Manuscript and Archival Collections

Mahlon Adams served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Committee in the 1990s and played a large role in the redesign of Freedom Park where there is a pavilion there is named in her honor. The bulk of the collection is are related to the foundation of the Freedom Park Neighborhood Association.

Public papers of a Charlotte politician and civil rights leader. Primarily material created and received by Alexander as the first African-American member of the Charlotte City Council in the 20th Century (1965-74) and as a North Carolina state senator (1975-80). Includes minutes and other papers related to council and senate activities; material on campaigns and voter registration drives; files on the local, state, and national Democratic Party; correspondence; speeches; clippings; photographs; and some personal and business material.

The collection consists of papers generated primarily by Kelly M. Alexander, junior, as a result of his work with the NAACP at the local, state levels and national levels. Other papers in this collection were generated by Mrs. Margaret Alexander (widow of Kelly M. Alexander, senior), and Alfred Alexander (Kelly junior's brother) in his capacity as president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chapter of the NAACP.

2 Docket books containing summons, judgments, and warrants with various loose legal documents comprise this assortment of papers left by a justice of the peace in the Paw Creek community of Mecklenburg County, NC. around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries

Papers documenting Martha Alexander's work in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1992-2012. Includes material on mental health parity, health care reform, the tobacco settlement, NC DNA Registry, CMS Pay for Performance, SIDS and gun control. Also includes items from Alexander's campaigns for public office in the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives.

Material related to her research on the textile workers strike in Gastonia in 1929. Includes a copy of her paper, "The Gastonia Strike of 1929: Social and Judicial Injustice."

The collection concerns primarily Dr. Frank Barnes’ leadership of a conservative “watch-dog” group known as Citizens for Effective Government, in Charlotte, North Carolina, from the late 1980s to 1995. The CFEG lobbied for minimization of local government bureaucracy and taxes.

Photocopies of scrapbooks kept by Baxter, Charlotte mayor (1943-49) and city council member (1935-41, 1951-59). Includes correspondence, clippings, speeches, and other material relating primarily to his political and civic activities.

Papers of a lawyer and conservative political activist, including records of his law practice in Charlotte, North Carolina and his service as an attorney at the U.S. Dept. of Education and the U.S. Dept. of Justice during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Includes correspondence documenting his involvement with various conservative political and religious groups, including the North Carolina Conservative Union, the North Carolina Fund for Individual Rights, the Southern Employees Education Fund, Young Republicans, and anti-abortion groups Birthchoice and Pro-life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians.

Primarily routine correspondence of a state senator from Mecklenburg County and U.S. Circuit Court judge. Includes letters from presidents Kennedy and Johnson and from members of the federal judiciary.

The collection contains a small assortment of materials generated by the Campus Freethought Alliance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in 2001. This organization was primarily concerned with atheism and agnosticism.

Records of a land trust established in 1991 to preserve natural areas and open spaces in the Catawba River Basin and the southern Piedmont region of North Carolina. Includes correspondence, board minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and newsletters of the Land Trust for Central North Carolina.

Julius Chambers was an African-American civil rights attorney. The collection consists of files related to his firm's representation of Darius and Vera Swann and other plaintiffs in the landmark case, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts were constitutionally authorized to exercise broad powers to oversee and produce solutions to achieve school integration.

The Chief of Protocol enables the City to have smooth interactions with foreign visitors, dignitaries, and the consular corps. The collection primarily consists of reports generated by the Charlotte Office of Protocol.

Primarily financial records concerning appropriations and expenditures of the city government, 1890s-1920s. Includes material relating to the overall budget and to schools, taxes, business licenses, payrolls, and Elmwood and Pinewood cemeteries.

Official records of a commission appointed to recommend a consolidated government for Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte, and the then five towns. Includes outlines and drafts of the charter and supporting documentation, minutes, maps, correspondence, presentations by and reports on the towns of Davidson and Huntersville, and information on consolidation in other cities.

Records of a committee established in 1961 by the mayor of Charlotte to help ease racial tensions and to assist in the gradual desegregation of public facilities. Includes correspondence, minutes, and clippings relating to the committee and its predecessor, the Friendly Relations Committee.

Records of a local anti-apartheid organization formed in 1985 by residents of Charlotte (N.C.), who were "concerned about the ongoing crisis in South Africa and neighboring countries."

Primarily minute books (1885-1960) of the Board, with account books for the period 1928-31.

The Charlotte Corporate Communications collection consists of photographs and negatives (and a few papers), generated by the City of Charlotte, NC.

This collection is consists of photographs and pamphlets from Charlotte's Redevelopment Commission (later called the Urban Redevelopment Department, which became Community Development, and lastly, Neighborhood Development.)

The collection two real estate plat surveys for property in Henry County, Georgia (dated 1821) and a Confederate war bond (dated 1863).

Papers of a Charlotte mayor (1935-41), businessman, and promoter of aviation. Consists primarily of material relating to Douglas's service (1961-79) on the Airport Advisory Committee for Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

Diary of an itinerant construction laborer, truck driver, and small-machinery repairman living in Wichita Falls, Texas, and Frederick, Oklahoma.

Consists of notes Foley recorded from original government sources in the Liberian National Archives while he was researching the history of the Liberian government from the 1850s to the 1920s.

Papers of a Charlotte educator and politician, documenting her service as city council member for district 4 (1977-1985). Includes correspondence, reports, and financial data relating to such issues as the controversy over a site for the new coliseum, planning, and neighborhood preservation, especially in regard to zoning problems due to church expansion.

Material relating to the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, including a letter (1916) from Fries, an archivist and editor, to Stephen B. Weeks, North Carolina collector and historian, concerning Traugott Bagge's report that "the County of Mecklenburg declared itself free and independent of England" in 1775.

Papers of Hoyt Galvin, as chair of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Education Committee (1954-56), whose work helped to gain support and funding for Charlotte and Carver colleges.

Papers of a co-founder of the Communist Labor Party and the Communist Party, USA (Majority Group), who later became an avid anti-Communist. Consists predominately of printed material dating from 1949-65, but also includes correspondence, speeches, writings, research notes, and financial records from all periods of his life.

Recordings of radio broadcasts and advertisements made during Graham's 1950 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from North Carolina. Includes an interview and statements on his platform, political philosophy, and agricultural program.

Papers relating to the attempt to integrate city owned Bonnie Brae Golf Course (1951) and to Richardson Preyer's unsuccessful North Carolina gubernatorial campaign (1964).

Harvey, Carlton L. , registered Libertarian, was an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Charlotte in 1999 and 2003.

Papers of a Charlotte dentist, minister, and civil rights activist, who was the first African-American to run for governor of North Carolina. Consists chiefly of clippings and correspondence documenting his involvement in the desegregation of schools, public accommodations, hospitals, the North Carolina Dental Society, and the Shrine Bowl. Also includes information on voter registration projects, gubernatorial campaign files (1968 and 1972), material concerning Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Papers of a Charlotte attorney relating to his defense of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education in the landmark case, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Consists primarily of legal documentation of proceedings and briefs prepared by defendants and plaintiffs for presentation to the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Assorted papers related to David L. Howard's service primarily in local government in N.C. Included in the materials are clippings, brochures and booklets, materials collected at conferences and seminars or government meetings, also some digital material.

Material relating to the treaty terminating U.S. ownership of the Panama Canal. Contains letters, speeches, and position statements of U.S. Senators. Also contains copies of the 1903 and 1977 treaties, U.S. government publications, pamphlets and articles by private interest groups, and Panamanian publications.

The George Terry Lathrop papers concerns his career in city planning, land use, and especially traffic planning.

Material documenting Latimer's membership on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Energy Conservation Task Force created in 1973. Includes correspondence, minutes, news releases, reports, and speeches.

Includes correspondence with Ralph Ellison and others, notes, articles, and information on Ellison's South Carolina ancestors. Also includes material from Lillard's 1989 Charlotte city council campaign and political campaign materials from the Charlotte area.

Jim Long II was born in Gastonia, NC and lived in Los Angeles, CA until 2000. He was the first openly Gay city councilman from Bessemer City, NC. The collection documents Long's personal life and political career, as well as his involvement in the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles.

Pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, and other printed items published by various radical groups based largely in the Midwest, especially Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Material addresses such issues as the Vietnam War; United States political involvement in Latin America and other regions; civil rights, racism, and black power; socialism and communism and their relevance to the United States; economics and labor; and women's liberation.

Papers of a UNC Charlotte professor and director of the Urban Institute, documenting his membership on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission. Consists primarily of rezoning petitions and related papers but also includes minutes and agendas, subject files, and correspondence.

Papers of the founder of the Excelsior Club, the most influential social club for African Americans in Charlotte, NC, from its establishment in 1944 to its sale forty years later. Includes photographs, advertising material, programs, and booklets relating to “Genial Gene” Potts, a radio personality and disc jockey for WGIV.

Papers relating to his services as a member of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (1972-74) and as the principal organizer and president of the Spirit Square Development Group (1975-82). Includes correspondence, campaign material, reports, and newspaper clippings.

Frank McNinch was the mayor of Charlotte, NC from 1912 to 1917, and later was appointed to serve on the Federal Communications Commission in 1930, becoming its Chairman in 1933. The collection contains mostly the papers he generated while working for these two federal commissions.

Papers of a UNC Charlotte political science professor primarily documenting his membership on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, 1984-1991. Includes rezoning petitions, plans for proposed developments, correspondence, reports, small area and district plans, and maps.

Records (3 oversize documents, 1 framed), pertaining to property in Mecklenburg and Lincoln counties.

The Mecklenburg County Health Department works to promote and protect the public's health. The collection includes annual reports, minutes, and photographs of department staff and clientele.

The collection consists of materials associated with the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

Cameron Morrison was governor of North Carolina from 1921 to 1925. The collection primarily consists of correspondence and speeches.

Material relating primarily to a celebration (1978) at Myers Park Baptist Church honoring Tillett, a women's rights activist.

Sue Wilkins Myrick is the former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 9th congressional district, serving from 1995 to 2013. She was the first Republican woman to represent North Carolina in Congress. This collection is comprised of items documenting Myrick’s service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 9th district. The papers highlight the congresswoman’s work on health care issues, most notably her work as the co-chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus; as well as her work as the founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus.

Records of the Charlotte and Metrolina chapters of the National Organization for Women, and date from 1972 to 2009. The collection contains files that were produced as a result of the chapters' organizational functions, and also concern issues of interest to the chapter; key among them was the Equal Rights Amendment, and abortion rights.

Microfilm copies of county records preserved in the North Carolina State Archives. Includes court, estate, land, and tax records from Alamance, Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, New Hanover, Orange, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Rowan, and Wake counties, dating primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Selected records of an anti-poverty demonstration project. Includes grant proposals, annual reports, studies of housing and community development problems, and speeches and articles by George Esser, the executive director.

Material documenting Project Catalyst, a collaborative effort of the Citizens Forum and Johnson C. Smith University to revitalize the Biddleville/Five Points area surrounding the University in northwest Charlotte. Includes correspondence and memoranda, grant proposals, minutes and progress reports, and newspaper clippings.

"Thank you" letter (11-9-1935) written by Ignace Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and statesman, to his associate, Herman Schaad [addressed to "Baby"]. Also includes photograph of Paderewski.

Speeches and a few offprints of articles by a judge of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and alternate judge at the Nuremberg Trial.

Newspapers, magazines and other ephemera relating to presidents of the United States.

Forty-four papers of a Gaston County resident, including broadsides (ca. 1917) published by the Equal Suffrage Association of North Carolina and the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company, Inc. and correspondence and printed material (1931-33) concerning activities of the League of Women Voters, including its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment.

Papers of a Charlotte lawyer and politician, primarily documenting his membership on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (1978-84). Includes campaign files and material reflecting his special interests in human services, mental health, and roads. Also includes material from his earlier service on the Charlotte Housing Authority (1971-76).

Papers of a mayor of Charlotte (1927-29) and judge of the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court (1935-49). Includes speeches, arguments of Redd as a defense attorney in murder cases, correspondence, clippings, photographs, and material on the United Confederate Veterans Reunion in Charlotte (1929). Also includes papers of Redd's wife, Bessie Flowe Redd, and her father, J. Lee Flowe, a grocer. Her papers include material about the DAR Liberty Hall chapter of Charlotte and an autographed photograph of evangelist Billy Sunday.

Materials related to the "Green Pastures Rally" organized by Robbins and held in Charlotte in 1936 to mark the beginning of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's re-election bid in the South.

Papers of a member and grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina, primarily from the 1960s to the 1980s. This collection consists primarily of publications of various Klan organizations, but also includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, periodicals, film footage, and personal information.

Posters from the 1980s advocating for peace during the Cold War. Seventeen of the posters were made in the Soviet Union and three were created by US peace advocates.

Photocopies of correspondence, memoirs, genealogical material, and clippings relating to the descendants of Thomas Spratt, one of the first white settlers in Mecklenburg County.

Primarily photocopied material relating to Thigpen's work as Mecklenburg County manager for Willis Smith in the 1950 U.S. Senate campaign. Includes a scrapbook of clippings.

Papers of a Charlotte city council member, including correspondence and reports. Also includes material relating to her service on the board of directors of the National League of Cities and as a member of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Committee of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Papers, photographs, newspaper clippings, radio broadcast transcripts and sound recordings of Dr. Joseph Samuel Nathaniel Tross, a minister in the AME Zion Church, editor of the Charlotte Post, and civil rights leader in Charlotte, NC from the 1930s until his death in 1971.

Meteorological records maintained since the beginning of formal, U.S.-sponsored weather observations in Charlotte. Includes correspondence (1878-86); daily journals (1878-1904), which describe in detail the effects of the 1886 earthquake; and the Monthly Meteorological Record (1878-).

Lithograph of an architectural rendering of the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office on West Trade Street. This building was demolished in 1932 in order to build a larger structure.

Papers of a Charlotte civic leader, particularly documenting the founding and operation of Festival in the Park (1963-1996).

Primarily booklets, flyers, and pamphlets produced by conservative, anti-communist organizations collected by Helen Avery Williams.

Declassified documents copied from Federal Bureau of Investigation records regarding Robert Franklin Williams, a civil rights leader and black revolutionary from Monroe, North Carolina. All records in the collection were acquired through the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act (United States Code, Section 552).

Papers of a Charlotte attorney relating to her successful representation of the plantiff in Gingles v. Edmisten, in which the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state of North Carolina illegally weakened the voting power of African-Americans in state house elections in Mecklenburg and five other legislative districts. Includes pleadings, briefs, transcripts of court proceedings, depositions and affidavits of witnesses, exhibits, research material and notes, maps, correspondence, statistics, and files on related cases.

Contains a wide assortment of papers, reports and records accumulated by Louise Woods, while serving as the representative from the fourth district on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 1995-2005.

VHS tapes of television interviews with Mecklenburg County Commission chairpersons produced by Charlotte, NC, area public tv station, WTVI42 in the 1990s. The series of interviews aired titled, "Mr. and Madam Chairman." Interviews are accompanied by biographical material and a rough transcript.