While using manuscript collections, please help us preserve our materials by following a few rules:
1. Only use pencil when using Special Collections materials.
2. Use only one folder at a time.
3. Handle documents with care by turning pages in folders as if you were turning the pages of a book.
4. Keep the documents in the same order.
5. Do not place personal items such as paper/notes books on top of Special Collections materials when taking notes.
New South Voices provides access to more than 700 transcripts of interviews, narratives, and conversations documenting life in the Charlotte, North Carolina region in the twentieth century, including the experiences and language of recent immigrants to the area. The interviews were conducted by UNC Charlotte faculty, students and staff as well as several community organizations. Many transcripts are accompanied by audio recordings, and new recordings are continually being added to the site. These interviews are part of the Oral History Collections in the Department of Special Collections at J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte.
Manuscript Collections consist primarily of unpublished documents such as literary manuscripts, letters, diaries, cartoons, photographs, architectural drawings, and organizational, church and governmental records. Also included are some printed material, microforms, audio recordings, films and other items. Atkins Library's Manuscript Collections focus on materials related to the people and history of the greater Charlotte region, with particular attention to the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area.
More information about the materials held in Special Collections are available through the Library Catalog, the Special Collections website, and in the repository.
Lynee Allred paper concerning "The Gastonia Strike of 1929: Social and Judicial Justice"- Papers and oral histories completed by Lynne Allred in 1976 surrounding the Gastonia Strike.
Leaksville Woolen Mills Homestead Plant records-The Homestead Mill was the plant in West Charlotte owned by the Morehead Family. The plant opened in 1920 and had a mill village on Rozzelle's Ferry Road.
Erlanger Mills, Inc. records- Papers contain the analyses, business reports, and statistics documenting the textile mill in Lexington, NC until 1972.
General Textile Mill Strike papers- This small collection focuses on the various mill strikes that occurred across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic United States in 1934.
Kelly M. Alexander, Sr. papers and Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP, 1948-1998: Kelly Alexander, Sr. was a prominent member of the Charlotte community who lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood and worked as a funeral director for the community. His personal papers focus on the Alexander family and the Alexander Funeral Home. Alexander was a pillar of the community and became a prominent member of the NAACP eventually serving at a national level. Those papers focus on his time with the organization and include speeches, correspondence, and event programs.
Julius L. Chambers Papers, 1964-1979: Julius L. Chambers was the attorney who argued for Darius and Vera Swann in the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. This case served as the catalyst to integrate the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System.
Harvey Gantt papers: Gantt was the first black Mayor of Charlotte and ran for US Senate against Jesse Helms twice. These papers include his speeches and materials around his Senate races.
Frank O. Sherill Papers, 1963: Sherill founded the S&W Cafeteria chain, which was segregated in the early 1960s. During 1963, the Cafeterias were the focus of civil rights organizations as an opportunity to desegregate restaurants across the United States.
Charlotte Redevelopment Commission, 1958-1988: The Charlotte Redevelopment Commission was charged by the city to lead in planning and organizing the urban renewal programs of the city. This collection focuses predominantly on photographs of the Brooklyn neighborhood that was in Charlotte's Second Ward before it was demolished.
