The Virginia Lee Satterfield local history room is an ongoing historical collection of the Clayton area homes, businesses and family heritage.

To find out about history of our area, all you have to do is come and spend some time in this room.  Any historical documents or pictures you have to contribute to this ever growing collection may be copied and added to our collection.

The Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library is proud of its collection of books, artifacts, and historical reference materials containing the long and rich history of Clayton and its residents. Enjoy the links below for some incredible pictures and insight into our town's long history.

Acknowledgments, including a brief biography of Swannanoa Horne Priddy, whose family's philanthropy enabled the library to digitize its historical collections.

J. Dwight Barbour Collection, including early 20th century photographs and letterheads from Clayton businesses of the late 19th century.

Charles Barden Photograph Collection, glimpses of day-to-day life and special events in and around Clayton captured by local photographer Charles Barden between 1952 and 1975.

Cooper High School Collection, hundreds of candid photographs documenting the life of Clayton's school for blacks, dating from the 1930s to the end of racial segregation in 1969.

Dr. Battle A. and Lucile Ellington Hocutt Collection, photographs of Clayton people from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Horne Family Collection, featuring photographs, artifacts and papers from the families of wealthy businessman/politician Col. Ashley Horne and his brother Hardy Horne, 1870-1960.

Clayton Centennial Photographs, color images from the town's 100th anniversary celebration in 1969.

Virginia Lee Satterfield Collection, an extensive collection of news clippings beginning in the 1880s, searchable by name or keyword. A sampling of family photographs from the 1930s and 40s is also included.

John T. Talton Collection, a small collection of photographs depicting Clayton streetscapes and buildings of the early 20th century.

Illustrated Handbook of Clayton, 1909, publications by local businessman John T. Talton, highlighting the leading businesses, farms, and families of Clayton and surrounding countryside.

llustrated Handbook of Clayton, 1936, publications by local businessman John T. Talton, highlighting the leading businesses, farms, and families of Clayton and surrounding countryside.

Illustrated Handbook of Clayton, 1961, publications by local businessman John T. Talton, highlighting the leading businesses, farms, and families of Clayton and surrounding countryside.

School Yearbooks, a sampling of yearbooks from Clayton High School and Cooper High School.

Cook Books, compiled and published by the women of First Baptist Church (1922) and The Woman's Club of Clayton (1948).

Overview of Clayton History an illustrated time-line of important events in Clayton's development.

External Links

• Battle, Jesse Mercer. Tributes to my father and mother and some stories of my life. 1911 An autobiographical work containing references to Battle's courtship and marriage to Clayton native Laura Elizabeth "Bettie" Lee and the mansion he built for his wife in Clayton in 1910.
• Battle, Laura Elizabeth Lee. Forget-Me-Nots of the Civil War. 1909. A first-hand account of a young girl's experiences in Clayton during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
• Ashley Horne Portrait. A monument to Women of the Confederacy, Capitol Square, Raleigh, NC.
• Dr. Herman Harrell Horne. A Clayton native who became a noted educator, philosopher and author in the early 20th century, teaching at Dartmouth College and New York University.
• Johnston County Heritage Center. Searchable databases which include census records, newspapers, obituaries and other valuable sources.
• Clayton Cotton Mill Workers. Photographed by National Child Labor Committee photographer Lewis W. Hine in 1912, from the Library of Congress photo archives.
• William E. Dodd. U.S. Ambassador to Nazi Germany.
• Martha Dodd, daughter of William E. Dodd. She was exiled to Eastern Europe during the Cold War years after being implicated in Soviet espionage activities.
• Duke Duncan. (1) (2) A Clayton native and professional baseball player in the early 20th century.