Durham Churches and Religion

Books with “NC” at the front of the call number are found only in the NC Room.  Those without “NC” have at least one circulating copy.

Durham County. Anderson, Jean
975.6563 ANDERSON
This definitive history of Durham County contains a great deal of information about the history of religion and local churches.

Realizing God for the future:  A personal vision and credo. Boyarsky, Saul
NC 231 BOYARSKY
A former Duke physician writes about his beliefs.

How Times Do Change. Dixon, Wyatt
975.6563 DIXON
Use the index of this compilation of Wyatt Dixon’s columns on local history to find information about individual churches, ministers, benefactors, and more.

The Provincials:  A Personal History of Jews in the South. Evans, Eli
975.004 EVANS
Evans grew up in Durham, and his book contains information not only about the Jewish religion, but also the Jewish boy’s experiences in a primarily protestant town.

From Pine Street to Watts Street:  An oral history of the Jews of Durham, NC. Gruber, Robin
NC 904 G
This Duke University honors thesis represents the first formal attempt to interview people of the Jewish faith whose families contributed to the formation of the Jewish communities of Durham and Chapel Hill.

Durham:  A Pictorial History. Kostyu, Joel A., and Frank A. Kostyu
975.6563 KOSTYU
Contains a 14-page chapter entitled “Durham’s Houses of Worship” with photographs and history of Durham churches.

The Way We Lived:  Durham, 1900-1920. Leyburn, James
975.656 LEYBURN
Leyburn, son of the First Presbyterian Church’s minister, wrote this book about growing up in Durham in the first two decades of the 20th century.  While it covers much more than religion, the reader learns what it’s like to be a minister’s son during Durham’s early years.

Homelands:  Southern Jewish Identity in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Rogoff, Leonard
975.656 ROGOFF
Rogoff writes about how Jewish settlers in Durham and Chapel Hill balanced their religious and ethnic differences with the needs and enticements of assimilation into mainstream American society.

A religious profile of Durham, NC, 1880-1930. Watson, Robert Meredith
NC 291.097 WATSON
This thesis was written by a Duke University history graduate student.

The North Carolina Collection also houses approximately forty books on the histories of individual Durham churches. In addition, the collection contains histories of individual churches across the state; statewide histories of various, primarily protestant, religious groups; books on NC religious figures; and more, including many church cookbooks from Durham and other places around the state. You may also want to inquire at the NC Room about paper files from many local churches. For more information, please contact Lynn Richardson at 560-1071.Books with “NC” at the front of the call number are found only in the NC Room.  Those without “NC” have at least one circulating copy.

Updated 8/08