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.
Size | 10.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 6,800 items) |
Abstract | Robert V. N. Brown (1933-2006) was born in Belle Harbor, N.Y., and grew up in the Bronx, N.Y. In 1958, Brown moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., to study southern history at the University of North Carolina. In 1961, Brown began publishing the literary magazine Reflections from Chapel Hill. In 1963-1964, at the height of the local civil rights movement, Brown published The Chapel Hill Conscience , a newsletter of the Committee for Open Business. His role in the Chapel Hill civil rights movement is chronicled in John Ehle's book The Free Men (1965). In 1966, Brown, along with writer Leon Rooke, began publishing the alternative newspaper The North Carolina Anvil, which ran until 1983, when Brown retired from publishing. Brown also operated a job printing studio called Buffalo Printing during the 1970s and 1980s to support his other activities. He died on 5 February 2006 in Hillsborough, N.C. The collection consists of subject files, letters to the editor, business and financial records, and other materials that document Robert V. N. Brown's work in newspaper publishing, especially as the publisher of the alternative weekly newspaper The North Carolina Anvil. Subject files include correspondence, notes, writings, clippings, and other materials primarily relating to the operations of The North Carolina Anvil as well as notes and correspondence relating to the literary magazine Reflections from Chapel Hill published by Brown, 1961-1964. Correspondents include Jonathan Williams and Gail Godwin. Letters to the editor consist of correspondence created and received by co-editors of The North Carolina Anvil, Brown and Joel Bulkley, 1967-1982. Among the correspondents are politicians, social activists, university professors, writers, fellow publishers, and many others. Correspondents include Mary Barnett Gilson, Bill Hicks, Joe Hackney, Daniel Okun, and Kemp Nye. Business and financial records consist of materials relating to the business operations of The North Carolina Anvil and Brown's other publications and projects. Also included are personal planners, pamphlets and other printed materials, copies of the items published by Brown, printing plates, digital scans of photographs of Brown with his publishing staff and other photographs, and other materials. |
Creator | Brown, Robert V. N. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Biff Hollingsworth, August 2007
Encoded by: Biff Hollingsworth, August 2007
Back to TopThe 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.
Robert Vincent Brown (1933-2006) was born in Belle Harbor, Long Island, N.Y., on 10 June 1933 to Alexander "Al" Brown and Katherine Heinz "Tottie" Brown and grew up in the Bronx, N.Y. Brown added the second middle name, Neruda, to honor one of his heroes, the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
In 1952, Brown joined the United States Air Force. He served in the Korean War as a gunner on more than 130 sorties and received several serious injuries when his plane was shot down. As a result, he was given several commendations for bravery in action. After serving in the Air Force, Brown studied history at Columbia University, then moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1958 to pursue graduate studies in southern history at the University of North Carolina.
In 1961, Brown began publishing the literary magazine Reflections from Chapel Hill . In 1963-1964, at the height of the local civil rights movement, Brown published The Chapel Hill Conscience, a newsletter for the Committee for Open Business, an organization dedicated to desegregation of Chapel Hill businesses. His role in the Chapel Hill civil rights movement is chronicled in the book The Free Men by John Ehle (1965). In 1966, Brown, along with writer Leon Rooke, began publishing the alternative newspaper The North Carolina Anvil . The newspaper ran until 1983, when Brown retired from publishing. Brown also operated a job printing studio called Buffalo Printing during the 1970s and 1980s to support the printing of the Anvil.
In 1970, Brown married Margaret W. Brown (nee Mason), a political and environmental activist in Orange County, N.C., who served as an Orange County commissioner, 1996-2004. Robert V. N. Brown died on 5 February 2006 in Hillsborough, N.C.
Back to TopThe Robert V. N. Brown collection consists of subject files, letters to the editor, business and financial records, and other materials that document Brown's work in newspaper publishing, especially as publisher of the alternative weekly newspaper The North Carolina Anvil.
Subject files appear in various formats including correspondence, notes, writings, clippings, and other materials. Most of the subject files relate to the operations of The North Carolina Anvil. Correspondence in this series chiefly relates to Brown's administrative tasks as editor and publisher. Subject files also contain notes and correspondence relating to the literary magazine Reflections from Chapel Hill that Brown published from 1961 to 1964. Correspondents include Jonathan Williams and Gail Godwin.
Letters to the editor consist of correspondence created and received by co-editors of The North Carolina Anvil, Brown and Joel Bulkley, 1967-1982. Among the correspondents are politicians, social activists, university professors, writers, fellow publishers, and many others. Correspondents include Mary Barnett Gilson, Bill Hicks, Joe Hackney, Daniel Okun, and Kemp Nye.
Business and financial records consist of materials relating to the business operations of The North Carolina Anvil and Brown's other publications and projects. Also included are records from Brown's other printing ventures Southern Associates Press and Buffalo Printing.
There is also a wide array of materials collected and created by Brown, including personal planners; pamphlets and other printed materials; copies Reflections from Chapel Hill , the literary journal published by Brown; multilith masking sheets; off-set printing plates; a t-shirt and matchbooks; digital scans of photographs of Brown with his publishing staff and other photographs; and other items.
Back to TopArrangement: alphabetical, then chronological.
Processing Note: Note that, in most cases, original file titles have been retained. Materials that arrived unfoldered have been gathered into two folders labeled "Various correspondence and other materials."
RESTRICTION: Boxes 18 and 19 are closed.
Materials that were organized by subject by Robert V. N. Brown. Items in this series appear in various formats including correspondence, notes, writings, clippings, and other materials. Most of the subject files relate to the operations of the newspaper The North Carolina Anvil , which Brown almost always refers to as The Anvil (or simply Anvil). Correspondence in this series chiefly relates to Brown's administrative tasks as editor and publisher of The Anvil such as negotiating with writers and soliciting advertisers. The series also contains notes and correspondence relating to the literary magazine Reflections from Chapel Hill that Brown published from 1961 to 1964. Correspondents include Jonathan Williams and Gail Godwin. Throughout the series, Brown paid varying degrees of attention to dates. Some files are clearly marked with the year created, whereas in others (such as "To do files by month," the year of creation is unclear. Also note, materials within the "My Files" folders are believed to be some of the few items that survived a fire that burned down the Browns' Chapel Hill home in the early 1960s.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence created and received by co-editors of The Anvil , Robert Brown and Joel Bulkley, 1967-1982. This span represents almost the entire run of the newspaper, which lasted from late 1966 to spring 1983. Letters are often addressed directly to writers and other staff and contain annotations made by Brown and Bulkley in preparing the letters for reproduction on the editorial page of the newspaper. Among the correspondents are politicians, social activists, university professors, writers, fellow publishers, and many others. Correspondents include Mary Barnett Gilson, Bill Hicks, Joe Hackney, Daniel Okun, and Kemp Nye.
Box 7 |
Anvil: Letters to the Editor, 1967-1972 |
Box 8 |
Anvil: Letters to the Editor, 1973-1982 |
Arrangement: alphabetical, then chronological.
RESTRICTION: Boxes 20, 21, and 22 are closed.
Materials relating to the business operations of The Anvil and other publications and projects. Also included here are records from Brown's other printing ventures, Southern Associates Press and Buffalo Printing. There are income and expense statements, paid bills and receipts, and other business and financial records. Tax records in boxes 20-22 are closed to research.
Arrangement: alphabetical, then chronological.
Wide array of materials collected and created by Brown, including personal planners; pamphlets and other printed materials; copies of Reflections from Chapel Hill , the literary journal published by Brown; multilith masking sheets; off-set printing plates; a t-shirt and matchbooks; digital scans of photographs of Brown with his publishing staff and other photographs; and other items.
Box 13-16
Box 13Box 14Box 15Box 16 |
Planners, 1975-1999 |
Box 17 |
Museum itemsMuseum items include a t-shirt that reads "Defend Labor (AFL-CIO) Solidarity, Defend Wilbur Hobby", a business ledger from Spring 1961 for Reflections from Chapel Hill, a pin cushion with an array of United Farm Workers pins, a set of matchbooks that advertise The North Carolina Anvil , and an address stamp for The Anvil . |
Oversize Paper Folder OP-5312/1-3
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
Negatives of drawings by Pete Woods |
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
Anvil: Offset-press photo plates |
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
Reflections covers |
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
Anvil poster |
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
The Sporting Life News |
OP-5312/1OP-5312/2OP-5312/3 |
Multilith masking sheets |
Data Compact Disc DCD-5312/1-2
DCD-5312/1DCD-5312/2 |
Digital scans of photographs |