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The Phoenix Historical Society: African American History of Edgecombe County was founded in 2001 to recover, record, and promote the unique history of Edgecombe County (North Carolina) as experienced by members of its African American community. This collection contains the society's official records, brochures, event programs, and publications related to research, community events and sponsored projects.

Records (1910-1956) including correspondence, financial records, minutes, legal papers, estate records, World War I and II, pamphlets, and miscellaneous.

Papers (1920-1975) including correspondence, reports, financial records, clippings, photographs, posters, and miscellaneous materials.

Papers (1941-1991) including U. S. Navy service records, citations, correspondence, personnel and retirement records, photographs and printed materials pertaining to the U. S. Naval Academy Class of 1941, USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55), Transport Divisions 14 and 10, USS SAVANNAH (CL-42), USS MISSISSIPPI (AG-128), USS OREGON CITY (CA-123), USS LEWIS HANCOCK (DD-675), USS HUSE (DE-145), USS BROWNSON (DD-868), Carrier Division 14, 17th Naval District, Kodiak, AK, and the First Naval District Intelligence Office, Boston.

Papers (1889, 1907-1958) consisting of correspondence, diaries, yearbooks, scrapbook, songbook, typescript, travel accounts, photographs, newsletters, etc., related to attendance at Salem Academy and College (1908-1911) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and to the work (1917 to 1950) of Protestant Episcopal music missionary Venetia Cox (of Greenville, North Carolina) in China. Also includes letters and school materials related to Lo-I (or Louis) Yin who attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, from 1949 to 1951 on a scholarship related to Venetia Cox's music missionary work with Huachung University, Wuchang, Hupeh, China.

Diploma for Charles B. Walton from the Baltimore College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Papers (1863-1865) consisting of photocopies and typescript of correspondence, letters.

These papers (1848-1882) belonged to Johnson H. Bryan, Jr.(1824-1883) of Craven County, North Carolina. Included are deeds, statements of debt and obligation, receipts, receipts for purchase and sale of enslaved people, correspondence, mortgages, bankruptcy papers, and a resolution of complaint related to tariff discriminations and maintenance deficiencies on the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad.

Papers (1869, 1908, 1736, 1933-1956) consisting of correspondence, legal records, genealogical records, pamphlets, clippings, photographs and miscellaneous.

This collection contains records of Eric G. Flannagan & Sons architectural firm that relate to capital projects on the East Carolina campus.

Papers (1942-1997) of U.S. naval officer, who rose to the rank of rear admiral commanding the Navy's Recruiting Command and the Naval Inshore Warfare Forces, Atlantic Fleet, 1943-1973; East Carolina University graduate, (1943); businessman, 1973-1977; and head of North Carolina State Ports Authority (1979-1985), including documents, photographic prints and negatives, correspondence, certificates, clippings, printed forms, and printed materials.

This notebook is an 1870 student's notebook containing field notes of a Survey of the Coast of North Carolina done for the United States Coast Survey. It was likely kept by Jacob Bell Cornell (1848-1897), a member of the Class of 1872 at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Of specific interest are a diagram and calculations associated with a lighthouse in the Pamlico Sound and references to Portsmouth Island and Swan Quarter.

This collection contains materials that date from Dowell's time as a student at East Carolina Teachers Training school and her subsequent teaching career. It contains awards received from both civic and professional organizations, clippings, personal artifacts, and scholarly works including her Masters Thesis.

Papers (1864-1866) of soldier from Beaufort County who was killed in action near Petersburg, Va., during the Civil War while serving in the 33 Regiment of N.C. Troops, including correspondence, especially one notifying his mother of his death.