Biographical/historical information

The Lenoir County Historical Association was founded in 1971 to promote projects of historical importance, especially the preservation of Harmony Hall which is oldest building in Kinston, N.C., and was at one time the property of North Carolina's first governor Richard Caswell.

The Lenoir County Historical Association was established in 1969 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of the history and material culture of Lenoir County, North Carolina. Formed during a period of heightened interest in local heritage and historic preservation across the state, the Association sought to safeguard architecturally and historically significant structures while promoting public engagement with the county's past through educational programming and community outreach.

One of the Association's most significant undertakings was the acquisition and restoration of Harmony Hall, an eighteenth century structure associated with Richard Caswell, North Carolina's first elected governor. The organization coordinated archaeological investigations, architectural assessments, landscape planning, and phased restoration work to stabilize and interpret the site. These efforts involved collaboration with architects, contractors, preservation specialists, and state agencies, including the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The Association also engaged in fundraising initiatives, grant writing, and membership development to support restoration and ongoing maintenance.

In addition to Harmony Hall, the Association supported other preservation initiatives in Lenoir County and cultivated relationships with local and state historical organizations. Through newsletters, public programs, Civil War symposiums, docent training, and special events, the Association fostered public interest in regional history and heritage tourism. Its administrative structure included a board of directors, officers, and committees responsible for governance, financial oversight, acquisitions, and programming.

Scope and arrangement

The Lenoir County Historical Association Records document the administrative, financial, and programmatic activities of the Lenoir County Historical Association from approximately 1950 to 2008, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1970s through the early 2000s. The collection primarily consists of organizational records, including minutes, board of directors papers, by laws, membership and donor lists, financial statements, treasurer reports, invoices, receipts, grant applications, fundraising materials, and correspondence.

Significant documentation relates to the acquisition, restoration, and interpretation of historic properties in Lenoir County, particularly Harmony Hall. Materials include architectural contracts and drawings, landscape plans, archaeological reports, inspection records, contractor invoices, and restoration documentation. Additional records pertain to collaborations with state and local entities, including the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the North Carolina Museum of History, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the General Assembly of North Carolina, and local organizations such as the Women's Club and the Mitchelltown Preservation Society.

The collection also contains programmatic and outreach materials, including newsletters, brochures, event flyers and programs, Civil War symposium papers, docent manuals, calendars of events, press releases, and news clippings. Photographs and negatives document restoration projects, events, and organizational activities. A small number of artifacts and special format materials are present, including an embroidered silk square, card catalogs of acquisitions and book lists, and oversize architectural drawings for the 1978 Harmony Hall Restoration Project.

The records are arranged in twenty boxes and one oversize folder. Materials are maintained in their received order and generally grouped by record type or functional activity, such as administrative records, financial records, membership documentation, restoration and preservation files, and photographic materials. Oversize architectural drawings have been removed to flat storage and are housed separately in an oversize folder.

Administrative information

Custodial History

April 20, 2012, (unprocessed), 20.0 cubic feet; Approximately 20 cubic feet of records (ca. 1920-2007, n.d.), including correspondence, minutes, financial records, membership records, building plans for Harmony Hall, museum artifact records, newspaper clippings, publications, photographs, calendars, and subject files. Donor: Dr. Junius H. Rose, Jr., President, Lenoir County Historical Association

Source of acquisition

Gift of Dr. Junius H. Rose, Jr., President, Lenoir County Historical Association

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

Key terms

Corporate Names

Lenoir County Historical Association

Topical

History--Societies, etc.

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