Gardner-Webb’s Dover Library Receives State Grant to Digitize Historical Records

19th Century Historic Documents and Church Records Helpful for Genealogical and Academic Research

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University’s Dover Library recently received a $42,000 grant from the State Library of North Carolina. The money will be used to digitize historical church records on microfilm and documents in the Cleveland County Historical Collection. The project is a joint effort of Dover Library, and the Earl Scruggs Center Museum and Broad River Genealogical Society, both in Shelby, N.C.

Gardner-Webb’s library was one of 41 across the state selected to receive funding, which is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act. Dr. Natalie Bishop, library dean and archivist, explained that the funds will digitize fragile 19th century historical documents pertaining to the history of Cleveland County, including deed records, church records, scrapbooks, and maps housed in the collections of the GWU Archives, Earl Scruggs Center Museum, and Broad River Genealogical Society.

Through digitization, these records will be more accessible and searchable. The documents will be added to the open access Digital Commons repository at Gardner-Webb. These materials are currently inaccessible to the community due to their fragility. “This is a collaborative project with the shared goal of making primary resources available to our community,” Bishop commented. “Funding from this grant is critical due to the fragile condition and limited access of the records.” 

Bishop noted that the digital collection is open and accessible to anyone and can be used by students in Cleveland County Schools, Cleveland Community College, and Gardner-Webb who are researching issues pertaining to church history, agricultural economy, land deeds, post-reconstruction politics, and conditions of the rural poor. These documents will also be helpful to the Sunset Cemetery Project team in Shelby, N.C., as they work to identify unmarked graves in a once segregated area of the cemetery.

Zach Dressel, assistant director and curator of the Earl Scruggs Center Museum, remarked, “These resources will help create opportunities for genealogical and community history research that Cleveland County residents have shown a genuine interest in. As a local historian, I feel this work will be invaluable for our community.”

“In addition to the community this collection can serve, Cleveland County’s history is vital to the wider research scope of post-colonial social and economic development in our region,” Bishop added.

Further widening the potential impact for digital collections of these historic materials, the Broad River Genealogical Society also publishes a quarterly periodical “Eswau Huppeday,” which has 49 organizational subscribers across North and South Carolina.

Bishop observed, “The Broad River Genealogical Society heavily utilizes original primary research to provide assistance to genealogists nationwide with land grant documentation, century farm applications, and genealogical research.”

Digitization Timeline

Scanning will begin during fall 2024 (tentatively by October), writing metadata during spring 2025, and posting documents to Digital Commons by late spring/early summer 2025.

Accessing the collections

• The church histories in the GWU Archives collection will be posted to the Archive’s Baptist Historical Collection in Digital Commons, available here.

• The Cleveland County documents and papers will primarily be in the Cleveland County Historical Collection owned by the County (managed by the Earl Scruggs Center Museum) and will be posted to the Cleveland County Historical Collection in Digital Commons, available here.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.