Biographical/historical information

Regional Development Institute

As part of the East Carolina University Office of Economic Development, the Regional Development Institute (RDI) is housed in the Thomas Willis Building. The RDI provided sustainable community and economic development techincal advice, project implementation guidance, student service learning, and scholarly engagement to local, state, and regional entitites to foster the growth of a modern economy.

Brunswick County

Brunswick County, North Carolina is located in the southeastern coastal region of the state along the lower Cape Fear. Established in 1764 from portions of New Hanover and Bladen Counties, the county developed within the economic and geographic sphere of nearby Wilmington, North Carolina. Early settlement patterns were shaped by access to waterways, particularly the Cape Fear River and surrounding coastal estuaries, which supported trade, agriculture, and maritime activity. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the local economy relied primarily on agriculture and naval stores production, supported in part by enslaved labor prior to the Civil War. Fishing, timbering, and small scale farming remained important economic activities into the twentieth century. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, Brunswick County continued to develop as a largely rural coastal community with small towns and dispersed settlements. In the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries, the county experienced significant population growth associated with coastal tourism, residential development, and retirement migration. These changes contributed to shifts in land use, economic activity, and community structure while maintaining the county's historical connections to coastal resources and regional trade networks.

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of seven clear photographic negatives depicting maps of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The maps highlight county landmarks as well as tourist locations and advertisements. The maps were produced by the East Carolina University Regional Development Institute (RDI). Materials are arranged as a single series of photographic negatives.

Administrative information

Custodial History

February 20, 026 7 items; Cear negatives of maps of Brunswick County, North Carolina that highlight county landmarks and tourist advertisements and locations. Maps were created by East Carolina University' Regional Development Institute (RDI). Tansferred from University History and Records, February 2026.

Source of acquisition

Transferred from University History and Records, February 2026.

Processing information

Processed by Patrick Cash, February 2026

Copyright notice

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.libanswers.com. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.

Metadata Rights Declaration

This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

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