Tar Heel Junior Historian Association

What is THJHA, and who can form a club?

Authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1953, the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association is sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of History, part of the NC Department of Cultural Resources. The association is made up of a network of FREE clubs across the state, with members in grades 4–12. Each club must have at least one adult adviser.

Clubs may be sponsored by public, private, or home schools, or by other organizations such as museums and historical societies, 4-H groups, Boy Scouts, or Girl Scouts. Clubs can be any size, from one student and one adviser to hundreds of students and several advisers. Clubs must renew their membership each school year, using an online application.

THJHA’s goal is to inspire and empower North Carolina students to discover local and state history—in an active, hands-on way. One such resource is its semiannual student magazine, Tar Heel Junior Historian, containing nonfiction articles about North Carolina history. Another is our Annual Convention, which features workshops and performances designed for junior historians.    

The association also encourages junior historians to share what they learn through community service projects and our annual statewide competition with a variety of contest categories.

There’s history in every direction—start exploring today!