UNC Charlotte Special Collections

We are open for reference services by appointment. Please visit go.charlotte.edu/maRAg9 to schedule your visit!

Atkins will be closed from Sunday, December 14th, 2025, through Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Our reference services will be virtual-only during this time. Please email us at spec-coll@charlotte.edu Additionally, no reference services will be available from 12/24/25-1/1/26.

New oral histories documenting the origins, development, and impact of the @unccharlotte Women’s and Gender Studies program for its 40th anniversary are now available on Goldmine: go.charlotte.edu/4s4ckm

Join us for the panel - Affordable Housing: Perspectives From Charlotte and the University WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 4:00 PM WHERE: Popp Martin Student Union 340 A-F Learn more at: library.charlotte.edu/affordablehous… Light refreshments will be served, no registration required!

FROM MEMORY TO ARCHIVE: PRESERVING COMMUNITY LEGACIES Saturday, October 18th | 9-11 a.m. Grier Heights Presbyterian Church, 325 Skyland Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 Join us for a hands-on workshop exploring the essentials of community archiving. REGISTER: bit.ly/4p0GbvC

Join us for the panel - Affordable Housing: Perspectives From Charlotte and the University WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 4:00 PM WHERE: Popp Martin Student Union 340 A-F Learn more at: library.charlotte.edu/affordablehous… Light refreshments will be served, no registration required!

Join us for the panel - Affordable Housing: Perspectives From Charlotte and the University WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 4:00 PM WHERE: Popp Martin Student Union 340 A-F Learn more at: library.charlotte.edu/affordablehous… Light refreshments will be served, no registration required!

Join us for the panel - Affordable Housing: Perspectives From Charlotte and the University WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 4:00 PM WHERE: Popp Martin Student Union 340 A-F Learn more at: library.charlotte.edu/affordablehous… Light refreshments will be served, no registration required!

This Saturday marks 50 years since the first International Festival was held at @unccharlotte! Started in 1975 as a way for international students to share their cultures across campus, the event has become the largest cultural event in Charlotte. UNC Charlotte Photographs coll.

Happy Founder’s Day @unccharlotte! #otd in 1946, the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina opened its doors to 278 students, mostly veterans returning from WWII. Charlotte Bernard, Mary Denny, and Bonnie Cone were among the Center's first instructors.

Join us for the panel - Affordable Housing: Perspectives From Charlotte and the University WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 4:00 PM WHERE: Popp Martin Student Union 340 A-F Learn more at: library.charlotte.edu/affordablehous… Light refreshments will be served, no registration required!

Happy birthday, Central Piedmont Community College! On this day 62 years ago, CPCC was officially established when Mecklenburg College and the Central Education Industrial Center (CEIC) merged. UNC Charlotte photographs, 1985, UA0066 Carver College records, 1965, MS0063

Happy birthday @theboplex! 🎂🎉 70 years ago today, Ovens Auditorium & the Charlotte Coliseum opened to the public with a dedication from the evangelist and native Charlottean, Billy Graham, with an estimated 12,500 in attendance. #CLTHistory #CharlotteHistory

#otd 55 years ago busing for desegregation officially began in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, as required by the court in the 1970 Swann decision. Figures from local judge Pou Bailey to President Richard Nixon were opposed, as seen in Charlotte Observer cartoons by Eugene Payne.

We're saddened to hear of the passing of Ken Sanford, UNC Charlotte's first director of public information and publications. In 1996 he authored "Charlotte and UNC Charlotte: Growing Up Together," a history of the University's founding in the rapidly growing city of Charlotte.

#otd Sept. 4, 1957, Delois Huntley, Dorothy Counts, Gus Roberts, and Girvaud Roberts became the first Black children to attend all-white schools in Charlotte. Later, they were celebrated at Park Center (now the Grady Cole Center) by Kelly Alexander, Sr. of the Charlotte NAACP.

Discover how church records—baptisms, marriages, funerals, and more—can help uncover African American ancestry. Learn where to find these records, how to interpret them, and why faith-based archives are vital to filling in historical gaps.

On April 30, we honor Reed Parlier, Riley Howell and everyone forever impacted by the events of 2019. Their memory continues to inspire strength, unity and resilience in Niner Nation. #CharlotteStrong

Ever wonder why we’re the 49ers? On this 4/9 Day, learn the story behind the 49ers name straight from the source—UNC Charlotte founder Dr. Bonnie Cone! 💚⛏️💚 #UNCCharlotteHistory #FTLOC Donate during #ninernationgives to support UNC Charlotte history! go.charlotte.edu/ziukrq

This Saturday the 15th, stop by @meckparkrec's Amay James Center, where we'll be there to digitize your family or neighborhood history items, and give you a digital copy on a flash drive for free! The event runs from 11-2, and we can scan photos, negatives, letters, and more!