Country Doctor Museum Administrative Records
1889-2020
The Country Doctor Museum Manuscript Collection, CD 01.01- Creator(s)
- Country Doctor Museum (Bailey, Nash County, N.C.)
- Physical description
- 10.05 Cubic Feet
- Preferred Citation
- Country Doctor Museum Administrative Records (CD 01.01), The Country Doctor Museum, at The William E. Laupus Health Sciences Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
- Repository
- Laupus Library History Collections
- Access
- No restrictions
The collection includes correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, minutes, lists, property documents such as deeds and plats, photographs, and audiovisuals and computer media.
Biographical/historical information
The Country Doctor Museum operates in Bailey, North Carolina, as a repository of historically significant medical artifacts with an emphasis on the period from the early 1800s through the end of the World War II era. Established by volunteers in 1967 as a tribute to rural physicians, the museum opened in a re-constructed building made from two historic doctors' offices. Over the decades, the museum has grown to include over 5,000 medical artifacts and historic texts from across the nation. The museum has expanded to three buildings, and now includes topics such as nursing, pharmaceuticals, and home remedies, alongside the original rural doctors topic.
One of the founders, Dr. Josephine E. Newell, practiced family medicine in Bailey from 1951 until 1975 and purchased the initial lot of land for the museum next to her home. Dr. Newell primarily maintained the museum until it was gifted to the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of East Carolina University in 2003. The Laupus Health Sciences Library manages the operation of The Country Doctor Museum with a mission to interpret the history of medicine in rural America.
Scope and arrangement
The collection contains the administrative records of the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey, North Carolina. The History of the County Doctor Museum series covers the development and administration of the museum, including property documents such as deeds and plats. Information on the museum's collections, such as acquisition information and exhibits, are included in the Collections series. The Promotions series includes promotional materials distributed by the museum and covers several events held at the museum. Materials related to grants awarded to the museum are in the series Grants. The final series contains audio-visual, computer media, and photographs that cover the history of the museum, including artifact photographs and various events.
Administrative information
Custodial History
Property of the Country Doctor Museum which is owned by the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of East Carolina University. The Laupus Health Sciences Library manages the operation.
Source of acquisition
Owned by the Country Doctor Museum
Processing information
Processed by Melissa Nasea, 2015. Re-processed by Ashley Williams, 2015. Updated by Layne Carpenter, 2017, 2018, 2019.
Copyright notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Metadata Rights Declaration
Language of material
English
Key terms
Corporate Names
Country Doctor Museum (Bailey, Nash County, N.C.)Places
Bailey (N.C.)--HistoryNash County (N.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Container list
Photos of the Country Doctor Museum surrey arriving at the museum with the help of volunteers.
These images document the day Dr. Josephine Newell officially gifted the Country Doctor Museum to the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of East Carolina University in 2003. Pictured in the first image from left to right: Becky Smith (notary), Dr. Dottie Spencer (Director of Laupus Library at the time), Belle Glover (museum board member), Larue King (museum board member, Dr. Josephine Newell (museum board president), and an unknown gentleman, presumably Dr. Newell's lawyer.