vast program of public information and education on world law and its relation to religion, peace and freedom was urgently needed if our Nation and civilization was to be preserved." Many of the founding members were members of the World Federalist Society. The chosen name reflected a strong perspective on the required conditions for American Freedom. It also reflected a need for a name that was acceptable at the height of the era of Senator Joe McCarthy. AFA's purpose was (and is) to "provide the American people with information on the relation of world law to religion, peace, and freedom." One purpose in establishing a non-profit, non-political organization was to enable the raising of funds sufficient to provide education to the public.

Mount Airy Waterworks

Items related to Mount Airy Waterworks.

Mount Airy Country Club

Miscellaneous papers pertaining to the Mount Airy Country Club, a membership only private social, golf and swim club established in 1926.

Siloam General Store

Items from the Siloam General Store in Siloam, NC

LaShene Lowe Collection

This collection is made up of three items; scrapbook of Minerva Jessup Cox and Bartley Cox and their descendants, a 2012 reunion booklet of the Ridge Westfield School, and the complete interview of Bernice Cox Lowe by Richard Jackson Smith in the dissertation School as Community or School in Community.

Brindle Family

Fountain Brindle family of the Fairview area in Surry County with their tobacco crop. The second boy from the right was a neighbor boy. The second man from the left I am thinking was with the fertilizer company and was helping to hold the sign. Those in the rest of the image were Fountain Brindle's sons and grandson.

First Baptist Church of Mount Airy

Miscellaneous items pertaining to the First Baptist Church in Mount Airy, NC including directories, programs, newsletters, bulletins and photographs. CHURCH HISTORY Mt. Airy First Baptist Church was organized on August 9, 1879 under the name The Mt. Airy Baptist Church of Christ. Sixteen people formed the charter membership which has grown to our current membership of more than 800 and a resident membership of almost 500. The organizing of the church is believed to be unique in the fact that, the day it was founded, the membership had at hand a new, up-to-date, frame building ready and waiting. A Sunday School was promptly organized and a Women’s Missionary Society was organized in 1887. In 1906 work began on the granite building that would house a sanctuary, but today houses our fellowship hall. This building was completed in 1912 and served as the center for all activities until the granite educational building was dedicated the week of March 1-6, 1953. A new sanctuary was dedicated October 6, 1968 and remains as the current sanctuary. After worship services and activities were moved to the new sanctuary and educational building , what became known as the "old sanctuary" was used less and began to deteriorate. Yet, the church continued to grow and more space was needed. So, in March 1990 the church voted to undertake extensive renovations designed to both preserve the wonderful properties of the old sanctuary and utilize all the space inside to its fullest potential. From this came a Fellowship Hall where many church activities are held, a modern, expanded kitchen that allows us to provide ministries such as Friends Feeding Friends, a dedicated nursery suite, children's Sunday School floor, and a youth suite with Sunday School rooms and a gathering place for our youth ministry. Since that time, renovations have been completed on the Educational Building and the old Fellowship Hall, creating a place for small gatherings such as showers, meetings and funeral visitations. We are currently undergoing another period of renovation, updating our current sanctuary building. Throughout our history, all of the expansions and renovations were undertaken in order to make our physical facility useful and accessible to everyone. The additions of Handicapped parking, a separate Nursery entrance, an elevator, and numerous ramps have combined to make FBC a welcoming place to all. The paragraphs above list the history of our church buildings, but our history goes far beyond buildings and renovations. We have seen our membership grow with each passing year and have been blessed with many wonderful pastors and lay leaders. Our WMU and Baptist Men have been and continue to be active in prayer, missions and many other ways. In the community, Friends Feeding Friends provides a meal to those who need one each week. We have a busy Senior Adult Prime Timers ministry, as well as ongoing youth and children’s activities and projects. For more information, a complete history of our church is available in the church office. The following excerpt was taken from the forward of our Church History compiled in honor of our 125th anniversary in 2004. We hope we will continue to live life in such a way. It is interesting to note that the light bulb was invented in the same year that our church was organized. May we suggest that just as the light bulb brought light to the world, so did the members and work of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Airy. As men and women through the years have allowed God to lead in their lives, they have brightened and illuminated many things. May we go forward as a church in seeking God's will in our lives, that God may be glorified and that we may be the people He would have us be."