Charles S. Killebrew Photographic Collection, 1948-2001(bulk 1949-1999)

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Summary

Creator:
Killebrew, Charles S. (Charles Sidney), 1921-2009.
Abstract:

The collection of white photographer and businessman, Charles "Charlie" Sidney Killebrew, Jr. (1921-2009), consists of black-and-white photographic prints, black-and-white and color negatives including sheet film and 120mm roll film relating to Killebrew's photography interest. The images date, 1948 – 1997, and depict chiefly Nash and Edgecombe counties, in addition to the surrounding areas of North Carolina. Included are images of local, state, and national politicians and political events; news events; Rocky Mount businesses; civic groups and other organizations; Nash County and Edgecombe County schools; sporting events; and other images that document daily life in North Carolina. Of interest are images depicting presidential visits; civil rights protests; natural disasters; and local celebrities, including white musician Kay Kyser and Black basketball star Phil Ford.

Extent:
470,000 items (260.0 linear feet)
Language:
Materials in English
Library Catalog Link:
View UNC library catalog record for this item

Background

Biographical / historical:

Charles "Charlie" Sidney Killebrew Jr. (1921-2009) photographed Rocky Mount and the surrounding areas of North Carolina for nearly 60 years. A native of Tarboro, N.C., Killebrew developed an interest in photography while serving in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Upon his return to the United States in 1946, he accepted a position as a photographer for the Rock Mount Evening & Sunday Telegram. In 1952, he opened Killebrew Photography Studio, a private photographic studio. In 1955, he opened Carolina Aerial Mapping. Killebrew was among the first "aerial mapping photographers" in the state, and Carolina Aerial Mapping Service was contracted by several different state and federal government agencies for its services. Carolina Aerial Mapping Service also allowed Killebrew to combine his passion for flying with is passion for photography. In addition to his work for the Rock Mount Evening & Sunday Telegram, Killebrew ran both businesses simultaneously for the next four decades. Throughout his career, Killebrew took great care to ensure his negatives were arranged in a manner that made them accessible and available for future use. He died in 2009.

Scope and content:

The collection includes about 470,000 images taken by Charles S. Killebrew between 1948 and 1997 chiefly in Nash County, Edgecombe County, and surrounding areas of North Carolina. Included are images of local, state, and national politicians and political events; news events; Rocky Mount businesses; civic groups and other organizations; Nash County and Edgecombe County schools; sporting events; and other images that document daily life in North Carolina. Of particular interest are images of presidential visits; civil rights protests; natural disasters; and local celebrities, including musician Kay Kyser and basketball star Phil Ford.

Acquisition information:

Gift, Braswell Memorial Library, Rocky Mount, N.C., 2012.

Processing information:

Processed by: Patrick Cullom and Kait Dorsky, August-September 2012; Patrick Cullom and Zack Whitaker, 2013-2014

Encoded by: Patrick Cullom, August-September 2012

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2020

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

Archivists have not removed racial terms "Negro" or "Colored" because we feel they provide important historical context about the materials and who created them and they facilitate the research process. We recognize that these terms also may cause harm and will periodically revisit our decision to include them. We recognize the complexity of this issue and welcome feedback on this decision at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

Since August 2017, we have added ethnic identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine ethnic identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for ethnicity to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@email.unc.edu.

Sensitive materials statement:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Access and use

Restrictions to access:

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to use:

No image in this collection may be reproduced without the permission and consent of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Copyright is retained by the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], in the Charles S. Killebrew Photographic Collection (P0091), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Location of this collection:
Louis Round Wilson Library
200 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Contact:
(919) 962-3765
wilsonlibrary@unc.edu