Cecil Jackson Slide Collection

Cecil Jackson Slide Collection

This is a collection of images taken by Grady Cecil Jackson (1947-1996) in the late 1970s. These images center around Jackson’s life in Junaluska, the historically Black community located in Boone, NC.

Series 02 consists of 102 color slides depicting several fundraising events and the celebration of a loan repayment at the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church. There are also several letters to the church from various institutions.

Series 03 consists of 171 slides depicting mass at a few churches, family outings, and several cookouts. There are also close-up images of plants and animals.

Series 04 consists of 215 color slides depicting Nativity and other performances at the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church. There are also images of neighborhood cookouts, the dance floor of a bar, a fundraiser at Hardin Park Elementary School, and a vacation to a beach.

Series 05 consists of 154 color slides depicting various Boone Mennonite Brethren Church events, portraits, a Christmas celebration, and fire trucks on King Street.

A very special thanks to Roberta Jackson for her assistance identifying people seen within images of this exhibit.

Grady Cecil Jackson, who went by his middle name, was born on November 27, 1947, in Elk Park, NC. His family relocated to the Junaluska community, on “the Mountain,” when he was a young child. According to Roberta Jackson in Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Black Appalachian Community, Cecil’s mother (Rosalee Whittington Jackson) had a garden, milk cow, chicken, and hogs that were used to provide for the family.

After graduating high school, Jackson worked at Appalachian State University at the physical plant and in the grounds department. Cecil married Junaluska-native Roberta Hagler Jackson in 1966 and they had three children: Lynn, Cecil Jr., and Michael.

Cecil was an avid hunter and raised beagles that he kept near Howard’s Knob. He was also a dedicated member of the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church, as his family before him were.

Cecil Jackson passed away in April of 1996.



Keefe, S. E. (Ed.). (2020). Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Black Appalachian Community. McFarland & Company, Inc.

Roberta H. Jackson

Roberta H. Jackson has generously agreed to share these images with Digital Watauga through a digital use rights deed of gift. Any reprinting, redistribution, or other use of these images outside of Digital Watauga requires written permission from Roberta H. Jackson. Contact Digital Watauga for additional details.