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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 1480 items (16.5 linear feet) |
| Abstract | William LeGette Blythe (1900-1993), native of Huntersville, N.C., was the author of several Biblical novels, award-winning biographies of prominent North Carolinians, and symphonic (outdoor) dramas based on the history of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, N.C. Blythe graduated in 1921 from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the original Carolina Playmakers and a classmate of Thomas Wolfe. He died in Huntersville in 1993. The collection includes correspondence and other materials relating to LeGette Blythe's literary and civic projects. Included are letters, promotional material, and photographs, as well as audio and video recordings relating to outdoor drama productions and to Blythe's biographies of Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin Sloop of the Crossnore School, Avery County, N.C.; Lucy Morgan of the Penland School, Penland, N.C.; and Gaine Cannon of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C. Major correspondents include W. H. Belk, Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, William Friday, Louis Rubin, Terry Sanford, and Richard Walser. There are also two letters dated March 1934 from Maxwell Perkins of Charles Scribner's Sons. Also present are materials relating to the North Carolina Writers Conference, including photographs of the conference's first meeting in 1950 and the 1953 meeting in Boone. Manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's works are included along with a small amount of materials and photographs collected by Blythe, including items, 1815-1861, relating to the Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg County. The Addition of May 2002 includes audio and video recordings collected by Blythe and photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his hospital from the 1960s; of the United States Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital during World War II; and of labor strikes in North Belmont, N.C., in the late 1920s. The Addition of 2006 includes audio recordings collected by Blythe as research for books, manuscripts and other projects. Interviewees include Fred and Mabel Wolfe, siblings of Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin Sloop; James W. Davis, Gaine Cannon II, and Lucy Morgan. Other recordings relate to LeGette Blythe's works on I. D. Blumenthal, E. H. Little, Walter L. Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included are interviews with prominent North Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee, bombardier of the Enola Gay, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains an interview with LeGette Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama Voice in the Wilderness, and the soundtrack for The Hornet's Nest. |
| Creator | Blythe, LeGette, 1900- |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
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Biographical Information
In 1921, William LeGette Blythe, native of Huntersville, N.C., graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he had been a member of the original Carolina Playmakers and a classmate of Thomas Wolfe. After graduation, Blythe became a reporter at the Charlotte News and later joined the staff of the Charlotte Observer. He authored several Biblical novels, biographies of prominent North Carolinians, and symphonic dramas based on Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, N.C. Blythe won the Mayflower Award for the best nonfiction work by a North Carolinian in 1953 for Miracle in the Hills, his biography of Dr. Mary T. Martin Sloop of the Crossnore School, and in 1961 for Thomas Wolfe and His Family. Blythe died in 1993 in Huntersville.
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Scope and Content
This collection primarily documents North Carolina author LeGette Blythe's literary activities. Series 1 is chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and business associates regarding his various literary and civic projects. Early correspondence includes two letters from Maxwell Perkins of Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers dated 1934. The Project Files, created by Blythe, contain correspondence with the publishers of his works as well as with the subjects of some of his biographies including Mary T. Martin Sloop of the Crossnore School, Lucy Morgan of the Penland School, and Dr. Gaine Cannon of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C. There is also correspondence with Fred Wolfe and Mabel Wolfe, the brother and sister of Thomas Wolfe, regarding the writing and publishing of Blythe's book, Thomas Wolfe and His Family. The series also contains promotional material for Blythe's works and materials pertaining to his other projects, such as photographs from early North Carolina Writers Conferences. The writings series encompasses manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's novels, symphonic dramas, and short stories. There are other materials collected by LeGette Blythe including papers from the Hopewell Church in Mecklenburg County, N.C., dated 1815-1861. Pictures include photographs of Blythe, his family, and various other subjects.
The Addition of May 2002 parallels the contents described above, with the exception that it contains a substantial amount of audio and video recordings that were collected by Blythe. The contents of these recordings fall into two broad categories: materials related to his works, such as taped interviews or recordings of performances; and informal recordings of music and family members. Included are photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his hospital that were taken by Gaine Cannon in the 1960s; of the United States Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital taken during World War II; and of labor strikes in North Belmont, N.C., in the late 1920s.
The Addition of February 2006 includes audio recordings of interviews conducted by LeGette Blythe as research for several books and manuscripts. Interviewees include Fred Wolfe and Mabel Wolfe Wheaton, siblings of Thomas Wolfe; Mary M. Sloop; James W. Davis, Dr. Gaine Cannon II, and Lucy Morgan. Other recordings relate to LeGette Blythe works on I. D. Blumenthal, E. H. Little, Walter L. Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included are interviews with prominent North Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee, bombardier of the Enola Gay , and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains an interview with LeGette Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama Voice in the Wilderness, and the soundtrack for The Hornet's Nest. Some recordings may be duplicates of others in the collection. Several interviews were recorded on tapes previously containing material from the United States Office of Price Stabilization.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1920-1989.
Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and business associates, mostly regarding the project on which he was working. Early correspondence includes two letters from Maxwell Perkins of Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers dated 1934. There is steady correspondence between Blythe and Harry Shaw, his friend in the publishing business. Occasional correspondents include W. H. Belk, Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, William Friday, Louis Rubin, Terry Sanford, and Richard Walser.
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Series 2. Project Files, 1950s-1970s.
Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002 and Addition of February 2006.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Files created by LeGette Blythe to organize the materials relating to his various projects. The series includes correspondence with the publishers of his works as well as with the subjects of some of his works, including Mary T. Martin Sloop of the Crossnore School, Lucy Morgan of the Penland School, and Dr. Gaine Cannon of the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C. There is correspondence with Fred and Mabel Wolfe, the brother and sister of Thomas Wolfe, regarding the writing and publishing of Blythe's book Thomas Wolfe and His Family. The series also contains promotional material, such as clippings and programs, for Blythe's works. Along with materials regarding Blythe's writing, the series has materials relating to other projects, such as the celebration of Charlotte's Bicentennial, the North Carolina Writers Conference, and the Andrew Johnson Celebration, including a letter of thanks from Andrew Johnson's great-granddaughter. There are pictures relating to some of Blythe's works including 38th Evac, Gift from the Hills, Marshall Ney: A Dual Life, Meet Julius Abernethy, Mountain Doctor, Thomas Wolfe and His Family, and Voice in the Wilderness. Finally, there are photographs from the first meeting of the North Carolina Writers Conference in 1950 and the meeting in Boone during 1953.
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Series 3. Writings, 1950s-1980s.
Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002 and Addition of February 2006.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's novels, symphonic dramas, and short stories.
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Series 4. Other Materials, 1852-1996.
Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002 and Addition of February 2006.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Materials collected by LeGette Blythe, including manuscripts written by others, audio cassette interviews of various individuals, and school papers from the classes he took at UNC during 1919-1921. The Hopewell Church Papers contain building plans, subscription lists, a description of a plot of land, and other materials relating to Hopewell Church in Mecklenburg County along with an letter dated 1861 from D. H. Hill to his cousin.
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Series 5. Pictures, late 1800s-1980s.
Processing note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Arrangement: by subject.
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Additions
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Addition of May 2002 (Acc. 99258)
Processing note: The addition of November 2001 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
Papers, writings, and related materials of LeGette Blythe.
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Addition of 2002: Correspondence, 1911-1980.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly correspondence between Blythe and his friends and business associates, mostly regarding projects on which he was working. Blythe's correspondents in this addition are consistent with those in Series 1.
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Addition of 2002: Project Files, 1940s-1981.
Processing Note: See also Addition of February 2006.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Files created by LeGette Blythe to organize the materials relating to his various projects. The series includes correspondence with the publishers and subjects of his works; transcripts and audio recordings of interviews; articles and other research materials; and promotional material, such as clippings and programs, relating to the publication of individual works. There are two extensive scrapbooks relating to Alexandriana and Marshal Ney: A Dual Life.
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Addition of 2002: Writings, 1920s-1960s.
Processing Note: See also Addition of February 2006.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Manuscripts, galleys, and proofs of Blythe's writings.
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Addition of 2002: Other Materials, 1930s-1960s.
Processing Note: See also Addition of February 2006.
Materials collected by LeGette Blythe, including works written by others, and audio recordings of various individuals involved in his projects, family members, and music. Also included are a number of video recordings and a film of Voice in the Wilderness .
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Addition of 2002: Pictures, 1920s-1960s.
Arrangement: by type.
Chiefly photographs that Blythe collected for projects. The series contains approximately 40 photographs of Albert Schweitzer and his hospital that were taken by Gaine Cannon, M.D., in the 1960s; seven photographs of the United States Army's 38th Evacuation Hospital taken during World War II; two photographs of labor strikes in North Belmont, N.C., taken in the late 1920s; and miscellaneous photographs of Blythe.
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Addition of February 2006 (Accession 100323), 1949-1984.
Audio recordings of interviews conducted by LeGette Blythe while researching several books and manuscripts. Interview subjects include Fred Wolfe and Mabel Wolfe Wheaton, siblings of Thomas Wolfe; Mary T. Martin Sloop; James W. Davis, Gaine Cannon II, and Lucy Morgan. Other recordings relate to LeGette Blythe works on I. D. Blumenthal, E. H. Little, Walter L. Lingle, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Also included are interviews with prominent North Carolinians, including Colonel Thomas W. Ferrebee, bombardier of the Enola Gay, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. The addition also contains an interview with LeGette Blythe, recordings of the outdoor drama Voice in the Wilderness , and the soundtrack for The Hornet's Nest. Also included is a film of the outdoor drama Voice in the Wilderness . Some material may be duplicates of items found elsewhere in the collection. Several interviews were recorded on tapes previously containing material from the United States Office of Price Stabilization.
Most original containers include information about recordings.
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Addition of 2006: Alcoholics Anonymous, 1949-1972.
Interviews for an uncompleted work by Blythe. Subject may have been Harbor House, a chemical dependency treatment center tied to Alcoholics Anonymous in Memphis, Tenn., and efforts in Greensboro, N.C., to build a similar facility.
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Addition of 2006: Gift From the Hills.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Recordings of interviews conducted by Blythe as research for his book Gift from the Hills, the story of Lucy Morgan and her founding of the Penland School of Crafts in Mitchell County, N.C.
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Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Recordings related to Miracle in the Hills, an autobiography of Mary T. Martin Sloop for which Blythe served as co-author. Sloop and her husband, Eustace Sloop, started the Crossnore School in the mountains of Avery County, N.C., in 1913. The school served children of western North Carolina and continues to operate as a residential childcare facility. The Sloops also provided medical care for residents of the region. Mary T. Martin Sloop was named American Mother of the Year in 1951.
Recordings feature Sloop, and possibly others, describing life at Crossnore and in the mountains of North Carolina in the first half of the 20th century. Recording types include wire, reel-to-reel, and audiocassette. Cassettes are an incomplete series of recordings produced by the Sloop Progressive Memorial Fund in 1984 and titled Sloop/Blythe Tapes. Tape numbers were assigned by the Sloop Progressive Memorial Fund. Content on audiocassettes may be the same as found on recordings in other formats. Content of the wire recordings was transferred to reel-to-reel in 1984.
| Audiocassette C-4852/39 |
Sloop/Blythe Tapes: Cassette 3 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." C-4852/39 |
| Audiocassette C-4852/40 |
Sloop/Blythe Tapes: Cassette 4 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." C-4852/40 |
| Audiocassette C-4852/41 |
Sloop/Blythe Tapes: Cassette 5 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." C-4852/41 |
| Audiocassette C-4852/42 |
Sloop/Blythe Tapes: Cassette 5 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." C-4852/42Content is same as on C-4852/41 |
| Audiocassette C-4852/43 |
Sloop/Blythe Tapes: Cassette 6 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." C-4852/43 |
| Audiotape T-4852/35 |
Mary T. Martin Sloop's trip to New York #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/35 |
| Audiotape T-4852/36 |
Mary T. Martin Sloop's trip to New York #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/36Content may be same as T-4852/35 |
| Audiotape T-4852/37 |
Golden Wedding #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/37May be golden wedding anniversary described in T-4852/40 and WR-4852/35. |
| Audiotape T-4852/40 |
Uncle Newt, Aunt Nerv, and more stories #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/40A story about Uncle Newt, Aunt Nerv, and the clock. Also discussion of the golden wedding anniversary; Zeb Huskins, the moonshiner; and Mary T. Martin Sloop's trip to New York. |
| Audiotape T-4852/42 |
Woman with cancer #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/42Stories about a woman with cancer and the first operation at Plumtree circa 1908. |
| Audiotape T-4852/47 |
Mary T. Martin Sloop, the first operation, and more stories #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/47Stories about the first operation at Plumtree; Uncle Newt, Aunt Nerv, and the clock; the golden wedding anniversary; Zeb Huskins, moonshiner and escape artist; and operations on African-American boy and white girl. |
| Audiotape T-4852/74 |
Obie Johnson and more stories #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." T-4852/74Some of material may be from interviews by Gladys Kahn Lavitan. Tape includes stories about Obie Johnson, "Great Granddad;" Mary T. Martin Sloop's story of Aunt Nerv, Uncle Newt, and the clock; and Uncle John Wise on his death bed. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/34 |
Presentation of the Lamp #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/34Story about Mary T. Martin Sloop's trip to New York, beginning with the presentation of the lamp. Recording also includes discussion of Sloop's portrait being painted. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/35 |
Uncle Nick and Aunt Charity Pyatt #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/35Golden wedding anniversary of Uncle Nick and Aunt Charity Pyatt. Content may be same as T-4852/37 and T-4852/40. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/36 |
Moving the Schoolhouse #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/36Stories about the first operation at Plumtree, the woman with cancer, and moving the schoolhouse. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/37 |
Early Life #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/37Stories of the early life of Mary T. Martin Sloop, Aunt "New," and Uncle John. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/38 |
The Bear Hunt #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/38Stories about electricity and a bear hunt. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/39 |
The Square Dance #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/39Stories about a square dance, Germans, and moving the schoolhouse. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/40 |
Operations #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/40Stories about operations on a white girl and an African-American boy and about horse tail hair. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/41 |
Zeb Huskins, the moonshiner and escape artist #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/41Stories about Zeb Huskins, the moonshiner and escape artist. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/42 |
Burning bandages #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/42Stories of burning bandages; Aunt Newby and Willis; and Dr. E.H.S., possibly Dr. Eustace H. Sloop. |
| Wire Recording WR-4852/43 |
Uncle Newt #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Miracle in the Hills." WR-4852/43 |
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Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Recordings of music and possibly dialogue from outdoor dramas written by Blythe.
| Audiotape T-4852/61 |
Musical soundtrack of The Hornet's Nest, 1968 #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." T-4852/61Recording of symphonic drama written by Blythe and with music and words by Loonis McGlohon. Songs included on recording are Overture, It's a Quiet Town, Montage (deleted from drama), Shout Freedom! This Is the Day, Square Dance Cue, What Will The World Be Like Tomorrow and Misery Is The Life I Lead. |
| Audiotape T-4852/78 |
Thunder in the Carolinas #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." T-4852/78Possibly same as T-4852/79 and T-4852/82. |
| Audiotape T-4852/79 |
Thunder in the Carolinas #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." T-4852/79Possibly same as T-4852/78 and T-4852/82. |
| Audiotape T-4852/82 |
Thunder in the Carolinas #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." T-4852/82Possibly same as T-4852/78-79. |
| Audiotape T-4852/73 |
Voice in the Wilderness #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." T-4852/73 |
| Film F-4852/6 |
Voice in the Wilderness, Release Print #04852, Subseries: "Addition of 2006: Outdoor Dramas." F-4852/6A production of Voice in the Wilderness performed in Charlotte, N.C., in June 1955 and adapted for film. |
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Addition of 2006: Thomas Wolfe.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Blythe met Thomas Wolfe when both were undergraduates at the University of North Carolina. The two were among the original Carolina Playmakers led by Frederick H. Koch and continued their friendship after Wolfe moved to New York City. Blythe recorded interviews with Wolfe's brother Fred Wolfe and sister Mabel Wolfe Wheaton in preparation for the 1961 work Thomas Wolfe and Family. Blythe co-wrote the book with Wheaton.
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Addition of 2006: Yes Ma'am, Miss Gee.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Arrangement: By tape number assigned by Blythe. Tapes 5, 9, and 11 are absent from the series.
Recordings related to Blythe's 1957 biography of Mary Wilson Gee. Gee was a Latin professor and Dean of Students at Converse College in Converse, S.C. Tapes were numbered by Blythe and may be recordings of him reading the manuscript of Yes Ma'am, Miss Gee .
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Addition of 2006: Other Recordings.
Processing Note: See also Addition of May 2002.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by subject.
Recorded interviews conducted by Blythe either in preparation for writing projects or as part of an effort by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to collect oral histories from notable North Carolinians. Those interviewed include I. D. Blumenthal, the founder of Radiator Specialty Company and a philanthropist; Gaine Cannon, a doctor at the Albert Schweitzer Memorial Hospital in Balsam Grove, N.C., and the subject of Blythe's book Mountain Doctor; James W. Davis, the subject of Blythe's book James W. Davis: North Carolina Surgeon; Sam J. Ervin, a United States senator from North Carolina and chair of the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, commonly known as the Watergate Committee; Thomas W. Ferebee, a native of Mocksville, N.C., and the bombardier on the Enola Gay, the airplane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan; Walter H. Lingle, a former president of Davidson College; and E. H. Little, a native of Huntersville, N.C., and a former president and chair of the board of Colgate-Palmolive Company. This series also includes an interview with Blythe and a broadcaster's salute to Blythe and his wife Esther on their 42nd wedding anniversary.
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Items Separated
The addition of May 2002 is arranged in the same way as, but has not been incorporated into, the original deposit of materials.
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