Showing 226 collections

The records of the Council Tool Company document the history and operation of the North Carolina-based company from its founding by John Pickett Council in 1886 to the end of the twentieth century. The collection contains the company’s correspondence, financial records, and materials relating to personnel, plant operations, and merchandise. This collection also contains papers of the Council family spanning several generations, beginning in the early 1800s and with a few items from the 18th century. Correspondence, invoices, order letters, bills of lading, and related materials relate to the company’s operations including manufacturing, sales, transportation, information requests, and clientele. Financial records include accounting records, tax records, correspondence with accountants, records from the fire of October 20, 1970, and records relating to stocks. Accounting records include account books (ledgers), day books, trial balances, annual reviews of the company, and payroll ledgers. Office Files contain various information about the Council Tool Company and its operations, including correspondence, personnel files, catalogs and product information, machinery and equipment, inventories, notes and memoranda, and information about labor unions, insurance, and board meetings. Also included with the business records are files on the pulpwood industry, test hacks with accompanying reports, and maps and drawings. The family papers contain correspondence, financial records, and legal documents belonging to family members, including K. K. Council, John Pickett Council, K. Clyde Council, Edward L. Council, and Louise Council and a poem by Kinchin B. Council. Deeds and land grants, as well as correspondence about estates and property, constitute a substantial portion of the family papers. Council Tool Company is a family owned and operated business based in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina. The company was founded in 1886 by John Pickett Council, a turpentine producer and farmer in Bladen County, North Carolina. The company’s earliest product line featured tools used in the naval stores industry. When the naval stores industry began to wane, the company reacted by diversifying its product line. The company grew during the early decades of the twentieth century, surviving the Great Depression, two World Wars, and a devastating fire that destroyed much of the manufacturing plant. As of 2015, the company's full line of professional products included axes, picks, mauls, mattocks, striking tools, shrubbing tools, digging tools, wood-splitting tools, forged bars, C-clamps and a variety of specialty tools. The company has always been headed by a Council, and as of 2015, the president is John M. Council III. Less

The D. J. Rose and Son Architectural Drawings and Project Files consist of architectural drawings, project files, blueprints, and other materials relating to the construction projects of D. J. Rose and Son. These materials date from approximately 1907 to 1970. The hundreds of rolls of architectural drawings include works by some of North Carolina's leading architects, such as Benton and Benton of Wilson, North Carolina, John C. Stout of Rocky Mount, NC, and Joseph F. Leitner of Wilmington, NC. The collection also contains materials relating to the business operations of D. J. Rose and Son, including bank statements, receipts, invoices, personal journals, and correspondences. David Jeptha Rose (1861-1940) was a lifelong builder who moved from Johnston County to Rocky Mount in 1890. Rose established D. J. Rose and Son which is the oldest continuously operating general contracting firm in North Carolina. Rose's sons, Ira Woodall Rose and Dillon Jeptha Rose, joined the firm in 1930. After Rose's death in 1940, Ira and Dillon led the opeations of the company. The company completed construction projects not only in Rocky Mount, but throughout the eastern United States. Among their construction projects were textile and tobacco mills, banks, courthouses, railroad stations, power plants, hospitals, churches, and many other commercial and residential buildings. They worked with clients such as Carolina Telephone and Telegram, Atlantic Coastline Railroad, financial institutions, and pharmaceutical companies. The year 2015 marked D. J. Rose and Son's 125th anniversary. Less

The Dan U. Gerstel Papers contains numerous scientific publications on a variety of topics related to the study of genetics, cytology, plant pathology, and crop science, collected by Dan U. Gerstel during his career as a member of the faculty of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences of North Carolina State University and in the genetics department of the Weizmann Institute of Science (Mekhon Vaitsman le-mada) in Rehovot, Israel. The material is international in scope and covers a period of six decades. In addition to scientific publications, the collection contains personal and professional correspondence, a diary, genealogical research materials, newspaper clippings, and articles related to stamp collecting. Cytogeneticist Dan U. Gerstel, Ph.D., served as a professor of crop science at North Carolina State University, 1950-1980. He specialized in the study of tobacco and cotton. Less

The Daniel Harvey Hill Jr. (1859 - 1924) Papers, 1883 - 1955, contain items relating to Hill's career at North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) as an English professor, Vice President, and President. Many of the materials document Hill's professional career, particularly his appointment to and resignation from the presidency of the College. There are also manuscript drafts of texts Hill wrote on the Civil War and on his father, General Daniel Harvey Hill. A small number of personal materials are also included. The bulk of the materials dates from 1908 to early 1920s. Daniel Harvey Hill Jr. (1859-1924) was an educator, college president, writer, and historian. He received a B.A., M.A. and Doctor of Literature degree from Davidson College. In 1908 he became the third president of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, where he served from 1908 to 1916. The D. H. Hill Library on the NC State campus was named for him. Less

Dr. David A. Jessup is a wildlife veterinarian who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology at the University of Washington in 1971. After receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Washington State University veterinary school in 1976 and spending ten months in a pathology residency at the University of California-Davis, he was hired by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) as its first wildlife veterinarian. He served CDFG in various capacities for more than 33 years, the last 15 in Santa Cruz, California, as Senior Wildlife Veterinarian and Supervisor of the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center. During his career he took time out to earn a Master's degree in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at U.C. Davis and get Board certified in Zoological Medicine. He retired from CDFG in November 2010 and was hired as the Executive Manager of the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA), an international non-profit scientific organization. The David A. Jessup Papers contain materials collected by David A. Jessup including oil spill response workbooks, materials from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, manuals for rehabilitating oiled wildlife, laboratoring manuals, documents about the California-Nevada Section and related records. Less

The David Stathem Weaver Papers include materials documenting Weaver's career in agriculture, his tenure at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University) in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, his work in the Agricultural Extension Service, his role in promoting rural electrifcation, and his dedication to the improvement of the farm community. The collection includes speeches, correspondence, clippings, documents, photographs, and scrapbooks, from 1918 through 1966. Also included is an 1862 Civil War letter written by Weaver's maternal grandfather, David Stathem. David Stathem Weaver (1896-1966) was an agricultural engineer, educator, and administrator. Weaver was professor, then department head of the Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University), 1923-1948. He was principal engineer, 1936-1937, for the Rural Electrification Administration in Washington, D.C., where he continued work that he had already begun in North Carolina. Weaver was also specialist in agricultural extension, 1937-1948, and associate director, 1948-1950, then director, 1950-1961, of the North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service. Less

The Dennis Werner Collection of Seed Catalogs contains approximately 90 annual publications from W. Atlee Burpee & Co. and contains 17 annual publications of other nursery and seed companies, including Gurney's, Schell's, and Iowa Seed. The date span is 1883 to 2013, but there are some gaps. In addition to the annual catalogs, the collection contains such ephemeral materials as envelopes, order forms, inserts about products, price lists, money order forms, catalog request forms, and other materials. Dennis Werner, a professor in the Horticultural Science at North Carolina State Univeristy, has collected historical seed catalogs (primarily Burpee Seed) throughout his career. W. Atlee Burpee (1858-1915) began a mail-order company in the 1870s, and he experimented with selective breeding and hybridization for the improvement of animals and plants. By the 1890s Burpee had became the largest seed company in the world. The business's annual catalog (begun by 1881) was an important marketing tool, and it played a significant role in the company's success. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century other nurseries and seed companies also became famous, in part, because of their catalogs. These included Ferry (later Ferry-Morse), Gurney, Iowa Seed, Earl May, Schell, and others. Less

The Derby Lane Greyhound Track Records contain photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, programs, operational records, audiovisual materials, artifacts, and various publications. These materials encompass the full range of the organization's racing operations, promotions, and live events. Additionally, the records reflect the organization's particular focus on promotion through various media outlets such as news reports, radio promos, print advertisements, and branded materials. Derby Lane, also known as St. Petersburg Kennel Club, was one of the oldest greyhound tracks in the United States. To establish the racetrack, a group of local business owners purchased a portion of land from T. L. Weaver, a lumber entrepreneur, near St. Petersburg, FL. After constructing the racetrack, financial hardship fell on the original owners, and the ownership reverted to Weaver's lumber company. The inaugural race was held on January 3, 1925. Since then, almost a century, Derby Lane entertained people, welcomed celebrities, and cheered champion greyhounds. Over time, Debry Lane went through technological innovations and modernized the industry. It included the Derby Lane Poker Room offering various gaming options. In addition to greyhound racing, Derby lane hosted a variety of entertainment including concerts, beer tastings, and on-location shoots for major motion pictures. In 2018, Florida Amendment 13 banned wagering on greyhound racing, putting an end to greyhound racing in the state. Derby Lane held its last races in December 2020. Less

The Edenton Cotton Mill Collection is comprised of several dozen sheets of blueprints and two sets of specifications that document the selected phases of the planning and construction of the Edenton Cotton Mill in Edenton, North Carolina. There are also a few blueprints of mill village houses designed by the Aladdin Company. These materials were originally part of the North Carolina Buildings Collection (MC 00225). The Edenton cotton mill and mill village represent a rare example of industrial construction in North Carolina's coastal plain. Designed by nationally known mill engineers, C.R. Makepeace and Company of Rhode Island, the mill structure itself features popular Italianate elements, while the mass of the building expresses the functional requirements of a cotton mill. The architecture of the mill village reflects national trends in the Colonial revival style of the supervisors' and engineers' houses, and in the "operatives'" prefabricated houses from the Aladdin Company of Bay City, Michigan. Other operatives' houses reflect vernacular practices common to North Carolina's rural and urban landscape. Less

The Edgar Eugene Randolph Papers document the Randolph's career as a professor of chemical engineering at North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University) as well as his personal life, and activities of his wife, Ora Huffman Randolph. Materials contained in these files include letters, 1937-1948, from Randolph's former students, many of which concern their careers in the field and their involvement in World War II; annual reports, statistics, budget materials, lists of graduates and other information, 1927-1945, concerning the development and growth of the Department of Chemical Engineering; newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, 1924-1947, about the department, graduates, and chemical engineering issues in Raleigh; other materials about chemical engineering, including Randolph's writing and technical research; personal materials, including correspondence, 1916-1961; information on the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs and the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs, belonging to Randolph's wife, Ora Huffman Randolph; and photographs of Dr. and Mrs. Randolph, and their families. An alumnus of the University of North Carolina, Edgar Eugene Randolph (1878-1954) began his teaching career as a professor of English. He taught at Lenoir-Rhyne College and at Texas A&M University before teaching at the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University). He became head of the Chemical Engineering Department in 1924 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1946. Less

The Elizabeth Vann Moore Family Papers contain family history materials as well as extensive records about the day-to-day operations of Sterling Cotton Mills in Franklinton, North Carolina, which several family members managed. Business papers include correspondence, financial reports, and audits documenting Sterling Cotton Mills' founding in 1895, bankruptcy during the Great Depression, and revival in the 1940s and 1950s. Family history materials include correspondence, journals, scrapbooks, and photographs of the Moore and Vann families, which document their experiences from the turn of the twentieth century through World War II and later. Elizabeth Vann Moore (1912-2010) of Edenton, North Carolina, was born in Henderson, North Carolina, to John A. Moore, Sr., and Mabel Vann Moore. Mabel's father, Samuel Cannady Vann (1852-1924), established Sterling Cotton Mills in 1895. Following the Great Depression, the company went into bankruptcy and was purchased by Mabel at auction. Her husband, John Sr., ran the company alongside her brother, Aldridge H. Vann, until John Sr.'s death in 1947. Elizabeth's brother, John A. Moore, Jr., then took over the company until his death in 1982. An historian and historic preservation activist, Elizabeth collected extensive family history materials, including material related to her family's role in managing Sterling Cotton Mills. She also preserved business correspondence, financial reports, and audits of the company. Less

Ernest L. Gooden (1903-1970) was born in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. Gooden graduated from Duke University, and taught at Glen Alpine High School in Glen Alpine, North Carolina, from 1927 to 1930. He joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an assistant scientific aide in September of 1930. Gooden had a 40-year career as a physicist with the USDA and specialized in pesticides. The Ernest L. Gooden Papers consists of materials documenting Gooden's career with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Drafts and manuscripts of articles by Gooden include "Report of Physical Properties of Pesticides" and "Optical Crystallographic Properties of DDT." Research files contain notes, graphs, charts, and articles with labels like "Viscosity," "Zinc Arsenate," "Sodium Arsenite," and "Rotenone." This collection also contains electron microscope micrographs, patents and patent applications by Gooden, and hundreds of 3 x 5" x-ray diffraction data cards published by the Joint Committee on Chemical Analysis by X-Ray Diffraction Methods. These x-ray diffraction cards contain notes, calculations, and authors and their publications. Also included in this collection are glass slides, photos and negatives of electron microscope images, approximately a thousand 3 x 4" cards of chemical compounds and other notes, and materials from the annual meetings of the Electron Microscopy Society of America from 1949 to 1966. Less

Etude des Files is a bound manuscript volume containing handwritten notes in French about thread, with samples of thread and notes related to each sample. The largest part of the book is about silk but there are also pages on cottons, flax, hemp, ramie, jute, wools, and other threads. At head of title is written "Cours de tissage." A bookplate on the inside front cover says that this book was given to Wullschleger by "Th. Bon, professeur de Théorie de Tissage, Ecole industrielle de Courconig[?]" Arthur Wullschleger studied weaving in Lyon, France, in 1899-1900. He may have been from d'Aarbourg, Switzerland. Less