About the Collection
The Statesville Historical Collection consists of thousands of items, the smallest being tin tags used to label plug chewing tobacco, and the largest being the 1961 Statesville Police Department “paddy wagon” truck. Some of the more unusual items include the world's smallest Bible, an Aunt Sally’s mayonnaise jar manufactured on Depot Hill, and a legal check written on a brick from Statesville Brick Company that was actually cashed at NCNB in Statesville. The strangest is probably a 25-foot length of hemp rope that came from the wall of a Colorado casino, along with a plaque that says, “This is the rope used to hang Tom Dooley’s HORSE”. Other items include:
- PHOTOGRAPHS of Statesville/Iredell County streets, roads, buildings, businesses, athletic teams, special events, gatherings, etc.
- ADVERTISING ITEMS used by and issued by local businesses (signs, posters, calendars, thermometers, novelties, billheads, invoices, etc.)
- STATESVILLE NEWSPAPERS dating from the 1860s to the 1900s
- STATESVILLE and IREDELL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS dating from the 1780s
- BOTTLES and PACKAGES with printed and embossed names of local businesses
- PICTURE POSTCARDS from the early 1900s through the 1960s
- BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, FLIERS, CIRCULARS about local citizens, businesses, and places
- TOBACCO and LIQUOR ITEMS from products manufactured in Statesville, such as: advertising, correspondence, boxes, bags, tags, labels, etc.
- PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL ITEMS from Statesville Owls, Tigers, Colts, Indians, etc., and Mooresville Moors
- MEMORABILIA from MOVIES filmed in Iredell County
- COLLECTIBLES related to famous (and infamous) Iredell citizens
- RECORDINGS (45s, LPs, cassettes, eight tracks) made by local artists
- OBSOLETE PRODUCTS MADE by STATESVILLE BUSINESSES
- TOM DOOLEY MEMORABILIA, including books, recordings, and memorabilia from the movie The Legend of Tom Dooley
- And lots of UNUSUAL & INTERESTING ITEMs relating to Statesville/Iredell County history.
