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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 237 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 165,000 items) |
| Abstract | The collection of white author, historian, and professor of history emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, William S. Powell, includes correspondence, research materials, speeches, writings, and other papers relating to William Stevens Powell's professional activities and to North Carolina history. Included are materials relating to the History Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; to historical organizations, such as the Historical Society of North Carolina, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Organization, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, and local historical societies; and to Powell's research and writing about the history of North Carolina, especially colonial North Carolina. |
| Creator | Powell, William Stevens, 1919- |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: SHC Staff, 1980-2003
Encoded by: Linda Sellars and Roslyn Holdzkom, 2003
Updated in November 2006 by Dawne E. Howard
Updated in January 2007 by Jackie Dean and Roslyn Holdzkom
Updated in January 2008 by Rachel Canada and Roslyn Holdzkom
Updated: May 2019, January 2021
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
William Stevens Powell, author, historian, and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was born in Johnston County, N.C., on 28 April 1919. He grew up in Statesville, N.C. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1940, served four years in the Army during World War II, then returned to the University and received an M.A. in history and a B.S. in library science.
In 1947, Powell went to work in the rare book room in the library at Yale University, but quickly returned to North Carolina to work in the highway marker program in Raleigh. In 1951, he began working in the North Carolina Collection in the Library of the University of North Carolina. He became curator of the North Carolina Collection in 1958 and began teaching North Carolina history at the University in 1964. In 1973, he was made full professor of history.
Among Powell's publications include The North Carolina Gazetteer, UNC Press (1968, with five softcover editions to 1988); The First State University, A Pictorial History of the University of North Carolina, UNC Press (1972, 1979, 1992); North Carolina, A Bicentennial History, UNC Press (1988); Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, volumes I-VI, UNC Press, (1979-1996); North Carolina Through Four Centuries, UNC Press (1989, 1990); John Pory, 1572-1636, The Life and Letters of a Man of Many Parts, UNC Press (1977); Colonial North Carolina, A History, with Hugh Lefler, UNIPUB-Kraus International (1973); The Correspondence of William Tryon and Other Selected Papers, 2 v., North Carolina Division of Archives and History (1980); North Carolina, A Proud State in Our Nation, D. C. Heath and Company (1993); Encyclopedia of North Carolina, UNC Press (2006).
Powell received many honors for his teaching and his scholarship. Among them are the Guggenheim Fellowship; Cannon Cup; Crittenden Award; William R. Davie Award; North Caroliniana Society Award; Award of Merit, American Association for State and Local History; Mayflower Cup; honorary doctorate degrees from Campbell University and Davidson College; and the Distinguished Alumnus Award, School of Library and Information Science, UNC-Chapel Hill.
In 1952, Powell married Virginia Waldrop, who grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Meredith College in 1951. They had three children, John, Charles, and Ellen.
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Scope and Content
Papers include correspondence, research materials, speeches, writings, and other papers relating to William Stevens Powell's professional activities as a historian and to North Carolina history. Included are materials relating to the History Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; to historical organizations, such as the Historical Society of North Carolina, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Organization, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, and local historical societies; and to Powell's research and writing about the history of North Carolina, especially colonial North Carolina.
Materials are filed as they were received. Lists of contents were received with each addition of papers, and original titles have, for the most part, been retained.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. 1953-1982 (Addition of February 1983)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 83015.
Materials dated 1953-1982.
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Series 2. 1951-1972 (Addition of August 1979)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 79198.
Materials dated 1951-1972.
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Series 3. Pictorial history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Addition
of May 1980)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 80068.
Materials relating to the pictorial history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Box 21-22
Box 21Box 22 |
Pictorial history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
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Series 4. 1973-1984 (Addition of May 1986)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 86070.
Materials dated 1973-1984.
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Series 5. 1977-1989 (Addition of July 1989)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 89082.
Box 27 CLOSED.
Materials dated 1977-1989.
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Series 6. 1978-1987 (Addition of August 1989)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 89094.
Materials dated 1978-1987.
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Series 7. 1987-1991 (Addition of August 1991)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 91113.
Materials dated 1987-1991.
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Series 8. 1982-1999 (Additions of June 1998 and March 1999)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98153 and 98325.
Materials dated 1982-1999.
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Series 9. 1970s-1990s (Addition of June 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98659.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1970s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
| Box 39 |
University of North Carolina Press |
| Box 40 |
Gazette |
| Box 41 |
Virginia Gazette: North Carolina references |
| Box 42 |
North Carolina Historical Commission |
| Box 43 |
Governor Tryon |
| Box 44 |
Poetry book |
Box 45-46
Box 45Box 46 |
Dictionary of North Carolina Biography |
| Box 47 |
Bicentennial history |
Eighth-grade textbook |
|
| Box 48 |
Eighth-grade textbook |
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Series 10. 1970s-1990s (Addition of July 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98680.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1970s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 11. 1930s-1990s (Addition of July 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98681.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 12. 1930s-1990s (Addition of July 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98695.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 13. 1930s-1990s (Addition of August 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98713.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 14. 1950s-1990s (Addition of August 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98715.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1950s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
| Box 80 |
Trips to England, 1950-1956 |
Income tax files, 1957-1959 |
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Box 81-86
Box 81Box 82Box 83Box 84Box 85Box 86 |
Income tax files, 1977-1995 |
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Series 15. 1930s-1990s (Addition of August 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98723.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-1990s, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 16. 1930s-2000 (Addition of September 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98748.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-2000, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 17. 1930s-2000 (Addition of October 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98771.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1930s-2000, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 18. 1950s-2000 (Addition of December 2000)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98001.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1950s-2000, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 19. 1970s-2000 (Addition of February 2001)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 98843.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1970s-2000, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
| Box 109 |
Correspondence, 1970s-2000 |
Sons of Confederate Veterans |
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Roanoke Island Historical Association |
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Series 20. 1950s-2001 (Addition of October 2001)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99091.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1950s-2001, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 21. 1880s, 1990s-2002 (Addition of March 2002)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99200.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1880s, 1990s-2002, are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 22. North Carolina Fiction, 1734-1957: An Annotated Bibliography (Addition of September
2002)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99327.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials used in compiling and editing North Carolina Fiction, 1734-1957: An Annotated Bibliography.
| Box 118 |
North Carolina Fiction materials |
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Series 23. 1980s-2002 (Addition of January 2003)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99393.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials, 1980s-2002, are in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 24. 1930s-2003 (Addition of January 2004)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99690.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 25. 1990s-2004 (Addition of January 2005)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 99978.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 26. 1930s-2004 (Addition of November 2005)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100265.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 27. 1980s-2002 (Addition of November 2005)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100266.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 28. 2000-2005 (Addition of January 2006)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100298.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Box titles are taken from notes made by the donor; they are general in nature and reflect rough sorting of materials.
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Series 29. North Carolina Gazetteer (Addition of September 2006)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100499.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received.
Box 140-146
Box 140Box 141Box 142Box 143Box 144Box 145Box 146 |
Card Files for North Carolina Gazetteer |
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Series 30. 1950s-2006 (Addition of January 2007)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100581.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Original folder titles have, for the most part, been maintained.
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Series 31. 1940s-1970s (Addition of January 2008)
Acquisitions Information: Accession 100844.
Some materials may be in envelopes. Collection can be used with staff assistance.
Materials are in boxes and in order as received. Original folder titles have, for the most part, been maintained.
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Series 32. Additions after 2008
Acquisitions Information: Accessions 101061; 101199; 101227; 101536; 101733; 101734; 101760; 101801; 101802; 101803; 102220; 102233; 102252; 102593; and 102696.
The bulk of these additions are not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact Research and Instructional Service staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options for consulting this collection.
| Oversize Paper Folder OPF-04190/1 |
Diplomas and certificatesAcquisitions Information: Accession 102696 (Addition of November 2016). |
| Box 247 |
CorrespondenceAcquisitions Information: Accession 102696 (Addition of November 2016). Printed emails to and from Virginia Powell, chiefly about the Chapel Hill Public Library (CHPL) and Friends of the CHPL, books sales, and donations. Other correspondnce interspersed. |