Collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
This collection was created by the University Archives from a variety of sources.
[Identification of item], University Archives Photograph Collection, Postcards, UA 023.035, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Processed by Kristen Lipetzky,
Encoded by Kristen Lipetzky,
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
In 1887, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation creating the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, a land-grant institution to provide education, research, and extension services to the state. When the College opened in 1889, it consisted of a 62-acres site in west Raleigh with one building. This building, the original Main Building (later renamed Holladay Hall), housed all of the college’s activities during its first year: kitchen, dining-hall, shop, and gym in the basement; offices, classrooms, and library on the first floor; and dormitory facilities on the second and third floors. In the following decade, a number of new buildings were built, including a Mechanical Building, Watauga Hall, Primrose Hall, four dormitories, an infirmary, and several farm and dairy buildings.
As the university’s enrollment continued to grow throughout the 20th century, more land was acquired and more buildings and facilities were constructed. By the 1980s, however, the main campus was running out of space. In 1984 and 1985, Governors James B. Hunt and James G. Martin transferred parcels of undeveloped land from the Dorthea Dix hospital property to North Carolina State University, forming the basis for NCSU’s Centennial Campus. With later land acquisitions, this area totals approximately 1,000 acres of land and is larger than the main campus.
As of 2007, the University’s Raleigh campus consists of approximately 2,100 acres of land. Its hundreds of buildings house more than eight million square feet of built space and accommodate a community of over 31,000 students and faculty.
Raleigh, North Carolina, was established in 1792 to serve as the state capitol of North Carolina. It was created on land owned by Joel Lane. In 1794 the state General Assembly met for the first time in the new capital. The current State Capitol was completed in 1840 and in 1853 the first State Fair was held just outside the city limits.
Raleigh is home to five institutions of higher learning, Peace College, Shaw University, St. Augustine's College, Meredith College, and the largest of the five, North Carolina State University. All five were established in the 1800s following the Civil War. It is also home to St. Mary’s School, an all girls preparatory school built in 1842.
During the 20th century Raleigh saw a huge growth in population, particularly after World War II. The current population of the city is estimated at over 350,000 people. In the first eight years of the 21st century alone, the city grew by 100,000 people.
The Postcard collection consists of 78 postcards and two postcard books that date from 1900 to 1990. The majority of the postcards are in color, although some are black and white. Most of the postcards are of buildings or aerial views on
The postcards are physically arranged according to the identification schema listed below.
University Archives Photograph Collection, Postcards, 1900 - 1996