H. Lee Waters, Burlington, NC, 1939-1941 [MPF.83.1]

From the collections of the State Archives of North Carolina; call number: MPF.83.1. A silent, black and white film by H. Lee Waters of Burlington, North Carolina (1939-1941). This film was beautifully restored and copied by Colorlab of Rockville, MD, thanks to the generosity of the Nation Film Preservation Foundation in 2011.
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The Waters family maintains the copyright to the films made by H. Lee Waters (1902-1997). As public access has improved, we are pleased with the interest being shown in this unique collection and feel that the community building activities and educational purposes for which they are being used would be greatly appreciated by Mr. Waters.
The family takes seriously its obligation to protect the integrity of this large body of work and it is our wish that the original intended uses be respected. The films digitized by The State Archives of North Carolina should be exhibited or displayed in the form of videos and not screen captured as still photographs. The still image collection by H. Lee Waters is housed at the Davidson County Historical Museum (DCHM). The family’s agreement with DCHM states that there will be no duplicate collection of still photographs. We encourage groups wishing to identify individuals in the films to utilize other ways of viewing this material. We ask that people who have received permission to use the films refrain from sharing this material with third parties.
Any commercial requests should be directed to the State Archives of North Carolina, Office of Registrar for review. The family (Tom Waters and Mary Waters Spaulding) asks the State Archives of North Carolina to notify us of any commercial requests. Such requests would then need to be negotiated with the family.

[@davelister9755]

man it is sort of depressing how empty the city in Burlington has become. It was well on its' way to being like Raleigh, but not anymore.
thank you so much for sharing this, it really is quite amazing.

[@Wooley689]

Really enjoyed seeing Burlington before my time. Thanks for putting this up for all of us to enjoy. I put on some music from the era while watching this, makes it feel like your there.

[@MooPotPie]

Back when downtown was full of people and those people were not fat.

[@Jay-kc1ql]

Wow! I didn’t realize what a metropolis Burlington was.

[@thomasgary1219]

There's no morbidly obese people in this, no tattoos, no facial piercings. You can tell these folks had self respect

[@Samisnoyce]

Super cool

[@slantsix6344]

I imagine many of these young men were going to be in the war.

[@lol-un6nl]

if only they knew

[@geod3589]

Everyone looks so plain and simple.

[@trystrat]

Gotta have that cigarette

[@jc9240]

GEE WHIZ! ...Where are the African Americans of that City?......Looks like there weren't any?

[@itsraid6512]

No that's what made the city better less violences you leave your door unlocked.

[@carolynhowell9768]

It's Raid So you are saying white people were perfect and did not commit crimes? Bull..it

[@winslowdaisy]

They're hidden from sight in the segregated parts of town. I grew up in Burlington and I don't remember learning ANY history about slavery even though, as the official Alamance County web site reports,"The growth in the economy of the Southern States was due in part to the contributions made by people who had no rights and no freedom. Slavery was an active part of Southern American life, and Alamance County was typical of most counties in the South. In 1860, out of 883 farms in the area, 520 of them held slaves, most of them holding between 1 and 5 slaves. Roughly 33% of the county’s population were slaves." Jim Crow was alive and well in 1939-41 Alamance County,

[@mbp7060]

Jerry Cerezo Well, we as black people lived in tight-knit communities out in Caswell county, Orange county, and other areas in Alamance county such as my town of Green Level. We were (and basically still are) farmers who owned acres and acres of farmland. Split between my granddad and his brothers, our family owned a few thousand acres. We grew and raised our own food so we never needed to leave the property. Most if not all the black folks at the time DID NOT want to be any where near white folks, they hated whites that much. They would relish the opportunity to catch a white man trespassing. I hope this explains the lack of an African American's presence in this film.

[@geod3589]

I saw black men in those films.