World War I

This collection includes an overview of World War I materials from the collections of the State Library and State Archives of North Carolina. The materials from the State Library include regimental histories and published narratives. The materials from the State Archives include: World War I posters; a selection of letters from the World War I Papers, part of the Military Collection; official Army Signal Corps Photographs, 1918-1919; photographs from the Warren C. McNeill Papers; the World War I map collection from the World War I Papers. The map collection contains more than five hundred maps and blueprints of various types. The bulk of the World War I maps are topographical studies of France and Belgium, either field or ordnance surveys. Other types represented include barrage maps; drawings to accompany engineers’ operational reports; sketches of railroads, roads, and bridges; depictions of trench lines, troop dispositions, and positions of balloons; aerial photographs; Corps situation maps, updated daily; and blueprints of bombproof shelters. Of particular interest are the various maps with contemporaneous annotations by the officers who used them, such as the engineering drawings from the papers of Joseph Hyde Pratt and the topographical maps carried high above the trenches in the balloon of James A. Higgs.

This site is currently under development. We will be reviewing and making corrections and updates on an ongoing basis. If you find any errors, please send them to archives@dncr.nc.gov or digital.info@dncr.nc.gov