Biographical/historical information

The Pitt County Historical Society, formerly known as Pitt County Historical Association, was organized in 1927 for the purpose of preserving the history of Pitt County, North Carolina. The Great Depression and World War II interfered with its development, but David Whichard, Jr., rejuvenated it in 1950 and became its president. The society meets on a quarterly basis, has historical programs, and participates in various projects.

Scope and arrangement

The collection contains general correspondence from 1950-2002, minutes of the society's meetings, and by-laws for the group. It also contains various publications, agendas, and financial records. A folder regarding the 18th century Brickell Cannon is also housed in this collection. Legal documents, invitations, newspaper clippings and photographs also make-up the collection. Miscellaneous items include proposals/resolutions, radio programs, and membership lists.

Correspondence in the Pitt County Historical Society Papers is of general nature and is primarily concerned with sources of funding, formation of society projects, and with the obtaining of guest speakers for the society's dinner meetings. However, of interest is a letter (March 6, 1973) denying the society's request for a marker commemorating George Washington's visit to Greenville in 1791. Another letter (January 19, 1976), written to Greenville Mayor Percy Cox, contains the first notion of moving the Brickell Cannon to the Town Common. Other letters (March 29, 1985) cite Walter B. Jones, Jr., attempts to obtain funding for the Pitt County Historical Society and the hiring of Scott Power to undergo a yearlong architectural survey project of Pitt County in conjunction with the society (June, 24, 1987).

The collection also contains information relating to the dedication of the Brickell Cannon on the Town Common in Greenville, N.C. on October 29, 1976. Of interest are newspaper clippings, ceremony programs, photos, and a ceremony invitation list.

Newspaper clippings contained in this collection are divided into various topics. One group of clippings concerns Confederate flag issues in Greenville while another relates to the overall efforts of the Pitt County Historical Society. Other topics of interest include United States' Bicentennial and local history clippings. Of particular interest is a copy of a newspaper clipping concerning the society's initial formation in Greenville (September 19, 1927). Another clipping of interest is an article discussing Pitt County Historical Society's efforts to publish The Chronicles of Pitt County, a collection of county and community histories (December 6, 1981). This article depicts Ms. Elizabeth Copeland, the coordinator for the project, and discusses the proposed layout of the book.

Miscellaneous material includes minutes (1950-1991), financial records (1981-1991), membership lists, tour itineraries, leaflets of historical sites, and programs. The collection contains a pamphlet describing the Sketches of Pitt County, an illustration and map collection, by Henry T. King. Another item of interest is the program used for the dedication of the portrait of First Earl of Chatham, Sir William Pitt (December 12, 1976). Other items of interest include a history of early Pitt County; a list of persons first owning the 161 lots in the original town of Martinborough, present day Greenville; a documentary of Pitt County on the eve of the American War for Independence; and a reprint from The State Magazine of October 5, 1957, describing how the Pitt County towns have grown. The collection also contains a speech given by Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives, past president of the Pitt County Historical Society, at the raising of the historic flags on the Greenville Town Common, October 1974.

The Pitt County Historical Society Papers also include the Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church and Greenville Music Club Collections. The Jarvis Memorial Collection contains church minutes, histories, newspaper clippings, and general correspondence from 1937-1951. The Greenville Music Club Collection is comprised of general correspondence, programs/pamphlets, radio broadcasts, directories, and newspaper clippings.

Of particular interest in the Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church Collection are the minutes of the church's historical committee regarding the format of their church history book (May, 1978). Another item of interest is a letter from Montgomery Ward to Mr. C.A. White describing the pricing and details of their buggies and carts.

The Greenville Music Club Collection contains an Official Bulletin of the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs (October, 1949). Other items of interest include Greenville Music Club's By-Law/Committee Handbooks for 1948-1952, an official directory of the National Federation of Music Clubs, and Greenville Music Club's membership list from 1949-1950.

Administrative information

Custodial History

October 8, 1975, ca. 100 items; 1 volume, Records of Society (1960-1974), including minutes, bylaws, correspondence, and clippings. Donor: Pitt County Historical Society

March 10, 1976 (Addition 1), ca. 200 items; Correspondence, clippings, minutes and reports of Society plus records of the Greenville Music Club (1949-1950). Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

April 27, 1977 (Addition 2), 50 items; Papers (1975-1976) including correspondence, clippings, photographs, and a speech. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

November 15, 1982 (Addition 3), ca. 50 items; Records (1976) of president, including correspondence, clippings, programs, and miscellaneous. Donor: Dr. Joseph Congleton

April 13, 1983 (Addition 4), 65 items; Files (1980-1983), including correspondence, reports, clippings, minutes, and miscellaneous materials. Donor: Dr. W. Keats Sparrow, President

April 30, 1986 (Addition 5), 46 items; Correspondence, programs, clippings, and miscellaneous. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

December 29, 1987 (Addition 6), 55 items; Clippings, programs and a manuscript history of Jarvis Memorial Methodist Church. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

August 17, 1995 (Addition 7), 1 cubic foot; Society minutes (1974-1979) and operational files (1984-1992), including correspondence, reports, programs, membership records, and miscellany. Donor: Mrs. LaRue Evans

January 7, 2004 (Unprocessed Addition 8), Correspondence (1970-1972) of Program Chairman Ralph Hardee Rives, including letters, notes, postcards, and clippings related to the Society' s tour of Colonial Williamsburg, 10/30/1971 and arrangements for the Society' s annual meeting, 11/12/1971. See preliminary inventory. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives.

September 29, 2004, (unprocessed addition 9), 417 items, 1.0 cubic feet; Correspondence (1999-2004) of Director and later President, Greenville Banks, Jr., including correspondence, agendas and minutes of meetings, financial records and reports, membership files, notes, clippings, photographs, and other records relating to the activities of the Society. See preliminary inventory. Recd. 9/29/2004. Note: Receipt also covers 10 additions to the collection received from Pitt County Historical Society, Greenville, N.C. from donors, Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives, Dr. Joseph Congleton, Dr. W. Keats Sparrow, and Mrs. LaRue Evans, dated 3/10/1976, 4/27/1977, 11/15/1982, 4/13/1983, 4/30/1986, 12/29/1987, 8/17/1995, and 1/7/2004, 9/29/2004, 8/24/2005. Donor: Greenville Banks, Jr., President.

August 24, 2005, (unprocessed addition 10), 5 items, 0.01 cubic feet; Papers (1976-1978, n.d.) including Dedication of the portrait of First Earl of Chatham, Sir William Pitt, 1976; photocopies of newspaper clippings compiled by Joseph W. Congleton, Jr., entitled "Greenville, N.C. in Ante-Bellum North Carolina [ca 1976]," "Cyclone in Greenville, N. C." 1978, "Greenville Institute, Fall Term opens Sept. 3, 1888 [n.d.]," and "Grimesland A Story from Pitt County's Past," by Joseph W. Congleton, Jr. 1977. Recd. 8/24/2005. Note: Receipt also covers 10 additions to the collection received from Pitt County Historical Society, Greenville, N.C. from donors, Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives, Dr. Joseph Congleton, Dr. W. Keats Sparrow, and Mrs. LaRue Evans, dated 3/10/1976, 4/27/1977, 11/15/1982, 4/13/1983, 4/30/1986, 12/29/1987, 8/17/1995, and 1/7/2004, 9/29/2004, 8/24/2005. Donor: Dr. W. Keats Sparrow.

June 23, 2006, (unprocessed addition 11), 106 items, 0.25 cubic feet; Papers (1964-1965, 1999-2006, n.d.) including correspondence relating to Chronicles of Pitt County, Volume Two, ephemera, historical and obituary clippings, and photographic prints relating to the history of Pitt County, North Carolina, and the activities of the association. See preliminary inventory. Recd. 6/23/2006. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives.

December 5, 2008, (unprocessed addition 12), 34 items, 0.011 cubic feet; Papers (2007-2008) including newspaper clippings, church newsletters, church bulletin, & a staff tribute written by Cynthia Wease concerning the fire that damaged The Memorial Baptist Church, Greenville, N.C.; the restoration of the Church; and oversized newspaper clippings. See preliminary inventory. Recd. 12/5/2008. Note: Compiled by JoAnn F. Jones at the donor's request. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives.

May 26, 2009, (unprocessed addition 13), 133 items, 0.50 cubic feet; Records of President Anne B. Sneed (May 2006-June 2009), including correspondence, minutes, financial records, newspaper articles, and printed materials, pertaining to the Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church, Pitt County Civil War Trails, and grant proposals to local foundations. See preliminary inventory. Recd 5/26/2009. Donor: Anne B. Snead, President, PItt Co. Historical Society.

February 11, 2011, (unprocessed addition 14), 0.10 cubic feet; Minutes, October 31, 1993-June 10, 1995 and 4 color photographs of Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church, ca. 2001. The notebook includes Treasurer's Reports and other items related to the work of the Society. Donor: Nancy Spainhour, Recording Secretary, Pitt Co. Historical Society

February 11, 2011, (unprocessed addition 15), 0.50 cubic feet; Papers include Board of Directors lists (2007-2010) and membership lists (2006-2009); documents related to celebrations for the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Pitt County, N.C; newsletters and brochures, correspondence and Board of Directors meeting agendas and minutes for May 2008 through August 2010; financial records (September 1st, 2007 through August 31, 2010); documents related to 2010 History Day Awards; newspaper clippings (2009-2010); and the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies Federation Bulletin issues and other publications related to N.C. history (2008-2010). Donor: Jack Thornton, President, Pitt Co. Historical Society

August 26, 2012, (unprocessed addition 16), 0.20 cubic feet; Papers include speeches (1969-1976) presented by Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives at Historical Society events, correspondence (1983, 2007), clippings of obituaries and articles related to Greenville history (1971-2010), Pitt County history notes, programs for the dedication (1976) of the portrait of the First Earl of Chatham, Sir William Pitt, and the dedication (1955) of the Pitt Association Memorial Tablet and a CD containing jpeg photographs of Susan Haines and Marie Cox. Donor: Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

June 14, 2017, (unprocessed addition 17), 0.90 cubic feet;Materials (1994-2016) concerning the Pitt County Historical Society including newsletters, church pamphlets, Society highlights, reproduction maps of 1930 Greenville, N.C., newspaper clippings, brochures, papers relating to the publishing of The Chronicles of Pitt County, North Carolina, Vol. II, and photographs and 2001 VCR tape related to events held at and documents related to the history of Historic Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church. Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth H. Sparrow.

February 22, 2019, (unprocessed addition 18), 6.5 cubic feet; This addition includes Historical Society minutes and financial information (2005-2014), photographs (original and copies) gathered for possible use in Vol. II of the Pitt County Chronicles, and documents related to the historic Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church after it was deeded to the Historical Society in 2000. The remaining material (previously stored in the Red Banks Church) includes published Primitive Baptist Association Minutes for North Carolina and other states, the Red Banks Home Demonstration Club minutes and correspondence (1946-1950), large oval photographs of George W. Stokes and his wife Mary Ann Hardee, scan prints of Cherry family members, old Greenville advertising fans, a scrapbook for the Town & Country Senior Citizens Club (1978-1999), and 35 8mm reels of home movies (1947-1967) made by the Keel family of Greenville, N.C. North Carolina Primitive Baptist Assoc. minutes were transferred to the North Carolina Collection in Joyner Library. Gift of Mr. Mickey Harris.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Pitt County Historical Society

Gift of Dr. Ralph Hardee Rives

Gift of Dr. Joseph Congleton

Gift of Dr. W. Keats Sparrow

Gift of Mrs. LaRue Evans

Gift of Greenville Banks, Jr., President, Pitt Co. Historical Society

Gift of Anne B. Snead, President, Pitt Co. Historical Society

Gift of Nancy Spainhour, Recording Secretary, Pitt Co. Historical Society

Gift of Jack Thornton, President, Pitt Co. Historical Society

Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth H. Sparrow

Gift of Mickey Harris

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Finding aids completed July 8, 2002, by J. David Walton

Container List revised to include additions 2019 by Faith Harris.

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Key terms

Corporate Names

Pitt County Historical Society

Places

Pitt County (N.C.)--History

Container list