Biennial report of the North Carolina State Department of Archives and History

              THE LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA
THE COLLECTION OF
NORTH CAROLINIANA
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N87h
1966/68»l968/70
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UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL
00033953650
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Carolina Collection (in Wilson Library) for renewal.
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COVER—The new building to house the Department of Archives and
History and the State Libraiy was nearing completion at the close of the
biennium. Located at 109 East Jones Street in Raleigh, the structin-e cost
over $4 million. (Unless otherwise noted, all photograjDlis used in this report
are from the files of the State Department of Archives and Histoiy.)
Thirty-Second Biennial Report
of the
North Carolina
Department of Archives and History
July I, 1966
to
June 30, 1968
NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
Executive Board^
Josh L. Home, Chairman, Rocky Mount
Miss Gertrude Sprague Carraway, New Bern
T. Hany Gatton, Raleigh
Fletcher M. Green, Chapel Hill
Ralph P. Hanes, Winston-Salem
Hugh T. Lefler, Chapel Hill
Edward W. Phifer, Morganton
Christopher Crittenden, Director, Raleigh
' For list and terms of office of members of the Executive Board, see
Appendix I, p. 97.
IN MEMORIAM
David Leroy Corbitt
May 3, 1895-October 12, 1967
David Leroy Corbitt, who retired on June 30, 1961, after
serving more than thirty-seven years on the staff of the State
Department of Archives and History, died in Raleigh on
October 12, 1967. A native of Pitt County, Corbitt received his
bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, where he majored in history and education and
minored in English. He joined the staff of the department (then
known as the State Historical Commission) on April 1, 1924.
During his years with the department, Corbitt compiled,
edited, and published twelve books, including The Formation of
the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943; Calendars of Manuscript
Collections; Explorations, Descriptions, and Attempted Settle-ments
of Carolina, 1584-1590; and the public papers and addresses
of nine governors of North Carolina, from the administration of
Cameron Morrison, 1921-1925, through William B. Umstead,
1953-1954. He was managing editor of the North Carolina
Historical Review from 1935 until his retirement, and he also
wrote a number of pamphlets for use in the public schools. At
the time of his retirement he elected to remain with the depart-ment
as a consultant for a number of months during which time
he began editing papers relating to the Granville Grant.
Corbitt was active in the North Carolina Literary and His-torical
Association, serving as the association's chairman of the
Committee on Local Historical Societies for a number of years
and helping organize local societies throughout North Carolina.
He was a charter member and fellow of the Society of American
Archivists and a member of the Southern Historical Association,
the American Association for State and Local History, the
Historical Society of North Carolina, and the Wake County
Historical Society. He served as president of the latter two
organizations and as vice-president of the North Carolina Society
of County and Local Historians.
LETTER OF TRANSMISSION
To His Excellency
Dan K. Moore
Governor of North Carolina
Dear Governor Moore:
In compliance with Chapter 543, Session Laws of 1955, I have
the honor to submit herewith for your Excellency's consideration
the Biennial Report of the North Carolina Department of
Archives and History for the period July 1, 1966-June 30, 1968.
Respectfully yours,
Christopher Crittenden
Director
Raleigh, July 1, 1968
CONTENTS
New Building—New Horizons 1
Division of Archives and Manuscripts 5
Division of Historic Sites 41
Division of Museums 56
Division of Publications 74
Colonial Records Project 88
Tryon Palace 89
Appendixes:
Administration
I The Executive Board 97
n Appropriations and Expenditures, 1930-1968 98
ni Appropriations and Expenditures, 1966-1968 98
IV Number of Employees as of June 30 at the End of Each
Biennium, 1908-1968 99
V List of Employees, Showing Name and Title (and Period
of Service if Less than the Full Biennium) 100
VI Publications of Staff Members 105
Division of Archives and Manuscripts
VII Accessions, July 1, 1966—June 30, 1968 108
VIII Researchers Served in Search Room 151
IX Number of Visitors to Search Room for Each Biennium,
1928-1968, and Number of Inquiries by Mail,
1946-1968 152
X Selected Topics of Research of Visitors and Mail
Inquiries 153
XI Colleges and Universities Represented by Visitors and
Mail Inquiries 156
XII Activities of the Local Records Section 157
XIII Microfilming of County Records 158
XIV Statistics on Microfilm Program 160
XV State Agencies for Which Records Retention and
Disposition Schedules Were Completed; Were
Amended 161
XVI Records Accessioned and Disposed of in State Records
Center 162
XVII Reference Services Performed in State Records Center .... 165
XVIII State Agencies Whose Records Were Microfilmed 166
XIX Newspapers Microfilmed During Biennium 168
XX Microfilm Processed in Microfilm Processing Laboratory . . .174
XXI Pages of Records Restored by Barrow Laminating
Process 175
XXII Public Sales and Charges 176
XXIII Total Income 177
Division of Historic Sites
XXIV New Historical Markers 177
XXV Attendance at State Historic Sites, July 1, 1966—
June 30, 1968 179
XXVI Capital Improvements at State Historic Sites 180
XXVII Grants-in-Aid for Special Restoration and Construction
Projects 180
XXVIII Private Funds Available and Expended 181
XXIX Historic Sites Brochures Distributed; Printed for
Affiliated Local Projects 181
XXX Historic Sites Survey 182
Division of Museums
XXXI Museum Items Accessioned 182
XXXII Registration at the Museum of Histoiy by State and
Foreign Country, 1966-1968 193
Division of Publications
XXXIII Receipts 194
XXXIV Publications Distributed 195
XXXV Carolina Comments, Copies Mailed Per Issue 196
XXXVI North Carolina Historical Review 196
XXXVII Complete List of Publications of State Department of
Archives and History, 1966-1968 197
BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
NEW BUILDING-NEW HORIZONS
Christopher Crittenden, Director
For twenty years the department had been working for a new
building, and now at last, at the close of the biennium, such a
structure was nearing completion. To house both the Department
of Archives and History and the State Library, it had cost more
than $4 million. It was located on the north side of East Jones
Street (the one-hundred block) between the State Legislative
Building and the Governor's Mansion.
The new structure would make possible bigger and better
services to the public. The department's various functions, which
physically had been scattered in different places in the Capital
City, would for the most part be brought together in one location.
(But the State Records Center and Archaeological Laboratoiy
were to remain in the Annex, in the one-hundred block of West
Lane Street; the legislative chambers, maintained by the depart-ment
in the State Capitol, of course could not be moved; and
the thirteen state historic sites throughout the state were to
remain where they were.)
In the new building the department was to occupy a total of
some 75,300 square feet of space—for archives and manuscripts,
search rooms, work rooms, museum display, offices, and related
functions and purposes—all specially designed for its needs—and
in addition it would share 33,200 square feet of joint-use areas.
It would be far better than anything the department had ever
had before.
As members of the Executive Board, Governor Dan K. Moore
on July 21, 1967, reappointed Dr. Fletcher M. Green of Chapel
Hill and Mr. Josh L. Home of Rocky Mount for terms ending
March 31, 1973. Mr. Home served as chairman of the board.
^
' For data on the Executive Board, see Appendix I, p. 97.
2 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
The appropriation for the biennium was $2,162,629, an increase
of 19 percent over the $1,830,086 for 1964-1966.2
The total number of employees on June 30, 1968, was 135, as
compared to 130 two years earlier. The State Personnel Depart-ment
reclassified or upgraded most of the department's staff, which
resulted in increased pay in practically all instances .3
The General Assembly at its regular 1967 session established
the North Carolina American Revolution Bicentennial Com-mission
{Session Laws of 1967, Chapter 70), and that commission
held its organization meeting in Raleigh on March 1, 1968.
The 1967 General Assembly appropriated funds for continuation
of the Colonial Records Project, and that project was carried on.
Publication of the second volume was expected shortly after
the end of the biennium.
Likewise an appropriation was made to continue the new North
Carolina Civil War Roster, and this was supplemented by
private contributions of more than $10,000. At the close of the
biennium the second volume was scheduled to be published
within the near future.
The department's director and other members of the staff
have long been appalled by how little school students know of
the state's history. From time to time a few questions in that
subject have been asked of visiting groups—questions such as:
What are the dates on our state flag and what do they signify?
What was the importance of the Battle of Mooies Creek Bridge?
What was the great work of Calvin H. Wiley? Who was known
as our "educational governor"? Not one group in twenty-five has
been able satisfactorily to answer such questions, for the students
simply are not being taught the facts of North Carolina histoiy.
In order to seek to fill this void, a joint task force from the
Departments of Archives and History and Public Instruction was
set up and at the end of the biennium was working on the
problem.
In Archives and Manuscripts the program was continued at a
high level of achievement. Professional standards were materially
raised, staff members participated actively in professional ac-tivities,
and a number of staff members "graduated" to archival
2 For the budget, see Appendixes II and III, pp. 98 and 99.
3 For number of employees, see Appendix IV, p. 99.
State Department of Archives and History 3
positions elsewhere. A notable achievement was the conduct, by
State Archivist H. G. Jones working on his own time, of a survey
of the National Archives and Records Management Programs—
a survey soon to be published in book form.
In Historic Sites a degree of maturity was achieved and the
program was "accepted" by state government and the general
public as never before. The Richardson Foundation made an
additional grant of $100,000 and marked development occurred
at several sites, especially through the completion and opening to
the public of visitor center-museums. In cooperation with other
state agencies a program of planning was developed, and an
intradepartmental preliminary statewide plan was worked out.
Forty-six new historical markers were erected.
In Museums a large part of the total time and effort was devoted
to planning for the move into the new building. Toward the end
of the biennium one gallery after another was closed and the
contents were packed and made ready for moving. The staff
was reorganized into three sections. The 1967 General Assembly
affirmed state ownership of sunken shipwrecks and artifacts in
state waters and assigned to the department administrative
responsibility in this field. Rules and regulations were approved
by the Governor and Council of State and more than fifty permits
were issued. The North Carolina Supreme Court upheld a New
Hanover Superior Court decision supporting the department's
program in this area. The Mobile Museum of History continued
to carry exhibits to all parts of the state.
In Publications there were two unique products : North Carolina
in Maps, 1585-1896, and North Carolina Documents, 1584-1868,
facsimiles respectively of fifteen important maps and thirteen
significant documents. Receipts totaled $57,593, an increase of
15 percent over the previous biennium and of 225 percent over
a decade ago. The North Carolina Historical Review and
Carolina Comments were issued regularly, several documentaiy >•
volumes and other materials were published, and many future
publications were in various stages of preparation.
In Colonial Records material for the second volume was
completed and sent to the printer.
Tryon Palace was toured by 63,595 persons, an increase of
more than 4 percent over the previous biennium. During the
110^3 months the palace had been open, the number of visitors
4 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
totaled 286,960 from all fifty states, the District of Columbia,
Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and eighty-eight
foreign countries. The 1805 Stevenson House was opened to the
public and the John Wright Stanly House (erected about 1780)
was moved to the Tryon Palace complex. The National Trust
for Historic Preservation awarded the Crowninshield Award to
Mrs. John A. Kellenberger, chairman of the Tryon Palace Com-mission,
for "superlative achievement" in the "preservation and
interpretation of sites and buildings significant in American
history and culture."
DIVISION OF ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS
H. G. JoxES. State Archivist
Introduction'
Notwithstanding problems associated with inadequate physical
facilities—problems that will be partially eliminated upon occupa-tion
of the new building within a few months—the past biennium
was a highly productiye one for the Diyision of Archiyes and
Manuscripts. Traditional programs were continued and strength-ened,
and several new activities were entered upon.
The 1967 General Assembly, though hardly liberal, gave
material aid by providing for four new positions—an archi\ist in
archives administration, a typist in the archives, a records
management analyst in local records, and a janitor in state
records. It also appropriated funds for continuing the Ci\il War
roster project and for purchasing new equipment for the technical
services units in the new building. Finally, $75,000 was appro-priated
to alter and pro\ide shelving for the remainder of the
first floor of the State Records Center.
The staff strength of the division at the end of the biennium
was equivalent to 56 full-time employees, as follows: Archives
Administration, 5; Archives Section, 10; Local Records Section,
14; State Records Section, 17; Newspaper Microfilm Project, 2;
Microfilm Processing Laboratory', 2; Document Restoration Labo-ratory,
3; and Roster Project, 3. The annual operating budget for
the division was approximately $455,000. This is a substantial
amount of money from the public till—perhaps more than is spent
for archives and records management bv any other state—but
the dividends are significant, as the reports of the various units
will show. For too long North Carolinians neglected their
documentary' heritage; but once they saw their error, they awoke
to the need for the preservation and dissemination of their
historv'. The support given the department in recent years by
the Governor and the General Assembly indicates their intention
of keeping North Carolina in the forefront in archival preservation
and records management. This determination, reflected in the
6 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
growing stature of the department in the life of the state,
contributes greatly to the professional pride and good work of the
staff.
Organizationally, the division remains basically unchanged.
The closely related but physically separated units are as follows:
The State Archives is the final repository of all permanently
valuable public records of the state and its subdivisions. In
addition to the official records of the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches of state government and of counties and
municipalities, the holdings include large and valuable collections
of private manuscripts, account books, church records, organiza-tion
and institution records, genealogical materials, maps, news-papers,
and copies of historical materials in other repositories.
Mr. C. F. W. Coker is assistant state archivist (archives).
The Local Records Section gives advice and assistance to
county and municipal governments in connection with the
management of their records, inventories and schedules the
records of local governments, transfers to the archives records
no longer needed in local administration, and microfilms for
security and research permanently valuable local records. Rear
Admiral Alex M. Patterson, U.S.N. (Ret.), is assistant state
archivist (local records).
The State Records Section, located in the State Records Center
at the corner of North McDowell and West Lane Streets, serves
as the records management agency for state government and as
the "funnel" through which state records are transferred to the
State Archives. The staff gives advice and assistance to state
agencies in connection with the creation, maintenance, transfer,
and disposition of records, furnishes microfilm services to the
agencies, administers a program of providing security for records
essential to the operation of state government, and operates the
State Records Center for the economical storage of records having
low reference frequency. Mr. Thornton W. Mitchell is assistant
state archivist (state records).
The Newspaper Microfdming Project, headed by Mr. T. G. Britt
and located in the basement of the Old YMCA Building, is
responsible for locating, collating, and microfilming extant North
Carolina newspapers and in maintaining a union list of original
papers.
The Civil War Roster Project, located in the National Archives,
State Department of Archives and History 7
Washington, D.C., compiles service data on North Carohnians
who served in the Civil War and edits and publishes volumes of
North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster. Dr. Louis H. Manarin
is editor of the project.
The Document Restoration Laboratory repairs and restores
deteriorating manuscripts through the Barrow process of de-acidification
and lamination and performs other duties connected
with preventive maintenance of the records. Mr.
J. Ray Hocutt is
document restoration specialist.
The Microfilm Processing Laboratory, located in the basement
of the Old YMCA Building, processes all microfilm produced in
the department, duplicates copies for departmental and public
use, and gives technical advice and assistance to all filming units
in the department. Mr. Donald E. Horton is photographer in
charge of the laboratory.
Reports of the individual units follow.
Archives Section
The two primaiy functions of the staff of the Archives Section
are the rendering of assistance to researchers and the arrangement
and description of records in the State Archives. An effort is
made to divide these duties in such a manner as to balance
immediate needs against long-range goals. Either assistance to
researchers or arrangement and description of records and
manuscripts could, of course, occupy the entire time of all
members of the staff, but any undue emphasis on one function
at the expense of the other would eventually result in the
deterioration of the quality of both. Any significant increase in
the number of researchers necessitates some shifting of staff
functions in that direction, but the progress in the direction of
arrangement and description—without which any amount of
personal attention to the researcher is less than totally effective-has
not been slowed.
With the exception of the addition of a typist II position, there
was no change in the effective strength of the staff in the last
two years, although some additional assistance came in the form
of temporary and part-time employees. The professional staff
continues to consist of an assistant state archivist (archives) and
seven archivists. The recent addition of a typist significantly
relieved the archivists of time previously spent in the preparation
8 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
of smooth copy, catalog cards, and filing, and this staff member
is also responsible for photocopy bookkeeping and mailing.
There was an increase of approximately 10 percent in the
number of researchers who visited the Search Room and an
increase of approximately 20 percent in the number of letters
answered by the State Archives staff during the biennium.^
Registered visitors numbered 9,254, and while most of these
were interested in genealogical research, many were students or
teachers of histoiy. Institutions of higher learning from all over
the world represented by these researchers numbered 67.2 Topics
of research reflected a general coverage of North Carolina
history, political science, and culture.
^
Researchers showed a remarkable interest in the history of
Black Mountain College, and the records of the college in the
State Archives attracted a variety of scholars. Professor Martin
Duberman of Princeton University and an assistant spent several
weeks here in 1967 doing research for a full history of Black
Mountain College, and at least one other volume—a collection
of essays edited by Mr. Michael M. H. L. Weaver of Cambridge
University, England—is currently in progress. Mr. Coker and
Miss Betsy R. Fleshman of the State Archives staff contributed a
chapter on the records of the college and a list of faculty and
students for inclusion in Mr. Weaver's book which is scheduled
to be published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
Several master's and doctoral theses on more specialized aspects
of the college's history are also currently in progress.
Accessions of records and manuscripts numbered 560 during
the biennium, as compared to approximately 600 in the 1964-1966
period.4 Among significant public records accessioned were
general correspondence, 1965-1966, of Governor Dan K. Moore;
original minutes and related records, 1889-1948, of the State
Board of Health; original minutes, 1953-1965, of the Council of
State; ten volumes of manuscript Laws of North Carolina,
1743-1774, and about thirty volunes of Cherokee Lands Survey
Books, 1820-1837, from the Office of the Secretaiy of State;
original minutes, 1934-1942, of the Eugenics Board; and original
case files nos. 17,671-19,035 of the North Carolina Supreme
• For statistics of visitors and correspondents, see Appendixes VIII and IX,
pp. 151 and 152.
2 For a list if institutions, see Appendix XI, p. 156.
3 A selected list of topics of research is included as Appendix X, p. 153.
^A full list of accessions is included in Appendix VII, p. 108.
State Department of Archives and History 9
Court. Accessions of county records are discussed in the report of
the Local Records Section below.
Important unofficial records and private manuscripts accessioned
included general records, 1960-1965, of the North Carolina Liter-ary
and Historical Association; general records, 1939-1967, of the
North Carolina Society for the Preservation of Antiquities;
general records, 1911-1966, of the North Carolina Public Health
Association; general records, 1900-1967, of the Rex Hospital
School of Nursing; the Charles Vann Papers, 1739-1880, relating
to Hertford County, which were lent for microfilming bv Mr. F.
Roy Johnson of Murfreesboro; a very large collection of Little,
Mordecai, and Haywood family papers which were given by
Mr. Burke Little of Raleigh; the James Heniy Harris Papers,
1850-1890, relating to the nineteenth -century Negro legislator of
Raleigh, which were given by his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Gertrude
Harris of Raleigh; the Willis Briggs Papers, given by Mr. W. Hal
Trentman of Raleigh; and the Ruth Current Papers, given by
Miss Jeanette Current of Cleveland, N.C. By the will of the late
Clarence Poe, the department was bequeathed a large collection
of papers, dating from about 1908 to about 1954, relating for the
most part to Dr. Poe's work with the Progressive Farmer, the
North Carolina Constitutional Commission, the Federal Advisory
Board for Vocational Education, the North Carolina Hospital and
Medical Care Commission, and the International Development
Advisory Board.
Work in arrangement and description by members of the staff
included the preparation of detailed finding aids for many of the
records accessioned during the biennium as well as others which
had been received in earlier bienniums. Among finding aids
prepared are those for the official records of Governor Moore and
for the following private collections: Walter Clark Papers, Samuel
A. Ashe Papers, C. B. Heller Collection, Alexander Brevard
Papers, John Walker Papers, Charles Vann Papers, Robert D.
Barbour Collection, Richard Singletary Papers, Alfred Mordecai
Papers, Mrs. Marian Whitehurst Rawles Collection, John M. and
Ruth Hodges Collection, Polk Papers, William Polk Papers, John
L. Cantwell Papers, Joseph Roberson Papers, Hugh McDonald
Papers, Mrs. R. P. Reece Collection, George Holland Collection,
John Herritage Biyan Collection, Wynns Family Papers, Romulus
A. Nunn Papers, Ruth Current Papers, Jonathan Worth Papers,
Charles P. Bolles Papers, Francis C. Clewell Papers, John Steele
Papers, Patterson and Fries Collections, Caleb Winslow and
10 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
Although the ihw \iihi\es and Histoiy -State Libraiy Building will not
provide all the space needed by the State Archives, it will be a great im-provement
over present facilit'ies in the Education Building which the
department has occupied since 1939. Shown at top are the tightly-packed
stacks areas in the Education Building, and at bottom the crowded Search
Room. Larger and better-designed stacks, workrooms, and public research
areas in the new building will lead to both greater efficiency and more
pleasant surroundings.
State Department of Archives and History 11
Family Papers, Mrs. L. E. Lansdell Papers, Mary Gash and
Family Papers, Sawyer Papers, Aaron Burtis Hunter Papers,
Robert C. Mabiy Papers, Clarence Poe Papers, Nathaniel Macon
Papers, William Hill Papers, Gales Papers, David S. Reid Papers,
and Josiah Collins Papers. Revisions and corrections in numerous
other finding aids were made where appropriate.
Alphabetical lists or indexes to original wills of the following
counties in the State Archives were completed: Anson, Forsyth,
Franklin, Gates, Hyde, Johnston, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Robe-son,
Rowan, Warren, and Wayne. Marriage bonds were arranged
and abstracted for several counties. A checklist of manuscript
copies of Laws of North Carolina, 1743-1774, a revised description
of the Records of the Adjutant General, and calendars and
autograph-subject cards for the papers of Governors Richard
Dobbs Spaight, Jr., and Edward Bishop Dudley were completed.
Several series of state agency records were rehabilitated by
lamination and binding. Approximately 200 boxes of Legislative
Papers, 10 volumes of manuscript journals of the General Assembly
and Council, 20 volumes of Cherokee Survey Books, and 15
volumes of Secretary of State Land Entry Records were included
among these, in addition to individual deteriorating documents
found in the course of normal archives work.
The Guide to Civil War Records in the North Carolina State
Archives (128 pages) was published in 1966, and Archives
Circular No. 2, North Carolina Census Records, 1787-1890 (16
pages), by Mrs. Ellen Z. McGrew, and No. 3, Records Relating
to Tennessee in the North Carolina State Archives (8 pages), by
Mr. C. F. W. Coker, were published in 1967 and 1968, respectively.
Copy for another circular, on Civil War records, is being
prepared.
With the cooperation of Lieutenant Governor Robert W. Scott,
the staff again in 1967 recorded the sessions of the State Senate.
Additional funds to support the project were not obtained,
however, and the future of the recording program is in doubt.
A considerable amount of time was devoted to plans and prepa-rations
for the move to the new building. Records on hand were
surveyed for size and space requirements, and estimates were
made of additions scheduled for transfer to the State Archives.
The success or failure of this planning cannot be judged, of
course, until the move has been completed, and unforeseen
12 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
problems are likely to arise. Still, for all the space limitations
which are anticipated in the new building, improved arrange-ments
in space and better facilities for researchers as well as for
the technical processes involved in the operations of the Archives
Section are eagerly awaited. A large quantity of records previously
transferred to the State Records Center because of lack of space
in the present archives, together with many others that have been
held in the center, will be transferred into the new archives areas.
The fact that the new archives stacks will almost be filled within
the first year or so will add incentive for seeking a new building
for the State Libraiy so that the section can take over the stacks
now assigned to that institution. It is expected that the new
space can be more efficiently used, and certainly the improved
air conditioning system will eliminate one of the most serious
problems confronted during the past two decades.
Local Records Section
The responsibility for developing and administering a program
of archival preservation and records management at all levels of
local government is assigned to the Local Records Section. The
staff of the section consists of thirteen full-time employees and
one half-time employee, including the assistant state archivist
(local records), one records management analyst I, one archivist
II, four archivists I, two clerks IV, two clerks III, one clerk II,
one clerk II (half-time), and one stenographer II. Two additional
clerks II are assigned to the Document Restoration Laboratory
which, for supervisory purposes, now operates in the Local
Records Section.
To date, special emphasis has been placed on the program of
inventorying county records and of repairing as necessary and
microfilming for security those local records in the counties
classified as permanently valuable. As a result, it was not possible
to devote as much attention to other phases of records manage-ment
as they deserve. Within the limitations of available funds
and staff, counties and municipalities were furnished limited
advice and assistance in solving their problems relating to the
creation, utilization, and preservation of public records, but
much remains to be done in this area.
As a rule counties are scheduled for the microfilm program
in order of their establishment. Prior to microfilming the records
of a county, section staff members conduct inventories of the
records of each county office. Using the County Records Manuai
State Department of Archives and History 13
1962, as a guide, the records inventoried are scheduled either
for permanent preservation in the office in which the\- are located,
for transfer to the State Archives, or for ultimate disposal. The
inventories, with schedules, are ]:)reparcd in mimcogiaplied
form, bound in loose-leaf binders, and distributed to all county
officials concerned.^
The inventories and schedules serve a three-fold pmpose:
(1) thev provide an up-to-date inventory of records of a county
found in the State Archives and in each county office; (2) they
furnish custodians a convenient and legal guide for the disposal
of records of no further value; and (3) they indicate which
records are included in the security microfilm program. Since
julv 1, 1966, inventories were conducted and inventory -schedules
prepared and distributed to officials of the following counties:
Ashe, Lenoir, Macon, Person, Davidson, Greene, Washington,
Columbus, Davie, Yancey, Harnett, Cherokee, Henderson, Dare,
Stanly, Caldwell, Union, and Alexander. Microfilming was com-pleted
in the first sixteen of these counties and is nearing
completion in Union and Alexander counties.
Two teams of two microfilm camera operators (microfilmers)
each are emploxed in the securitv microfilm program. One team
is assigned to the eastern half of the state and the other to the
western half. When work begins in a county the members of one
of these teams assist other staff members in conducting the inven-tory,
upon the completion of which the two microfilmers set up
their cameras in the courthouse and microfilm all records classified
in the inventorv as permanentlv valuable. These include deeds
and other land records, marriage records, indexes to births and
deaths, armed forces discharges, court minutes and judgment
dockets, wills and other records concerning settlements of estates,
orders and decrees, special proceedings, records of corporations,
selected tax records, minutes of the board of count)' commissioners
and other boards, and man\' other records of permanent adminis-trative
and historical value. All microfilming b\ staff members is
done at state expense.^
While microfilming the records of a county, the staff continues
the practice of filming as many permanently valuable municipal
and church records in the area as possible. This practice provides
security for the records and also insures the preservation of
invaluable North Carolina historv. Records of ten municipalities
^ For statistical data on inventoiying county records, see Appendix XII,
p. 157.
*> For statistical data on microfilming, see Appendix XIII, p. 158.
14 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
and eighty-six churches were microfilmed during the past two
years 7
In eighteen counties the registers of deeds are currently
microfilming their deeds and other land records and are using
print-out (page) copies for record purposes. Hall and McChesney,
Incorporated, Greensboro, which processes the film and prepares
print-outs for these counties, transferred 202 negative microfilm
reels of eleven counties to the department for security storage.^
The registers of deeds of Carteret and Rockingham counties
installed the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
35 mm. processor-camera system of aperture card recording. For
security purposes they 'also microfilm all deeds on a 16 mm.
rotary camera and the resulting roll film is mailed by the processor
to the department for security storage.
Work has been completed in 76 of the 100 counties and is
nearing completion in Union and Alexander counties. Records
have been inventoried and scheduled in all of these 78 counties.
With vaiying degrees of assistance from the department, Alamance,
Buncombe, Cleveland, Gaston, Guilford (not completed), and
Mecklenburg have microfilmed their own records. Including
microfilming by department personnel,^ by four of the six counties
listed above, by counties using Hall and McChesney facilities,
by clerks of superior court (referred to below), and by other
county officials, 12,277 volumes and boxes of papers (6,110 reels)
were microfilmed during the biennium.
Extensive structural work in the Wilson and Franklin county
courthouses necessitated the temporaiy removal of the clerks of
superior court, registers of deeds, and certain other officials to
other locations. Concern for the safety of records in these
temporary locations prompted county officials to solicit the
advice and assistance of the department. It was agreed that the
best solution would be to microfilm all the permanently valuable
records of recent origin which had accumulated since department
microfilmers worked in those counties. At the request of officials
concerned, the department furnished a camera and the necessaiy
film to microfilm the records of the register of deeds of Wilson
County and those of the register of deeds and clerk of superior
court of Franklin County. The counties furnished camera operators
to do the work. A section staff member trained the county
^ For records of municipalities and churches microfihned, see Appendix
VII, pp. 121, 123.
^ For records received from Hall and McChesney, Inc., see Appendix
XIII, p. 158.
State Department of Archives and History 15
Pictured here are two of several aspects of the Local Records program.
At top staff members are shown (background) proofreading reels of micro-film
exposed in the various county courtliouses; in left foreground corrections
are being spliced into the master negatives; and in right foreground reels are
being labeled and placed in cartons. The negative copies are then trans-ferred
to the specially -designed Security Vault in the new building. At
bottom are shown volumes of deeds from the courthouses in Orange and
("raven counties. These much-used volumes have been disassembled,
deacidified, laminated by the Barrow process, and rebound. They will be
returned to New Bern and Hillsborough where they will be used for genera-tions
to come. Duplicate microfilm copies of these and other permanently
valuable county records are placed in the Archives Search Room for public
use.
J 6 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
microfilmers and provided such other assistance as necessaiy.
Work was completed in Wilson County in February and in
Franklin County in May, 1968.
The Alexander County courthouse was seriously damaged by
fire on August 11, 1967, but fortunately most of the records
escaped serious damage. Temporaiy repairs permitted the clerk
of superior court and register of deeds to move back to the
courthouse after being located briefly in the community center
building. At the end of the period plans were being made to
demolish the remains of the old courthouse and to construct a
new one. This work will require the clerk and register to move
once more into temporaiy quarters. In order to assist the county
in disposing of obsolete material and to provide security for
records of permanent value, the department began the in-ventorying,
repairing, and microfilming of the county's records
in June, 1968.
Weekly, on Friday, section cameramen ship all film exposed
during the week to the department's Microfilm Processing
Laboratory. When processing has been completed master nega-tives
are delivered to the section where they are carefully
inspected. Microfilmers refilm any unsatisfactory portions and
the resulting corrections are spliced into the original reels. Reel
numbers are then assigned and perforated into the leader of each
reel. The next step is the procurement for public use of microfilm
copies of records of high research value.
^
Master negatives of copies required for research purposes are
shipped to the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Under terms
of an agreement in effect since December, 1959, the society
prepares one copy for the department, one for its own genealogical
library, and one for storage in the underground vault near Salt
Lake City. Most of the raw film used in the local records
program is purchased from the society. These arrangements
result in considerable financial savings to the state and provide
added protection for the more valuable records by having copies
stored in one of the most secure vaults in the world.
The repair of old records in the counties continued to be
perhaps the most highly appreciated part of the local records
program. Upon completion of the inventory in a county, those
^ For data on reels inspected, spliced, and filed, see Appendix XIV, p. 160.
State Department of Archives and History 17
records of permanent value in need of repair are transferred
temporarily to the Document Restoration Laboratoiy where they
are restored by the Barrow process of deacidification and
lamination. Over 76,000 pages of county records were restored
during the period. Under contract with the Heckman Bindeiy,
Inc., North Manchester, Indiana, 212 volumes were rebound.
Owing to the fact that work had been completed in the older
counties repair work on county records had reached its peak and
was leveling off. Restoration work is also done at state expense. ^°
Countv officials continued to transfer to the department signifi-cant
quantities of historically valuable records no longer required
in the administration of their offices. Because newer counties
with fewer records were involved, however, total quantities
received were considerabh less than those received in the
preceding biennium. Records totaling 579 bound volumes and
319.3 cubic feet of unbound materials were received from 25
counties as follows (the first parenthetical number refers to
volumes and the second to cubic feet of unbound records):
Ashe (6 and 2.4), Bertie (1 and 0), Caldwell (17 and 28.2),
Carteret (0 and 10), Cherokee (18 and 16.5), Columbus (33 and
11.6), Currituck (8 and 0), Dare (5 and 14.9), Davidson (21
and 20.7), Davie (41 and 0), Durham (50 and 0), Greene (22 and
13.3), Harnett (7 and 1), Henderson (24 and 21), Lenoir (15
and 11.7), Lincoln (65 and 41.1), Macon (57 and 28.2), Orange
(21 and 1.5), Person (17 and 2.2), Richmond (0 and 12.6),
Stanly (92 and 16.5), Union (5 and 4), Washington (6 and 13.3),
Wilson (26 and 48.6), and Yancey (21 and 0). The bound volumes
were repaired as necessary, cataloged, and accessioned. There
are now in the archives 5,370 volumes and 3,437 cubic feet of
unbound records from the counties. ^^
The work of appraising, arranging, and describing original
records of the counties proceeded at a somewhat accelerated
pace. This work is performed exclusively by archivists (payroll
title: archives and historv assistants) who must be college
graduates with training in North Carolina history. Working with
unbound records requires not only adequate education and
training but also a great deal of patience and good judgment.
During the period of this report work was completed on 449
volumes and 926 Fibredex boxes (0.4 cubic feet each) of unbound
I*' For statistical data on records repaired, see Appendix XXI, p. 175.
11 For statistics on records received from the counties, see Appendix XII,
p. 157.
18 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
records, all of which were transferred to the archives for the
use of the public. Worthy of special note were the large groups
of records from Stokes (225 boxes), Surry (91 boxes), and Wilkes
(162 boxes). At the end of the period work was in progress on
records received from Martin, New Hanover, Northampton, and
Orange counties. ^^ y^g archivists are required to spend a good
portion of their time inspecting incoming microfilm. As a result,
work on original records suffers and the large accumulation of
unbound records awaiting attention continues to grow.
The Judicial Department Act of 1965 created a new system of
courts in North Carolina. In December, 1966, 22 counties came
under the act of 1965, to be followed by 61 additional counties
in December, 1968, and by the remaining seven in December,
1970. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the act was the
creation of new district courts and the abolition of the many
inferior courts which previously existed in the state. Under the
act the clerk of superior court in each county is also responsible
for the records of the district court. He must also assume custody
of the mass of inferior court records which have accumulated
through the years, most of which are of little or no value.
Under the new system, clerks of court no longer record court
actions and other public records in the traditional books. Incoming
documents are microfilmed and flat-filed. One copy of the micro-film
is forwarded to the department for security storage, and
446 reels have been received to date. At ages yet to be determined,
original papers of permanent value will also be transferred to
the department for preservation. A serious problem in most
clerks' offices is that of space for current records. In order to
provide some relief, clerks are encouraged to transfer to the
department noncurrent records of historical value and to destroy
those of no further use or value. Instructions were prepared
jointly by the State Department of Archives and History and the
Administrative Office of the Courts for the guidance of clerks
in transferring or destroying obsolete records of inferior courts.
It is obvious that the work load of the section will be greatly
increased as a result of the act of 1965.
Staff pei-sonnel assisted the city of Raleigh in setting up a
records management program which has served as a model for
several other municipalities. A microfilm system was installed
12 For statistics on county records received, appraised, and described, see
Appendix XII, p. 157.
State Department of Archives and History 19
and records were scheduled for permanent retention or ultimate
disposal, thereby preventing the accumulation of large volumes
of obsolete material in the future. The assistant state archivist
(local records), on several occasions, spoke on the subject of
records management to classes of municipal officials conducted
by the Institute of Government.
Local officials increasingly are being besieged by salesmen
offering recording, indexing, and data retrieval devices, as well
as other products of a rapidly developing technology, all of
which, according to sales claims, provide guaranteed solutions
to records problems. As a result, officials are often in a quandary
as to the advisability of spending large sums of money for
equipment which may soon become obsolete or which may not
serve their purpose in the first place. Faced with the statutory
requirement that it furnish advice and assistance in these areas,
the department is making an effort to keep abreast of new
developments in order to render greater service. As a step in
this direction, a records management analyst I was added to the
staff with the primary duty of assisting local government officials
in their current records management problems.
The assistant state archivist (local records) and other staff
members continued the practice of attending conventions of the
various associations of local government personnel. At such
meetings advantage of every opportunity is taken to discuss,
formally and informally, local records problems. In addition,
staff members made 107 visits to counties to discuss records
matters with county officials. These activities serve to make
county officials aware of the facilities and services available
in the department and, perhaps most important of all, they help
create a feeling of mutual understanding and respect, all of
which contribute to the success of the local records program.
Since its creation in 1959, the accomplishments of the Local
Records Section can be viewed with justifiable pride. The fact
remains, however, that the section is falling behind, especially
in arranging and describing original records. Approximately
2,000 cubic feet of unbound records remain to be worked and the
backlog is steadily growing. Major handicaps in the past have
been the lack of working space and the shortage of professional
staff. The space problem will be alleviated, at least temporarily,
with the move into the new building. The problem of staff
20 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
remains, however, and until additional staff members are pro-vided,
the section will continue to be faced with heavy backlogs
of records awaiting arrangement and description. The increase
in the amount of microfilm to be received for security storage,
under provision of the new court act, will add further strain upon
the section.
State Records Section
Work of the State Records Section centered in programs to
revise all records retention and disposition schedules completed
prior to 1961, to develop and install new and revised files
patterns and filing systems, to handle the significant increase
in all aspects of the work of the State Records Center, and to
concentrate on making security copies of essential operating
records. The staflF of the section comprises the assistant state
archivist (state records), two records management analysts I,
three archivists II, one stenographer II, two clerical unit
supervisors I, two clerks III, four clerks II, one clerk I, and one
janitor.
After the records of all state agencies were brought under
disposition control during the previous biennium, a planned
program was started to revise and update all schedules prepared
prior to 1961. Priority lists were prepared so that schedules
most in need of revision could be worked on first. Some schedules
had been amended many times—in some instances, amendments
had been amended—and, obviously, the schedules that were
most difficult to administer were high on the list to be revised.
The problems that were encountered, further, caused the re-visions
to be done with great care and required considerably
more time than the earlier versions. Nine schedules were approved
during the biennium of which five were revisions of earlier
versions. In addition, schedules for eighteen agencies were
amended.^^
Several of the schedule amendments were, in effect, major
revisions of existing schedules. A reorganization in the Markets
Division, Department of Agriculture, made its existing disposal
authorization obsolete; a complete new schedule for this division
was required. An amendment that added disposal authorization
for the Cashier's Office to the Dorothea Dix Hospital schedule
'3 See Appendix XV, p. 161, for a list of agencies whose records were
scheduled.
State Department of Archives and History 21
was also completed—nearly four years after it was started. In
the latter case, the disposition of patient financial records was
involved in decisions concerning patients' medical records and
action was deferred for more than three years by mutual consent.
The State Board of Health schedule was amended to change
retention periods for Central Files records; this project began as
a feasibility study of specialized filing equipment requisitioned
by the State Board of Health. A count of Central Files reference
activity assisted in revising retention periods, and a careful
review of administrative needs of the agency made it possible
to shorten retention periods materially. A reorganization of the
State Department of Public Welfare required the rearrangement
of its schedule and the addition of sections representing new
functions and new records.
The standard for the disposition of personnel records prepared
as the result of a cooperative study by the State Personnel De-partment
and the State Department of Archives and History
was approved and issued by the former with the recommendation
that it be followed in disposing of agency personnel records.
After several years' work, an agreement was reached with the
Department of Mental Health on the disposition of patient
medical records at the mental hospitals. On July 1, 1967, a
new patient medical record system went into effect; agreement
on the disposition of the "new" records was easily reached but a
decision on the older records was more difficult. All of the
hospitals were visited and their records examined. A mutually
satisfactory agreement was reached in August, 1967, and material
relating to identification, dates of admission and discharge, type
of commitment, diagnosis, and a discharge summary, when
available, for patients who were dead or discharged more than
five years, was scheduled to begin coming into the State Records
Center in mid- 1968.
The volume of state records on hand grew from 160,840 cubic
feet on July 1, 1966, to 180,139 cubic feet on June 30, 1968, an
increase of 10.6 percent. Of even greater significance, however,
was the fact that 46,384 cubic feet or 25.7 percent of the records
in state agencies and institutions on June 30, 1968, had been
created after July 1, 1966, and had not been in existence when
the biennium began. This growth in state records brought an
increasing concern about paper work from all sources. On
September 20, 1967, following receipt of the summary report of
22 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
records holdings as of the previous June 30, Governor Dan
Moore informed all agency heads that in his opinion "too many
records are made, filed, and kept." He asked all agencies to
strive for the more efficient and economical management of their
records.
The Governor's memorandum, coupled with an increasing
awareness by state agencies of their own records problems,
resulted in the records management analysts spending a great
deal of time in studying and installing files and records systems
and in conducting paper-work procedural studies.
Several major subject correspondence files were studied and
completely revised. Of these, the most significant was the complete
reorganization of the subject files in the Governor's Office.
A patchwork records system first de\'ised during the administra-tion
of Governor J. Melville Broughton (i94i-i945) meant that
the files were difficult to use, and overlapping and duplicating
headings led to the fragmentation of important subject matter.
A thorough study of the manner in which the files were both cre-ated
and used led to a revised system which separated the file into
several major components: state agencies, federal agencies, insti-tutions,
counties, other states, associations and organizations, and
a miscellaneous grouping consisting of broad subjective classifi-cations.
In addition, an extensive visible index was prepared,
indicating where in these various segments material relating to a
particular subject was filed. After eighteen full months ofoperation,
the system proved flexible enough to permit additions and changes
without requiring a major rearrangement.
Similar file systems were developed for the Office of the
Director of Administration and for the Budget Division, Depart-ment
ofAdministration. The Budget Division files were complicated
by the fact that a great deal of policy material was filed and lost
in the so-called Appropriations File for lack of a better place to
put it. Project files in the Property Control and Construction
Division, Department of Administration, were reorganized into a
system that roughly paralleled the revised subject files elsewhere
in the department. A subject file was established for the Governor's
Coordinating Committee on Highway Safety which was created
by the 1967 General Assembly.
Several major installations of records systems were also com-pleted.
The Probation-Prison-Parole combined records system
State Department of Archives and History 23
mentioned in the 1964-1966 biennial report was completed
after fifteen months of close supervision. Basically this system
merged the custodial files of the Department of Correction and the
Board of Paroles into a single multi-part folder. If the inmate
entered the prison system as the result of revocation of probation,
his Probation Commission folder preceded the custodial file; and
the documentation relating to his supervision while on parole
status followed it. Thus the complete record of an inmate was in
a single svstem. The files were arranged by a fifteen-digit alpha-meric
number that placed them in alphabetical and numerical
order simultaneously; the number identified first and last name,
race and sex, month and year of birth, and North Carolina county
of birth. Use of the alphamericiuumbering system was the kev to
automating the inmate card record which made identical infor-mation
available in the Department of Correction, the Board of
Paroles, and the Correction Complex and Unit.
Several months after the completion of the installation of the
combined records system, a supplementary study of the documen-tation
comprising the custodial and supervision segments of the
combined file was begun. All of the forms and records in the file
created both in the Board of Paroles and the Department of
Correction were analyzed and traced. The number of copies of
several forms was reduced and in some instances additional forms
were found to be necessary. Many of the forms were redesigned,
and as new supplies were ordered the revised forms were printed.
As the result of the documentation study, there was a careful
analysis of the contents of the custodial and supervision portions
of the combined record and a corresponding improvement in the
quality of the file.
The record system used by the Vocational Rehabilitation
Division, Department of Public InstRiction, was changed following
participation in a "crash" program to put the payment of invoices
on a current basis. Each invoice was matched against an
authorization which was batch-filed alphabetically in groups
of from 500 to 1,000 documents. To locate a particular authoriza-tion,
it was necessary to search the entire batch. Although the
backlog of unpaid invoices was largelv eliminated, it was obvious
that a record system that would reduce the search and matching
time was essential. A terminal digit system was devised, using
the last three digits of the "VR" number—a consecutive number
assigned to each case. Installation of the system eliminated many
24 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
outdated and duplicate authorizations and now permits processing
of the invoice on the same day it is received.
As an offshoot of the College and University Records Retention
and Disposition Schedule issued by the department in 1964,
work began in April, 1967, on records systems of the community
colleges, technical institutions, and industrial education centers
that comprise the North Carolina community college system.
The records of six representative institutions were examined in
detail and samples of all local forms were collected from each
institution. As the result of this study, a records disposition
standard was developed for use throughout the community
colleges system and a filing pattern for use with subject-type
material was devised. In addition, student personnel records
were studied in detail and a proposed records system, including
forms for use with it, was designed. Progress was also made in
designing new forms for use in the requisitioning and ordering
procedure, and a record system for the procurement of state-furnished
equipment was suggested. As the biennium ended,
various phases of the community colleges records project were
awaiting review and approval by the Department of Community
Colleges and the State Board of Education.
Throughout the biennium, the number of requests for study
and review of paper-work procedures increased. In the State
Board of Health, the procedures bv which the Film Libraiy
issued and received training films were reviewed and recom-mendations
were made for reducing the amount of paper work.
The Crippled Children and Chronic Disease Sections of the
Personal Health Division, State Board of Health, were also
examined and simplified procedures recommended. In connection
with an equipment request, procedures of the Boiler Bureau,
Department of Labor, were reviewed. A manual system that
could not keep up with an increased work load was in use;
although some improvements could have been made, the existing
system was sufficiently outdated that the work of the bureau
would have gotten further and further behind. Automation of the
bureau's procedures and conversion to computer operation were
recommended; not only would the work be conducted on a
current basis but data would be readily available for the
effective administration of the boiler inspection laws in the state.
In addition, automation would make three clerical positions
available for other purposes, although anv savings resulting
State Department of Archives and History 25
therefrom would be partially offset by the cost of computer
operations.
The records management analysts also participated in proce-dural
studies in the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement
System. Several special studies were made, with those on mail
handling and telephone usage having the greatest effect. In
connection with the switchover from disk-pak to tape processing
on a computer and the storage of additional retirement information
in the computer file, special areas were examined to verify or to
eliminate problems believed to exist. In addition, the retirement
files were converted to shelf filing and the filing mechanics were
improved. A procedural study showing the origin, distribution,
and disposition of all records created or handled by the Planning
and Research Department, State Highway Commission, was also
completed.
At the end of the biennium, a special project was in process
to determine whether the records maintained by the Finance
Department, State Highway Commission, could be reorganized
and revised so that the retention requirements of the Bureau of
Public Roads could be followed without requiring the simultane-ous
retention of vast quanitities of records in which the bureau
has no interest. Although the need of the Bureau of Public Roads
for records to permit it to audit expenditures of federal funds is
evident, the problem which has been imposed on the State
Highway Commission (and indirectly on the Department of
Archives and History) is three-fold: first, the flow of paper work
in the State Highway Commission is such that it is virtually
impossible to distinguish a federal aid document (in which the
Bureau of Public Roads is interested) from a nonfederal aid
document (in which it is not); second, many of the documents
and much of the paper work that is required to be kept cannot
be separated into federal aid and nonfederal aid parts because it
contains no such identification; and third, the bureau requires,
for audit purposes, the retention of not only the source documents
but also the punched cards (computer input), print-outs, and
magnetic tapes. Several meetings with Bureau of Public Roads
representatives and with State Highway Commission staff mem-bers
have emphasized the problems but have not relieved the
State Highway Commission and the Department of Archives and
History from the responsibility of maintaining large quantities
of records far longer than the administrative and research needs
26 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
of the state of North Carohna require.
The task of developing Hsts of essential operating records was
completed for all state agencies, and lists were formalized into
Memorandums of Understanding approved by the head of the
agency concerned and by the director of the Department of
Archives and History. ^'^ Each of the Memorandums of Under-standing
listed the title of the essential records and described it
in some detail, the manner of protection, and—in case of protection
by dispersion—the location of the security copy. The program
developed on the assumption that the greatest danger to state
records was a local disaster such as a fire. It was, then, built
around the question: What is needed to get back into business
if your offices burn completely some night? In most cases, the
volume of essential operating records was surprisingly small and
many of them were already protected by existing dispersion. To
assist in administering the program as the first phase was
finished, a records management handbook. Protecting Essential
Operating Records, was issued in June, 1967.
As pressure for office space increased and as the services
that the section offered became increasingly well known, the
work load of the State Records Center increased in every respect.
In all, 19,569 cubic feet of records were received from 51 state
agencies in 1,060 separate accessioning transactions. At the same
time, the Records Center disposed of 11,114 cubic feet of records,
virtually all of them in accordance with the provisions of approved
records retention and disposition schedules. All records holdings
of the center are under disposition control, and they are purged
of disposable material when it becomes eligible for destruction.
There was a net increase of 8,454 cubic feet during the biennium,
raising the total holdings of the center to 52,246 cubic feet.^^
The State Records Center thus houses in low-cost, controlled
storage the equivalent of the contents of 8,163 four-drawer file
cabinets that would otherwise have occupied 57,000 square feet
of space in already congested state offices.
While the new accessions increased, the number of reference
services continued to move sharply upward. More than 161,000
reference services were performed for 45 state agencies and
boards, of which 69,500 documents or items of information were
^* See Appendix XV, p. 173, Thirty-First Biennial Report, for a list of
agencies with approved Memorandums of Understanding.
'^ See Appendix XVI, p. 162, for statistics on state records.
State Department of Archives and History 27
The capacity of the State Records Center (top) will be reached during
the coming biennium. At bottom are shown large quantities of noncurrent
records of state agencies that are stored on the floor pending erection of
additional shelving late in 1968. Even with this increase in shelving, a new
or expanded building will be required within two years.
28 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
furnished and 92,150 items were refiled and interfiled. ^^ The
records of the Department of Revenue continued to be used most
frequently, although the records of the Department of Motor
Vehicles, Employment Security Commission, Department of
Correction, State Board of Education, and Adjutant General's
Department were frequently referred to. There were also 465
visitors to the State Records Center to consult records. Of these,
339 were from 29 state agencies; 25 were from 6 federal agencies;
and 101 were from 3 private agencies. During the biennium i()5
tons of mixed paper and 15 tons of punched cards were sold
as wastepaper as the result of disposal activities, with total
receipts of $759.
The most pressing and urgent needs of the State Records
Center continue to be space and personnel. Since the capacity
of the center as presently equipped is 48,137 cubic feet of records
and the total holdings are 52,246 cubic feet, it can readily be
seen that the Records Center has 4,109 cubic feet of records over
its capacity. The 1967 General Assembly appropriated $75,000
to renovate the Records Center building and to shelve the
remainder of the first floor, and work is expected to begin as soon
as the Divisions of Historic Sites, Museums, and Publications
vacate the portion of the building they now occupy. Even so, at
the present rate of growth, it is estimated that the building will
be entirely filled with records by the end of the next biennium.
As a consequence, the 1969 General Assembly will be asked to
provide a new building to house approximately 142,000 cubic
feet of records.
The records center function continues to be understaffed,
operating with one part-time and two full-time employees. Each
person working in the operation is responsible for administering
(accessioning, servicing, disposing) 23,220 cubic feet of records,
more than twice the standard used by the National Archives and
Records Service in staffing the federal records centers. Eveiy
effort is made to keep reference services current, although the
heavy load of refiles and interfiles in some agencies has back-logged,
and it is no longer possible in all cases to send documents
to using agencies the same day they are requested. It is frequently
necessary to detail personnel to the records storage operation
from other functions of the State Records Section.
The Microfilm Project microfilmed the records of 28 state
^8 See Appendix XVII, p. 165, for reference statistics.
State Department of Archives and History 29
agencies either to conserve space or to provide security copies.
In all, 5,501,727 images were filmed on 3,606 reels of negative
microfilm, and 275 reels of positive microfilm were checked. In
addition, 819 reels of checks and ledger sheets microfilmed by the
State Treasurer's Office were proofread by the section. With
completion of the initial phase of the essential records protection
program, an increasing amount of the work of the Microfilm
Project centered on the preparation of preservation duplicates
by microfilm. ^^
Microfilming of original birth certificates, 1913-1945, of the
State Board of Health was completed, and the negative microfilm
copies of birth certificates, 1946-1959, made previously for the
federal government were reviewed, properly identified, and
labeled. Corporation charters, 1957-1967, in the Office of the
Secretaiy of State were filmed to provide a security copy as were
current history cards of the Teachers' and State Employees'
Retirement System. Microfilming of the original cases of the
Supreme Court continued, and many other series of records were
microfilmed in accordance with approved Memorandums of
Understanding for the protection of essential records.
A review of all film on hand was completed, and as a result
approximately 1,500 reels were destroyed. The film disposed of
consisted of temporary security copies that were superseded by
a later filming, or of older film of records subsequently authorized
for disposal. In several instances film was retained, even though
the records could be disposed of, because it had already been
made and could possibly be of some research interest in the future.
The permanent film was identified; it will be moved to security
storage in the vault of the Archives and History-State Library
Building. Some film, consisting of use copies and temporary
security copies, will remain in the microfilm area of the State
Records Center.
It is probable that the state records program will continue to
grow and to diversify. The scheduling project will continue,
although the records retention and disposition schedules that
are now produced are prepared with increasing care. More and
more time will be required for the development and installation
of records and paper-work systems. The work load in the State
Records Center will increase. And there is no end in sight for
the microfilming of state records for security and economy. With
additional space in the coming biennium, all of these activities
will be greatly benefited.
" For state records microfilming statistics, see Appendix XVIII, p. 166.
30 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
Newspaper Microfilming Project
Newspapers are a valuable source for research. Yet newsprint
is one of the most perishable recording mediums. Extant copies
of early newspapers are scattered throughout the nation, and the
inferior paper used in post-Civil War newspapers has resulted
in the rapid deterioration of more recent issues. Furthermore, the
bulk of modern newspapers is such that libraries cannot continue
to retain indefinitely these papers in their original form.
In recognition of the need for making available to researchers
all known issues of North Carolina newspapers, the division in
1959 established by special appropriation its Newspaper Micro-filming
Project. In nine years approximately 1,500 reels of
newspapers, containing all known titles published from 1751
to 1900—and many after the latter date-—have been filmed and
made available to researchers. During this biennium alone 602
reels were released, including the following: Fayetteville Observer
(weekly, 1816-1819, 1823-1865, 1883-1900, 22 reels; semiweekly,
1851-1865, 13 reels; and daily, 1896-1900, 10 reels); Greensboro
Evening Telegram (daily, 1897-1911, 16 reels); Greenville Daily
News (daily, 1917-1921, 18 reels); Hendersonville French Broad
Hustler (weekly and semiweekly, 1905-1918, 12 reels); Norlina
Headlight (weekly, 1914-1940, 17 reels); Pinehurst Outlook
(weekly, 1897-1961, 32 reels); Raleigh Union Herald (weekly,
1919-1944, 24 reels); Wilmington Carolina Farmer and Morning
Star (weekly, 1869-1905, 12 reels); and Wilmington Morning
Star (daily, 1867-1900, 67 reels). Continuations of titles previously
filmed to 1900 included the Greensboro Patriot to 1947, 71 reels;
Hillsborough Orange County Observer to 1916, 4 reels; and
Salisbury Carolina Watchman to 1937, 9 reels.
Several previous microfilm editions were refilmed because of
the discovery of a significant number of additional issues or
because the initial filming was unsatisfactory. These included
the Fayetteville Eagle (weekly, 1868-1875, semiweekly, 1868-1873,
and daily, 1872, 3 reels); Fayetteville NortJi Carolinian (weekly,
1839-1864, and daily, 1859-1864, 7 reels); New Bern Carolina
Centinel (weekly, 1818-1837, 5 reels); Winston-Salem People's
Press (weekly, 1851-1892, 15 reels); Raleigh Register (weekly,
1799-1868, 1877-1878, 1884-1886, 22 reels; and semiweekly, 1823-
1830, 1840-1864, 1867-1868, 27 reels); Raleigh Sentinel (weekly,
1866-1876, 2 reels; semiweekly, 1866-1877, 2 reels; and daily,
State Department of Archives and History 31
1865-1876, 12 reels); and the Raleigh North Carolina Standard
(weekly, 1834-1870, 12 reels; semiweekly, 1850-1865, triweekly,
1866-1868, 15 reels; and daily, 1865-1870, 7 reels).
A complete list of titles released during the biennium is found
in Appendix XIX. ^^ Titles previously filmed may be found in
H. G. Jones and Julius H. Avant (eds.), North Carolina News-papers
on Microfilm (1965), and in Appendix XXII of the 1964-
1966 biennial report.
Work continued on the preparation of a card file listing all
newspapers published since 1900. It is hoped that a companion
to the Union of North Carolina Newspapers, 1751-1900, published
in 1963, can be issued within the next few years so that the
location of newspapers through 1950 will be known.
Civil War Roster Project
Volume I (Artillery) of North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A
Roster was published at the end of the previous biennium.
Research for subsequent volumes had already begun, but because
of budgetary restrictions, the staff had to be reduced and the
editor. Dr. Louis H. Manarin, accepted a position with the
National Archives in August, 1966. He was able nevertheless to
continue his supervision over the roster staff which for the follow-ing
twelve months consisted of Mrs. Manarin and part-time
workers. During that period information continued to be compiled
on men who served in the Confederate States Navy, the United
States Volunteers, the general and special staff positions, and
the first three regiments of infantry.
The General Assembly in 1967 appropriated funds sufficient
to continue the project at its previous staff strength, and
Dr. Manarin returned to state service in August. Work was then
begun on the manuscript for Volume II (Cavalry) and the copy
for the first two regiments was delivered to the North Carolina
State University Print Shop on November 27. At the end of the
biennium most of the volume was in galley proof and its
publication was expected in the fall.
Meanwhile Mrs. Manarin went on half-time duty. She continued
to summarize and dictate the individual service records of the
infantry troops on file in the National Archives; a part-time
18 See below, p. 168.
32 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
assistant, Mrs. Patsy Vogel, transcribed them, after which
they were checked and filed by Mrs. Essel Parker, a longtime
employee of the project. The editor prepared the manuscript,
and all members of the staff assisted in the proofreading.
Research continued on the third volume which is scheduled
for publication in December, 1969. Volume III will include infan-try
units from the 1st Battalion of North Carolina Shaipshooters to
the 4th Regiment of North Carolina State Troops (in all, nine
major units). Research in major printed sources was completed
on all of the units and information was extracted from the files
in the National Archives through the 3rd Regiment.
When the department occupies its new building, the Roster
Project staff will move to Raleigh. Microfilm copies of pertinent
records in the National Archives have been obtained, and these,
coupled with other sources available in the state, will permit the
continuation of the project without interruption. The Department
of Archives and History is much indebted to Doctors Wayne C.
Grover, Robert H. Bahmer, and J. Berton Rhoads, the last three
archivists of the United States, for providing facilities for the
Roster Project in the National Archives Building during the past
several years.
Microfilm Processing Laboratory
Processed microfilm totaled 14,860 reels amounting to 1,434,555
linear feet, as follows: 3,516 reels (343,045 feet) of 16 mm.
negatives; 5,740 reels (559,600 feet) of 35 mm. negatives; 279
reels (27,450 feet) of 16 mm. duplicates; and 5,325 reels (504,460
feet) of 35 mm. duplicates. i^ Since the processing equipment was
installed in 1961, 39,444 reels totaling 3,845,257 feet have been
produced. The laboratory has continued to occupy space in the
basement in the Old YMCA Building, but the new building to
be occupied soon will afford adequate facilities.
Traditionally, positive microfilm has been used in the Search
Room. This has posed a problem because there is not yet on the
market a reader-printer which makes good paper enlargements
from positive film. A solution was found during the biennium
when a direct duplicating film became available. Now duplicate
negative film is prepared for Search Room use. Unfortunately
some researchers, not experienced in reading microfilm, find
'^ For quarterly statistics on microfilm processing, see Appendix XX,
p. 174.
State Department of Archives and History 33
difficulty in accustoming themselves to reading the negative
film. The greatly improved quality of positive prints from negative
film, however, more than compensates for this handicap.
Document Restoration Laboratory
The Document Restoration Laboratory deacidified and lami-nated
by the Barrow process 187,957 pages of deteriorating
papers. Of these, 76,019 pages were county records, 88,622 pages
were noncounty materials in the archives, and 23,316 pages were
private materials laminated for individuals and institutions for
a fee.20 Experiments, with promising results, were conducted in
the deacidification of papers by means of vapors from cyclohex-ylamine
carbonate.
William J. Barrow of Richmond, Virginia, the builder of the
department's roller-type laminating equipment—the department
has the twelfth machine of its type ever made—died on August 25,
1967. Barrow had continued to assist and advise the document
restoration staff, and his death is a loss to the archival profession
in general and to this department in particular.
Professional Personnel and Their Activities
The State Personnel Department restudied the professional
positions in the division and revised upward the pay grades
effective October 1, 1967. For payroll purposes the classification
of archives and history assistant was substituted for the former
title of archivist and the title of the state archivist's position was
changed to archives and records administrator. Records manage-ment
consultants became records management analysts .^i Salary
grade increases ranged from one to four steps, or from about 5
percent to about 20 percent. These overdue revisions, coupled
with a 6 percent legislative increase in 1967, enabled the division
to raise the usual academic requirements for most professional
positions to a master's degree or its equivalent. Thus, while
archival and records management salaries in North Carolina
remain below the national average, the division is in a much
better position than has been the case for several years. And,
while several outstanding employees were lost, capable replace-ments
were obtained. Furthermore, the divisional requirement
20 For quarterly statistics on document restoration, see Appendix XXI,
p. 175.
21 These new payroll titles are reflected below in Appendix V, p. 100.
34 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
that most professional personnel, if they had not already done so,
take a course in North Carolina history following their employ-ment,
increased the usefulness of the staff members. Mrs. Betty H.
Carter, Mrs. Ellen Z. McGrew, and Miss Betty Yarbrough
completed courses during the biennium.
Another requirement is that new employees take the graduate
courses in archival administration given by the division head
through North Carolina State University. These courses brought
encouraging results. During the biennium, six employees—Mrs.
Ruby Arnold, Mr. Julius H. Avant, Miss Betsy R. Fleshman,
Miss Mildred I. Holt, Mr. M. Kramer Jackson, and Mr. Donald
R. Lennon—completed both semesters of the course, which is
offered in conjunction with the master's program at NCSU. Two
others—Mrs. Betty H. Carter and Miss Kathryn S. Pruitt—
completed the introductory semester. Others taking one or both
courses were as follows: 1966-1967—Messrs. Steven Bradford,
Barney R. Carroll, Jr., Robert Lowery, and William E. White III,
all students at NCSU, and Mr. Maurice S. Toler, university
archivist at NCSU; and 1967-1968—Messrs. Steven Hughes,
Gregory L. Knott, and Harry L. Stanfield, graduate students at
NCSU; Mr. David T. Bevan and Mrs. Marcia H. McGukin,
graduate students in the School of Library Science, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Miss Lynn Dodge, senior
at Meredith College. Certificates of completion were conferred
upon the past year's participants at a dinner on May 15 at which
Dr. Everett O. Alldredge, assistant archivist of the United States,
spoke.
Several staff members are continuing their education by taking
graduate and special courses in the local university. By scheduling
night courses, it is now possible for a full-time state employee to
complete work for the master's degree in history in two calendar
years.
The division continues to watch with mixed emotions as some
of its outstanding employees are called to fill archival positions
in other institutions. In 1967 Mr. Donald R. Lennon became
manuscript curator at East Carolina University and Mr. James O.
Hall was appointed archivist in the Federal Records Center,
East Point, Georgia. Other recent "graduates" of the Division of
Archives and Manuscripts now holding responsible position in
other institutions include Mr. Toler, mentioned above; Mr. Connis
O. Brown, public records examiner in the Maryland Hall of
State Department of Archives and History 35
"Records; and Mr. John R. Woodard, director of the Baptist
Collection at Wake Forest University.
Various staff members were active in professional organizations
and in historical activities in general. Dr. H. G. Jones, state
archivist, served as treasurer of the Society of American Archivists
until 1967 when he was elected vice-president. He will auto-matically
succeed to the presidency in Ottawa in October, 1968,
thus becoming the fourth North Carolinian to head the organiza-tion,
following in the footsteps of R. D. W. Connor, A. R. Newsome,
and Dr. Christopher Crittenden. Dr. Jones' book. For History's
Sake, won the Waldo Gifford Leland Prize for the best American
book on archival history, theory, and practice published in 1966.^2
In the same year he was given a leave of absence to conduct a
study of and prepare recommendations for the California State
Archives in Sacramento. He also served as a consultant with the
Florida Governmental Organization and Efficiency Committee
and assisted in the writing of legislation establishing the Board of
Archives and History in that state. In 1967 he was appointed a
representative of the Society of American Archivists on the Joint
Committee on the Status of the National Archives of which he
was elected secretary. He then was given leave to conduct, for
the American Historical Association, the Organization ofAmerican
Historians, and the Society of American Archivists, a study of
the National Archives and Records Service. The resulting manu-script,
"The Records of a Nation: Their Management, Preservation,
and Use," will be published by Atheneum Publishers early in
1969. Finally, he was given leave early in 1968 to conduct a
study of and to prepare a report of recommendations on the
archival, publications, and records management programs of the
Virginia State Library. During the biennium he attended all
meetings of the council of the Society of American Archivists
and read papers at the society's annual meetings on "Archival
Training in American Universities, 1936-1966," in Atlanta in 1966,
and on "Archival Handling of Published Materials" in Santa Fe in
1967. He also attended the annual meetings of the American
Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians,
and the Southern Historical Association. His other activities
included attendance at the Conference on Quantitative Data in
Early American History at Williamsburg, Virginia, in November,
1967; an address before the North Carolina Association of Regis-
22 For a bibliography of all books and articles by members of the staff, see
Appendix VI, p. 105.
36 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
ters of Deeds at Asheville in June, 1968; and a variety of talks
before school, historical, and civic groups. He was named "Tar
Heel of the Week" by the Raleigh News and Observer on Decem-ber
10, 1967.
Mr. C. F. W. Coker, assistant state archivist (archives), attended
the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists in
Atlanta in 1966; and in June, 1967, he was on leave for the
purpose of assisting the Marine Corps Museum, Quantico,
Virginia, in the arrangement and description of private papers.
Mr. Thornton W. Mitchell, assistant state archivist (state
records), attended the annual meeting of the SAA in Atlanta in
1966 and Santa Fe in 1967. He served as chairman of the society's
Records Management, Washington, D.C., December, 1967.
the committee's workshop in Santa Fe, and spoke on "Records
Retention Scheduling" at the American University Institute on
Records Management, Washington, D.C., December, 1967.
Rear Admiral A. M. Patterson, assistant state archivist (local
records), attended the SAA meeting in Atlanta in 1966. He
addressed the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Bar Association,
Philadelphia, January, 1967, on "North Carolina's Experience and
Accomplishments in the Improvement of Public Records. " He
continued to attend the meetings of the various associations of
North Carolina local officials and frequently appeared on their
programs.
Dr. Louis H. Manarin, editor of the Roster Project, was
appointed a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians in
1967, and the following year he was elected secretary of the
American Military Institute. He gave several talks relative to
the roster and to the Civil War.
Mr. Donald E. Horton, photographer II, attended the annual
meetings of the National Microfilm Association and completed a
course in advanced photography through the School of Modern
Photography.
In May, 1967, nine members of the staff attended the Tri-State
Archives and Records Conference in Columbia, South Carolina:
Dr. Jones, Mr. Coker, Mr. Mitchell, Mrs. Bessie W. Bowling,
Mrs. Rebecca K. Clegg, and Messrs. James O. Hall, James A.
Hardee, J.
R. Hocutt, Donald E. Horton, and Bobby J.
Holleman.
Dr. Jones, Mr. Mitchell, Mrs. Bowling, and Mr. Hall read
papers. In March, 1968, the state archivist, the three section
State Department of Archives and History 37
heads, and Mr. Frank D. Gatton attended in Atlanta a Symposium
on Automation and Its Effect on Archives and Research in His-toiy
and the Social Sciences.
During the past three summers the Division of Archives and
Manuscripts made effective use of college students qualifying for
employment under the Program for Assuring College Education
(PACE). These students worked from ten to twelve weeks each
on special projects such as arranging and indexing newspaper
clippings, preparing materials for microfilming, and splicing
film. Ninety percent of their hourly wages was provided by the
federal government. The following students participated: 1966—
Mr. Barney R. Carroll (Archives); 1967—Messrs. Marc M. Caplan
and Robert Howard (Archives) and Misses Janie Battle and
Dolores Hall (State Records); 1968—Mr. David South (Archives),
Miss Brenda Sue Morgan (Local Records), and Misses Dolores
Hall and Diane Payne (State Records). Two North Carolina
State University graduate students—Messrs. Harry L. Stanfield
and H. Steven Hughes—were part-time interns during the 1967-
1968 academic year.
Archivists and records management officials from other states
and nations continued to visit the division to observe its programs.
Among them were the following: Mr. Gerald S. Eigen, senior
archivist, Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and
Finance, on June 17, 1966 (not included in last report); Mr. Robert
Johnson, records management officer, Wisconsin Department of
Administration, August 1-5, 1966; Mr. Keng Aun Loh, archivist of
the Federation of Malaysia, September 29-30, 1966; Mr. Loring
Lovill, research assistant, Florida Secretary of State, October 12,
1966; Mrs. Cleo Hughes, archivist, Tennessee State Archives,
November, 1966; Mr. Kenneth Brock, records management
analyst, New York Division of Archives and Manuscripts, March
13-24, 1967; Archivist Iredale, of North Riding, Yorkshire, England,
in May, 1968; and Dr. James B. Rhoads, archivist of the United
States, on June 21, 1968. Delegations from South Carolina's
Department of Archives and History and General Services
Division visited on three occasions: in October, 1966, in June,
1967, and in March, 1968. Included in one or more of these trips
were Messrs. Harold W. Perry, William Coleman, Leslie M. Teel,
Ray Stoudemire, Daniel R. Pipes, and Fred Browder. Mr. Robert
Williams, director of the Florida Board of Archives and History,
visited the division on two occasions.
38 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
An experiment of significance occurred during the period of
January 23 to February 3, 1967, when Dr. John Hope Frankhn,
chairman of the Department of History, University of Chicago,
brought the seven doctoral candidates in his American Histoiy
seminar to Raleigh for two weeks of intensive research in the
records of North Carolina's Reconstruction period. The partici-pants
conducted their research in the State Archives during the
day and held discussion classes at night. Following their period
here, each prepared a paper on an assigned topic. A special
dinner, attended by faculty members from colleges and univer-sities
in the area, was given in honor of the group. Dr. Franklin
read a paper on "An Ante-Bellum Odyssey: Southern Travelers
in the North." So successflil was the two-week experiment that
Dr. Franklin will read a paper on it at the joint luncheon of the
American Historical Association and the Society of American
Archivists in New York in December, 1968.
Several classes and clubs from nearby colleges and universities
visited the State Archives during the biennium and were given
orientation sessions and guided tours. This sort of activity will be
accelerated when better facilities are provided in the new
building.
The division continued to receive wide publicity for its
programs. Indian Archives, published by the National Archives
of India, carried an article, "The Archival-Records Management
Programme of an American State," written by the state archivist,
in its 1965-1966 volume. The Autumn, 1966, issue of Records
Management Journal contained three articles, written by Dr.
Jones, Admiral Patterson, and Mr. Mitchell, on the records
management program. The New York Times of August 6, 1967,
carried a 19-column-inch story on the division with the focus
on the Black Mountain College records. The director's column,
written for the Associated Press, continued to publicize the
archival and records management functions among North
Carolinians.
Summary
For two decades the reports of the division have pointed to the
need for adequate space and facilities. It would be a relief to
report that this need will be completely met upon the occupation
of the new building within a few months, but such is not the case.
State Department of Archives and History 39
Immediate requirements will indeed be met, for space will be
sufficient for the present holdings and staff. As is so often the
case in state planning, however, what is adequate for the moment
will be inadequate within a few years. That is why efforts must be
continued to persuade the General Assembly to provide an
additional building for the North Carolina State Library so that
stacks assigned to the library can be made available for records
awaiting transfer to the State Archives. The conversion of the
libraiy areas to use by the Department of Archives and History
will be relatively simple as a result of the foresight of the
architect in designing the building for eventual use exclusively
by this department.
Even with all of the space in the new building at its disposal,
however, the department will soon need additional space as a
result of its growing stature and its improved service to the
people of the state. Accordingly, and simultaneously with the
effort to obtain funds for a new library building, the department
will seek funds to constRict an archives annex to house the State
Records Center, the records management function, and the
auxiliaiy archival services. The renovation of the present State
Records Center will provide for only two or three years of
expansion there. Consequently additional records center space
will be imperative; good management and the efficient adminis-tration
of the archival and records management programs will be
served by providing such space contiguous to the newly-finished
building. If this plan is carried out, for the first time all of the
department's Raleigh functions can be more efficiently co-ordinated.
As the population of the state increases, as more and more
of its citizens come to appreciate their heritage, and as the
department heeds the call for new and expanded programs in
archival administration and records management, inevitably the
staff must increase. In several areas the need is pressing: in the
State Archives for better service to i^esearchers, in the Local
Records Section for more specialized records management as-sistance
to county and municipal officials and for arranging and
describing incoming local records, and in the State Records
Section for improving record-making and record-keeping systems
in the state agencies and for handling the increased holdings of
the State Records Center. Judging from its response in the past,
the General Assembly can be expected to fill at least the most
40 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
urgent of these needs.
It is, therefore, with optimism and appreciation that the
Division of Archives and Manuscripts looks to the future. It is
an optimism based not upon complacency or satisfaction with
its past record but rather upon the confidence that if it continues
to carry out its responsibilities as befits a state that is never
satisfied with the status quo, it will continue to deserve and
receive the support of the people of North Carolina.
DIVISION OF HISTORIC SITES
W. S. Tarlton, Historic Sites Superintendent
The historic sites program, which began in 1955 and for
several years seemed "new," incomplete, and struggling for
survival, now appears well estabHshed and secure. Those who
Hved through the early stages are pleased with the air of maturity
which the program now possesses.
The number of improved state-owned projects has grown from
one to thirteen, and the number of cooperating local and in-dependent
projects has mounted in at least the same proportion.
Historic sites have been "accepted" in the family of state tax-supported
programs, have become important to the public, and
have reached the point that they enjoy a role of camaraderie and
self-esteem with associates in other agencies of the state which
impinge upon the program—the legislative and administrative
departments, and the sister agencies serving the public in the
fields of education, recreation, conservation and development,
highways and transportation, and cultural development.
The division has also arrived at a level of higher esteem
among local groups over the state who have accepted the
mission of historic preservation and development and who need
professional assistance. There has developed between the local
sector and the department a high sense of mutual concern and
need, and a will to cooperate.
This sense of arrival did not come from sudden causes, although
it registered itself rather dramaticallv within the past year or
two. Among the causes were the sound and creative policies of
departmental leadership going back to the beginning; the con-tributions
of a dedicated and hard working staff; and, more
recently, participation in coordinated planning at state and local
levels of all aspects of development, including historical develop-ment.
The State Planning Task Force (and especiallv the
Recreation Sub-Task Force), the Division of Community Planning
of the State Department of Conservation and Development, and
numerous regional, municipal, and community planning and
development commissions were key factors in bringing historical
development into the mainstream. Going back of these state
and local agencies it is necessaiy to recognize the federal aegis
expressed through the many assistance programs. The state
42 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
Historic Sites Advisory Committee, established in 1963 to evaluate
and screen historic site projects for state financial support, did
a great deal to consolidate public support and confidence.
This arrival to full-fledged position, while a good thing,
brought some problems which need attention. Most of these
problems relate to the need to maintain the highest standards
and capabilities for both operational and service functions.
Commitment has always tended to exceed the reach of the
division. Too much has been attempted with inadequate budget
and staff, and though there has been a gradual increase to fuller
strength, the Division of Historic Sites is still understaffed.
The need now is to deepen the staff structure, especially in
research and planning and in interpretive and educational
endeavors. Larger staffs are needed at a number of the historic
sites, including curatorial staff at several of the largest.
These staff needs relate both to the regular state program
(the system of thirteen state historic sites) and to the commitment
to service local, or non-state, projects and programs. The volume
of activity in the local sector is increasing phenomenally, but
the present staff is geared to the situation of five years ago, when
local assistance calls were for modest needs.
If once, in the less demanding early years of the program, the
division was justified in pursuing tentative standards, hoping
some day to do better, it can no longer be satisfied with this.
With wider recognition of the importance of historical conserva-tion
and development, with increasing calls for assistance from
local and community programs, and with spiraling use of the
state historic sites by a public which is growing in sophistication,
it is going to be necessary to staff and otheiAvise provide for
functioning to the highest standards.
Operations and Maintenance
One new project, Somerset Place, was added to the operational
program since the preceding biennium. Major capital improve-ments
were added at Binanswick Town and Polk Birthplace, and
construction plans for visitor center-museums and other improve-ments
at Historic Bath and the Gunboat "Neuse" were completed.
Six maintenance buildings were constructed at as many historic
sites, and gasoline storage tanks and pumps were installed at
State Department of Archives and History 43
five. Two historic site assistants and one grounds maintenance
man were added to the field staff, making a total of eighteen
employees.
Several of the field personnel were organized as a skilled
work force to do a few major and numerous minor repair and
restoration projects at historic sites. This is a team of variable
membership, organized specially for each particular job. The
team's largest task to date was to complete several aspects
of the President James K. Polk Birthplace: restoring the log
kitchen, completing the interior of the dwelling house, building
the rail and picket fences, restoring a log packhouse, and daubing
all log buildings.
In restoring and repairing earlv buildings it is often difficult
and at times impossible to find contractors who can or will do
these rather undesirable and profitless small jobs; having mem-bers
of the staff to fill the breach is a great help.
Visitation at the state historic sites continued to increase. For
Tilt- ifstured birthplact:
cated on May 20, 1968.
IS K. Polk, Pi
44 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
the 1964-1966 biennium a total of 467,000 visitors was recorded;
for 1966-1968, a total of 746,000, an increase of 62 percent.^
Budget
The operating budget increased to approximately $300,000
annually. In addition, the 1967 General Assembly appropriated
$317,000 for capital improvements in the state program, including
$90,000 for a visitor center-museum at Historic Bath and $75,000
for a protective shelter over the Confederate Gunboat "Neuse"
at Kinston. Funds were also appropriated to continue restoration
of the historic buildings at Halifax and Somerset Place.
The same General Assembly appropriated $102,400 as grants
to non-state projects with which the department is cooperating,
including $20,000 for Historic Hope, $43,000 for Historic Edenton,
and nearly $15,000 for the Fort Defiance restoration. In addition,
$75,000 was made available by the Richardson Foundation for
challenge grants to local restoration projects and to the depart-ment
for staff and program improvement.^
Research, Planning, and Development
1. Research is the basis for planning and development, in-cluding
the inteipretive and educational program. Historical,
archaeological, and architectural research are the major types
involved in the work of the division.
Several major historical research projects were begun or
completed during the biennium: the "Daniel Boone Homeplace"
in Davidson County, Historic Halifax, the Brunswick Town
museum. Fort Dobbs, the James K. Polk Birthplace inteipretive
program, and Davidson's Fort. A larger number of small projects
was also done, including research and administrative service on
forty-six new highway historical markers authorized during the
biennium.
The major archaeological projects included "Russellborough"
and several other sites at Brunswick Town and completion of
the archaeology at Bethabara. In the summer of 1967 the
archaeologist was granted a four-month leave of absence to
cany out a major project at the Paca House in Annapolis. Less
extensive work was done at the Nimocks House in Fayetteville,
' For visitation statistics, see Appendix XXV, p. 179.
2 For budgetaiy statistics, see Appendixes XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII,
pp. 180, 181.
State Department of Archives and History 45
the Swain-Lane House near Asheville, and the Constitution
House site in Hahfax. The archaeological staff completed labora-tory
processing of the Bethabara and Brunswick Town artifact
collections and completed a number of technical reports. The
staff archaeologist, Mr. Stanley South, prepared a number of
papers for professional conferences and for publication.
Summer archaeological projects were conducted as customaiy
at Town' Creek Indian Mound, under direction of the Research
Laboratories of Anthropology of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. In the spring of 1968 the Research Laboratories
staff also conducted a short survey-research project on Indian
sites at Historic Bath.
Architectural research comes into the division's work in two
ways, both of which will be covered in more detail later: in the
historic sites and buildings survey and in developing restoration
plans for historic buildings to be restored. Significant architectural
research occurred in both connections during the biennium.
2. Plamiing occurs at several levels in the program: overall
program planning, individual project or program planning
(whether one of the state historic sites, such as Somerset Place,
or a local cooperating program or project, such as the Historic
Edenton program or the Fort Defiance project).
During the biennium the division staff devoted a great deal
of time and effort into overall program planning, resulting in
what might be called a preliminary State Historic Sites Program
Plan. Over a period of several months in 1967 the divisional
staff and the director, forming the Historic Sites Planning Task
Force, held a series of working conferences for this purpose.
A 1966-1968 moratorium on new projects was established to
provide the necessary breathing space for objective stocktaking
and planning. The work of the task force was calculated to meet
this opportunity.
The net result of this planning was a list of eight historic sites
determined to be worthy of preservation by the state or with
state support and a longer list of potential sites which need
additional study before a determination can be made.
Responding to the long-realized need for a historic sites and
buildings survey of North Carolina, but more immediately to
the federal stimulus in the passage of P.L. 89-665 (the National
Preservation Act), the department initiated a survey program in
46 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
the spring of 1967. A grant from the Richardson Foundation,
later augmented by a second grant, made this beginning possible.
Initially the survey will respond to local calls for survey and
planning assistance. Thus the program began with a survey of the
town of Murfreesboro, upon request of the Murfreesboro Historical
Society which desired to plan a local preservation program; and
later the program has moved on to surveys of Lincoln County,
the town of Tarboro, and Lenoir County in answer to similar
needs. Cumulatively, this county- or community-hopping will
contribute to an ultimate complete survey of the state. It is
thought, however, that after pressing local requests for help
have been met (if ever) the survey might proceed more academi-cally
and more from central scheduling than from local demand.
Since the survey now undertakes to meet local programming
needs, planning was added to the survey function. Instead of
delivering to a local group merely an academic survey report,
a package consisting of the survey plus program recommenda-tions
is being produced. Perhaps later the community planning
service will also yield to the straight academic survey approach
—
but such is not yet foreseen.
In addition to the complete county or community surveys
made, the staff conducted cursory surveys of several proposed
reservoir areas and a more complete survey of the New Hope
reservoir project in Chatham and Orange counties. It gave advice
concerning historical resources in the five-county North Pied-mont
centering in Greensboro.
3. Development in the historic sites progi-am embraces a
variety of improvements, but the restoration and preservation
of historic structures and construction of public facilities will be
discussed.
At state historic sites the biennium brought several major res-toration
developments. In the spring of 1967 the John Allen House,
an early Regulator dwelling relocated at Alamance Battleground,
was completed. It was dedicated and opened to the public on
May 28, 1967, with Lieutenant Governor Robert W. Scott the
featured speaker. A year later the James K. Polk Birthplace
restoration was completed and was dedicated on May 20, 1968,
by Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. This event was the highlight of a
day-long program commemorating the bicentennial of the city of
Charlotte.
State Department of Archives and History 47
At Historic Bath a small cottage of the post-Civil War period,
circa 1880, was restored by the staff, to be exhibited as a typical
dwelling for fishermen or other ordinary folk of the period. With
funds appropriated in 1965, and supplemented in 1967, plans
were drawn and contracts let for heating, air conditioning, and
plumbing at Somerset Place, the large antebellum mansion at
Pettigrew State Park now administered as a state historic site.
A visitor center-museum was completed at Brunswick Town
and dedicated by Mrs. Dan K. Moore on April 23, 1967. Costing
nearly $100,000, this was the most important historic site public
facilities project of the biennium. Construction of a similar
facility was nearly completed at the President James K. Polk
Birthplace and will be completed for dedication on December 6,
1968.
At Historic Halifax considerable basic planning was done,
including completion of a land use survey and development plan
by the Community Planning Division of the Department of Con-servation
and Development, on which the staff collaborated. In
addition, the School of Design of North Carolina State Univer-sity
conducted a student planning project for beautification and
protection of the historical values of the community.
Steps were taken toward the acquisition of some thirty acres of
land in the Historic Halifax area. The property was all appraised
Shown above is the architect's drawing ot the \isitor center-museum at
Brunswick Town.
48 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
and lot surveys were in process when the biennium closed. Ac-quisition
of this property will complete the historic site holdings
of about sixty-five acres. An eight-year development plan, out-lined
and publicized, calls for completion of the project by the
bicentennial of the Halifax Resolves in 1976.
Six independent restoration projects receiving state grants
through the department made progress as follows:
Historic Edenton, consisting of five landmark buildings under
a centralized program, opened a visitor center in the historic
Barker House and aided in further restoration of the Iredell
House and the Cupola House.
Hope Plantation, Bertie County, was more than 50 percent
restored from state and private funds made available during the
biennium.
Historic Murfreeshoro acquired the late-eighteenth-century
Rea Store, a unique brick structure, and raised funds to begin
restoration. The building will house a local history museum. In
addition, the Murfreesboro program was boosted by the establish-ment
of a historic district on Broad Street, with regulatory powers
to protect the many historic structures in the area.
Blandwood (the Governor John M. Morehead mansion),
Greensboro, was acquired by the Greensboro Preservation
Society at a cost of more than $200,000. An additional $200,000
was being raised to restore the buildings and grounds.
Fort Defiance, Caldwell County, after an interruption of a
season, was again in process of restoration. Approximately 30
percent of the total project was completed.
The Richmond Temperance and Literary Society Commission,
Inc., with a state grant of several years ago, has relocated on the
Temperance Society Hall grounds near Wagram the small farm-house
in which poet John Charles McNeill was born. In its new
location the birthplace was restored as a shrine to the poet.
In addition to the above state and independent local projects,
more than thirty local projects over the state received advisoiy
assistance from the staff. Such help ranged from fairly extensive
work with Historic Hillsborough and the Hezekiah Alexander
House at Charlotte to more modest participation in the Harmony
Hall project, Bladen County, and the Franklin Academy restora-tion
in Louisburg.
State Department of Archives and History 49
A part of development is the task of collecting furnishings fox-restored
buildings and appropriate objects for exhibit in the
interpretive museums. Two major historic house collections were
assembled and installed during the biennium—for the Allen
House and the Polk Birthplace. Research was completed for a
similar project at Somerset Place and acquisition of furniture
was begun. The curator assisted several local restoration pro-jects
with furnishings, including the Iredell House at Edenton
and the Haley House in High Point.
Interpretation and Education
Interpretation is the process, with the various means employed,
of telling to visitors the stoiy of a historic site. Interpretation
activates what would otherwise be the passive exhibition of
historic buildings and sites. Active staff guidance, sign-directed
tours, museum exhibits, audiovisual programs, and publications
are the standard means of site interpretation.
The most extensive interpretive program completed during the
biennium comprised the museum and related audiovisual features
in the new visitor center-museum at Brunswick Town. This major
project was developed jointly by the staffs of the Divisions of
Historic Sites and Museums and was completed in time for
formal dedication in April, 1967. In addition, plans were com-pleted
and production was commenced for an interpretive movie
and a set of museum exhibits for the new visitor center-museum
to be dedicated at the Polk Birthplace later this year.
Two less extensive interpretive projects were also developed.
Museum exhibits for the visitor center-museum opened in June,
1968, at Historic Edenton and revision and improvement of the
museum at Alamance Battleground were undertaken.
Related to site interpretation is the problem of the orientation
of visitors. During the biennium special emphasis was placed on
the production of audiovisual orientation programs at the various
historic sites. This was an outgrowth of elementary beginnings
in audiovisual work dating from the 1965-1967 biennium. Such
programs were produced or reworked for Bentonville Battle-ground,
Brunswick Town, and Fort Fisher; and plans and script
for a program at Town Creek Indian Mound were completed.
The audiovisual work of the division, embracing a range of
50 Thirty-Second Biennial Report
projects in addition to the orientation programs, became a
distinct function, with speciahzed staffing. A Richardson grant
in late 1967 enabled the division to establish the new position of
education specialist, filled in February, 1968, by the transfer of
Mr. Larry G. Misenheimer from the Division of Museuins. The
education specialist began his work with a survey study to deter-mine
the scope and direction of the present audiovisual program.
From this survey a long-range program plan was outlined, calling
first for a number of pilot projects from which future develop-ment
might be plotted.
Educational activities, though a distinctive function, include
the interpretive and orientation work described above; they also
extend into other forms: leaflets and brochures, articles in news-papers
and magazines, special programs and events, special
exhibits, lectures, and tours.
During the biennium nearly 300,000 historic site leaflets were
kept in supply. Several members of the staff contributed more or
less prolifically to newspapers, magazines, and trade publica-tions
such as the State Ports magazine, the Carolina Power and
Light Company's Finer Carolina News, and the like.
The division also sought to bring the historic sites program
before the educators of the state through North Carolina Educa-tion,
the journal of the North Carolina Education Association; by
attending and exhibiting in 1967 at the district meetings of that
association; and through many lectures and programs in the
public schools. Mr. Robert O. Conway of the staff, for example,
presented programs in seventy-one schools, and at a great number
of civic clubs and historical societies in western North Carolina.
Other staff members served likewise in the remainder of the
state.
Western North Carolina Region
Activities in the western region were conducted in great part
through Mr. Conway, the staff member stationed in the Ashe-ville
area. In the west three local projects receiving state aid were
the Fort Defiance restoration near Lenoir, the Davidson's Fort
project at Old Fort, and Fort Butler at Murphy. The Carson
House near Marion received an additional Richardson Founda-tion
grant through the department.
State Department of Archives and History 51
Several new projects also were begun: The Swain-Lane house
near Asheville was undergoing private restoration; the Flat
Rock Restoration Society was formed; restoration of the remark-able
old 1860-period Wilkes County jail at Wilkesboro was the
object of current fund-raising; and the old McDowell house at
Pleasant Garden, McDowell County, was refurbished privately
and was used as a restaurant.
The staff conducted a preliminary survey of Burke County and
recommended a preservation program to the county historical
society.
Miscellaneous
The North Carolina Society for the Preservation of Antiquities
was reorganized and a part-time executive secretaiy was em-ployed
on a regular basis. The secretary had an office in the
Division of Historic Sites, symbolizing a closer relationship be-tween
the society and the department.
At the annual meetings of the society the staff again
coordinated the preservation reports session, presenting projects
over the state.
Staff members continued to be active in various professional
organizations and to make special contributions in other ways.
Mr. W. S. Tarlton was reelected to the council of the American
Association for State and Local Histoiy and continued as that
organization's awards committeeman for the South Atlantic
states. Mr. Tadton and Mr. Arthur
J.
P. Edwards were appointed
to membership on the Historic Murfreesboro Commission, and
Mr. Tarlton served on the Raleigh Historic Sites Commission.
Mr. Stanley A. South served as archaeological editor of History
News, magazine of the American Association for State and Local
History, and as a founder, vice-president, and member of the
board of the new Society for Historical Archaeology.
Mr. Robert O. Conway served as a member of the board of
the new Museum of the Southern Highlands, Asheville, and was
elected a vice-president of the North Carolina Literaiy and
Historical Association. Mr. John F. Bivins wrote a book. Long-rifles
of North Carolina, scheduled for release in November.
Mrs. Elizabeth W. Wilborn contributed articles to North Caro-lina
Education and other periodicals.
52 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
The staff cooperated with the Institute of Government, Chapel
Hill, in conducting an intensive one-week short course. Planning
for Historic Preservation, in March, 1968. Students from over the
entire country were in attendance. Three staff members attended,
one as a student and two as faculty and observers.
Reports on Historic Sites
Alamance Battleground
Dedication of the Allen House in May, 1967, completed a
major new phase of development. A smaller project in process
at the close of the biennium, with a local committee raising the
necessary funds, called for reproducing and exhibiting the two
types of cannon used in the 1771 battle. One gun was acquired;
three others were needed.
Major needs included the acquisition of additional land to
protect the project and funds for enlarging the visitor center-museum
and completely reworking the museum exliibits, which
have been in use since 1960.
Aycock Birthplace
The project operated more or less routinely. Major future
needs are for heat in the historic buildings and construction of an
assembly room to the visitor center-museum to replace the old
schoolhouse now used for this purpose.
Historic Bath
Funds were appropriated in 1967 for a visitor center-museum
to replace the present temporaiy one. Plans for the new facility
were nearly complete and bids will be taken early in 1969.
A small cottage of the post-Civil War period was restored for
exhibit beginning next year. Garden walks and fences were
completed at the Palmer-Marsh House.
Bennett Place
Lack of adequate public facilities and funds for full-time
operation kept this project on a part-time operational basis.
The compelling need at Bennett Place is to upgrade it to full
level with the other state historic sites.
State Department of Archives and History 53
Bentonville Battleground
This site operated routinely. Major needs included heat in the
Harper House, restoration of the old kitchen and slave cabin,
and extensive development of battlefield sites.
Brunswick Town-Fort Anderson
The major new development was the completion and dedica-tion
in April, 1967, of the visitor center-museum. Other improve-ments,
supported by private organizations and individuals,
included landscaping around the new facility and around the
St. Philips Church site. Major archaeology was carried out on
three Colonial sites on the river front. A cyclone fence was
erected around the entire site for protection.
Funds were needed for stabilizing the mounds and paths of
Fort Anderson, now being damaged from visitor traffic.
Caswell Memorial- C.S.S. "Neuse"
Construction plans for a combined structure to shelter the
gunboat hull and serve as a visitor center-museum were almost
completed by the close of the biennium. Bids will be called for
in the fall. Additional wooded areas on the river front were
cleared in preparation for the gunboat development.
The major remaining needs are for establishing the interpretive
museum and producing an audiovisual orientation program.
Fort Fisher
The Corps of Army Engineers finished a report calling for an
extensive beach erosion project, to be carried out over a period of
years at a cost of $1.6 million, and for recreational development
in the area to complement the historical project. The state is
working toward acquisition of the remaining land in private
ownership south of "Battle Acre" for historical and recreational
development.
Major needs for the future include more staff for maintenance
and operation, a paved parking lot, and the reconstruction of a
section of the fort destroyed several years ago by the construction
of an air strip.
54 Thirty -Second Biennial Report
Historic Halifax
Halifax was staffed for full-time operation as a state historic
site in March, 1967. All properties were placed under mainte-nance
and additional restoration of historic structures was in
process. Surveys and appraisals were in process for acquiring
additional land to complete the historic site holdings.
Polk Birthplace
This site began full-time operation in May, 1968, with the
Governor and Mrs. Dan K. Moore were with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson
(center) on May 20, 1968, when Mrs. Johnson dedicated the James K. Polk
Birthplace.
State Department of Archives and History 55
dedication of the restored buildings. The visitor center-museum
building was completed during the biennium and the exhibits
will be installed in November, 1968.
Town Creek Indian Mound
A change of staff organization occurred at Town Creek, bring-ing
this project in line with standard operational policy. Summer
archaeological projects were conducted each year of the bien-nium
by the University of North Carolina.
Vance Birthplace
The small admission charges heretofore collected were re-moved,
with the result that visitation has increased approxi-mately
30 percent. The only pressing operational need was for
additional staff.
Somerset Place
Though taken over by the Department of Archives and History
nearly two years ago, this project was not fully staffed. The inter-val
was used for planning restoration and other improvements
soon to be carried out. Bids were accepted for the installation
of plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and for painting the
main building.
DIVISION OF MUSEUMS
Mrs. Joye E. Jordan, Administrator
The most significant accomplishment of the Division of Mu-seums
was a detailed study of modern museum programs and
techniques. This study was undertaken in view of the fact that the
North Carolina Museum of History would be moving into
specially designed quarters and because emphasis is placed today
on professional museum standards.
It is necessary for the history museum to extend its activities
to meet the demands of the public. The new building with all
its modern facilities will not automatically make a good museum.
Both skill and effort will be needed to create a role in which the
museum can play its defined part as a stimulating educational
institution. In the field of preservation, for example, an object
alone is of little value; equally important is knowledge of the
object which must be disseminated by means of publication and
interpretive exhibits.
Many times in years past some one phase of the program was
neglected while the entire staff implemented a new project. Now
for the first time in the history of this museum, the staff (which is
still insufficient in numbers for the established program) has
been reorganized into three sections—Collections, Education,
and Exhibits—with specific responsibility for a given segment of
the total program assigned to each. Although each staff member
is still requested to "volunteer" in case of need in any section,
the curator of each section is able to project plans with some
hope of seeing them carried through to fruition.
Both the administrator and the assistant administrator were
involved in extensive preparation for the actual move. Of major
concern were such basic problems as planning use of space,
budgeting, ordering new equipment, cleaning and packing
collections, scheduling the move, and rearranging for essential
warehouse space. The new building has no provision for large
items such as furniture and transportation vehicles not on dis-play.
Requests for participation in related programs throughout the
state and nation increased, both at the administrative level and
in all three sections. The staff served as consultants to other
State Department of Archives and History 57
museums, as panel members and speakers at professional semi-nars
and conferences, and as authors of research papers.
Research in museum procedure, staff reorganization, consulta-tion
with the architect, and numerous services for allied museums
and organizations were the result of full cooperation and pro-duction
of the museum staff. Detailed reports of the sections
oresent an overall view of the work accomplished.
Collections
Of primary concern to Collections was the pending move into
the new Archives and History-State Library Building. Every
endeavor was made to make the move of the collection