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Collection Overview
| Size | 24.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 19,000 items) |
| Abstract | William L. (William Luther) Spoon (1862-1942) was a civil engineer and good roads advocate of Alamance County, N.C. The collection includes personal and professional correspondence, writings, reports, blueprints, maps, and other papers of William Luther Spoon, his wife, Susan Addeline (Addie) Vernon Neville Spoon, their daughter, Nancy Miriam Spoon Alexander, and other members of the Shoffner, Spoon, and Neville families. Family correspondence includes letters between Spoon and his wife about their children, farm, saw and grist mill operations, and neighborhood affairs; letters from Spoon to his mother describing his work as a diamond drilling supervisor with the North Carolina Geological Survey, 1891-1892; and letters, 1916-1920, between the Spoons and their daughter, Nancy Miriam, when she was a student at Salem College. Spoon's professional correspondence with his supervisors, J. A. Holmes and Joseph Hyde Pratt of the North Carolina Geological Survey, and Logan W. Page, Vernon M. Peirce, and E. W. James of the Office of Public Roads, concerns his assignments, administrative matters, and expenses. Other papers relating to Spoon's career as an engineer include reports road crew supervisors made to him on road work and costs; Spoon's reports to the Office of Public Roads, United States Department of Agriculture, about trips he made promoting good roads; contractors' estimates for costs of road construction; diagrams, sketches, and notes concerning road construction projects; blueprints; and maps of the North Carolina highway system. Also included in the collection are genealogical notes; household account books; a record book of the Woman's Home Missionary Auxiliary, Mt. Pleasant Church, 1910; photographs and negatives; and other miscellaneous papers and volumes. |
| Creator | Spoon, William L. (William Luther), 1862-1942. |
| 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.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical
Information
William L. Spoon (1862-1942) was a civil engineer and good roads advocate of Alamance County, N.C. Spoon was the son of Georg Monroe and Nancy Stafford Spoon. Following the death of Georg Monroe Spoon during the Civil War, Nancy Stafford Spoon married Michael Shoffner, a farmer and miller of Hartshorn, Alamance County, N.C., on whose farm William L. Spoon spent his early youth. Spoon began his education in the public schools of Coble Township, later moved to the Oakdate Academy for one term and the Friendship School in Coble Township for two years. He turned to farming on his stepfather's land and taught in public schools in his neighborhood until 1886 when he entered a college preparatory course at Graham Normal College (later Elon College) at Graham, N.C. The following year, at the age of 25, he entered the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1891 with B.S. and B.E. degrees.
After graduation, Spoon served as an engineer with the North Carolina Geological Survey, supervising diamond drilling for coal and marble at various locations throughout the state, 1891-1892. He also surveyed and produced a map of Alamance County, N.C., 1893-1894. Following this venture, he entered into private road work, largely in Alamance and Orange counties, N.C.
In July 1895, Spoon went to Texas where he obtained a teaching position in the town of Moody. After summering in North Carolina, he returned to Texas in August but was forced to return again to North Carolina after failing to find work. Upon his return, he operated as an independent engineer until June 1897 when he became a road superintendent and county engineer for Alamance County, N.C., a position he held until January 1901.
During 1901 Spoon traveled in North Carolina and Tennessee as a salesman and road machinery-construction expert for the Good Roads Machinery Company of Kennett Square, Pa. Later the same year, he was with the Good Roads Train, staging road construction demonstrations in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. In 1902 he engaged in private engineering work for Erwin Cotton Mills Company of Durham, N.C. He then received an appointment as a special agent for the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Public Roads, an affiliation he maintained with various promotions until April 1909. After leaving the Department of Agriculture, he became a highway engineer for the North Carolina Geological Survey and served as the highway engineer for Forsyth County, N.C., 1911-1913. He later returned to the office of Public Roads as a senior highway engineer, 1913-1920.
Though Spoon officially left federal service in 1920 and became a partner in the firm of Spoon and Lewis, Consulting Engineers, in Greensboro, N.C., he continued to receive assignments from the Office of Public Roads until 1931, when age regulations barred him from further service.
Spoon was married to Susan Addeline Vernon Neville (called Addie) in 1897. They had two children: Nancy Miriam and William Mozart. After Addie's death in 1936, Spoon married Ruth Baldwin in 1940. A daughter, Willie Ruth, was born in 1943, shortly after William L. Spoon's death.
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Scope and Content
The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence, writings, reports, blueprints, maps, and other papers of William Luther Spoon, his wife, Susan Addeline (Addie) Vernon Neville Spoon, their daughter, Nancy Miriam Spoon Alexander, and other members of the Shoffner, Spoon, and Neville families. Family correspondence includes letters between Spoon and his wife about their children, farm, saw and grist mill operations, and neighborhood affairs; letters from Spoon to his mother describing his work as a diamond drilling supervisor with the North Carolina Geological Survey, 1891-1892; and letters, 1916-1920, between the Spoons and their daughter, Nancy Miriam, when she was a student at Salem College. Spoon's professional correspondence with his supervisors, J. A. Holmes and Joseph Hyde Pratt of the North Carolina Geological Survey, and Logan W. Page, Vernon M. Peirce, and E. W. James of the Office of Public Roads, concerns his assignments, administrative matters, and expenses. Other papers relating to Spoon's career as an engineer include reports road crew supervisors made to him on road work and costs; Spoon's reports to the Office of Public Roads, United States Department of Agriculture, about trips he made promoting good roads; contractors' estimates for costs of road construction; diagrams, sketches, and notes concerning road construction projects; blueprints; and maps of the North Carolina highway system. Also included in the collection are genealogical notes; household account books; a record book of the Woman's Home Missionary Auxiliary, Mt. Pleasant Church, 1910; photographs and negatives; and other miscellaneous papers and volumes.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Includes personal and professional correspondence of William L. Spoon. Personal correspondence is chiefly between Spoon and his first wife, Susan Addeline Vernon Neville Spoon, during periods of seperation. Their letters discuss family matters; farm procedures, yields, and labor problems; saw and grist mill operations; and neighborhood affairs. There is little discussion in these letters of Spoon's work as a highway engineer. There are also numerous personal letters between Spoon and his mother Nancy Stafford Spoon Shoffner prior to his marriage. These describe his work as a diamond drilling supervisor with the North Carolina Geological Survey, 1891-1892, and his sojourns in Texas, 1895 and 1896. There are also letters between the Spoons and their daughter Nancy Miriam, during her childhood and while she was a student at Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C. Also included in the personal correspondence, are scattered family letters to Nancy Stafford Spoon Shoffner and to Susan Addeline Vernon Neville Spoon. Among additional personal correspondents are Mary Jane Cheek, W. A. Erwin, LaCoste Evans, Caleb G. Cates, Cyrus Kehr, C. M. Scott, J. B. Robertson, J. E. Stafford, and Howard E. Rondthaler.
Professional correspondence is chiefly concerned with William L. Spoon's assignments, administrative matters connected to his position as a highway engineer, and his allocations and expenses. Among Spoon's regular correspondents are supervisors, J. A. Holmes and Joseph Hyde Pratt of the North Carolina Geological Survey, and Logan W. Page, Vernon M. Peirce, and E. W. James of the Office of Public Roads. There are also several letters directed to county commissioners and to road machine and bridge construction firms, particularly the Good Roads Machinery Company of Kennett Square, Pa., and the Virginia Bridge and Iron Company.
| Folder 1a |
Original finding aid #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 1aIncludes genealogical charts for the Stafford-Isley families and Spoon-Neville families. |
| Folder 1 |
1858-1887 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 1 |
| Folder 2 |
1888 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 2 |
| Folder 3 |
1889 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 3 |
| Folder 4 |
1890 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 4 |
| Folder 5-8 |
1891 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 5-8Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8 |
| Folder 9-14 |
1892 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 9-14Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14 |
| Folder 15-17 |
1893 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 15-17Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
| Folder 18-19 |
1894 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 18-19Folder 18Folder 19 |
| Folder 20-23 |
1895 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 20-23Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23 |
| Folder 24-32 |
1896 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 24-32Folder 24Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32 |
| Folder 33-37 |
1897 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 33-37Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36Folder 37 |
| Folder 38-46 |
1898 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 38-46Folder 38Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46 |
| Folder 47-54 |
1899 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 47-54Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54 |
| Folder 55-59 |
1900 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 55-59Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59 |
| Folder 60-71 |
1901 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 60-71Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71 |
| Folder 72-79 |
1902 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 72-79Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78Folder 79 |
| Folder 80-89 |
1903 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 80-89Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89 |
| Folder 90-99 |
1904 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 90-99Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99 |
| Folder 100-113 |
1905 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 100-113Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112Folder 113 |
| Folder 114-130 |
1906 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 114-130Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130 |
| Folder 131-164 |
1907 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 131-164Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164 |
| Folder 165-212 |
1908 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 165-212Folder 165Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172Folder 173Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210Folder 211Folder 212 |
| Folder 213-233 |
1909 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 213-233Folder 213Folder 214Folder 215Folder 216Folder 217Folder 218Folder 219Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224Folder 225Folder 226Folder 227Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233 |
| Folder 234-252 |
1910 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 234-252Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243Folder 244Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249Folder 250Folder 251Folder 252 |
| Folder 253-279 |
1911 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 253-279Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255Folder 256Folder 257Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279 |
| Folder 280 |
Material on Richard Neville Case, November-December 1911 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 280 |
| Folder 281-302 |
1912 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 281-302Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294Folder 295Folder 296Folder 297Folder 298Folder 299Folder 300Folder 301Folder 302 |
| Folder 303-327 |
1913 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 303-327Folder 303Folder 304Folder 305Folder 306Folder 307Folder 308Folder 309Folder 310Folder 311Folder 312Folder 313Folder 314Folder 315Folder 316Folder 317Folder 318Folder 319Folder 320Folder 321Folder 322Folder 323Folder 324Folder 325Folder 326Folder 327 |
| Folder 328-346 |
1914 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 328-346Folder 328Folder 329Folder 330Folder 331Folder 332Folder 333Folder 334Folder 335Folder 336Folder 337Folder 338Folder 339Folder 340Folder 341Folder 342Folder 343Folder 344Folder 345Folder 346 |
| Folder 347-363 |
1915 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 347-363Folder 347Folder 348Folder 349Folder 350Folder 351Folder 352Folder 353Folder 354Folder 355Folder 356Folder 357Folder 358Folder 359Folder 360Folder 361Folder 362Folder 363 |
| Folder 364-377 |
1916 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 364-377Folder 364Folder 365Folder 366Folder 367Folder 368Folder 369Folder 370Folder 371Folder 372Folder 373Folder 374Folder 375Folder 376Folder 377 |
| Folder 378-387 |
1917 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 378-387Folder 378Folder 379Folder 380Folder 381Folder 382Folder 383Folder 384Folder 385Folder 386Folder 387 |
| Folder 388-395 |
1918 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 388-395Folder 388Folder 389Folder 390Folder 391Folder 392Folder 393Folder 394Folder 395 |
| Folder 396-405 |
1919 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 396-405Folder 396Folder 397Folder 398Folder 399Folder 400Folder 401Folder 402Folder 403Folder 404Folder 405 |
| Folder 406-412 |
1920 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 406-412Folder 406Folder 407Folder 408Folder 409Folder 410Folder 411Folder 412 |
| Folder 413 |
1921 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 413 |
| Folder 414 |
1922 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 414 |
| Folder 415 |
1923 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 415 |
| Folder 416-419 |
1924 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 416-419Folder 416Folder 417Folder 418Folder 419 |
| Folder 420 |
1925 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 420 |
| Folder 421 |
1926 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 421 |
| Folder 422-423 |
1927 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 422-423Folder 422Folder 423 |
| Folder 424 |
1928 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 424 |
| Folder 425 |
1929 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 425 |
| Folder 426 |
1930 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 426 |
| Folder 427 |
1931 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 427 |
| Folder 428-429 |
1932 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 428-429Folder 428Folder 429 |
| Folder 430 |
1933 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 430 |
| Folder 431-432 |
1934 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 431-432Folder 431Folder 432 |
| Folder 433 |
1935 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 433 |
| Folder 434 |
1936-1937 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 434 |
| Folder 435 |
1938 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 435 |
| Folder 436 |
1939 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 436 |
| Folder 437 |
1940 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 437 |
| Folder 438 |
1941 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 438 |
| Folder 439 |
1942 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 439 |
| Folder 440 |
1947 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 440 |
| Folder 441 |
1957 #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 441 |
| Folder 442-443 |
Undated #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 442-443Folder 442Folder 443 |
| Folder 444 |
Fragments #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 444 |
| Folder 445-446 |
Greeting cards #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 445-446Folder 445Folder 446 |
| Folder 447-448 |
Invitations, announcements, and calling cards #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 447-448Folder 447Folder 448 |
| Folder 449-450 |
Postcards #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 449-450Folder 449Folder 450 |
| Folder 451-458a |
1904 Letter of Inquiry: Good Roads Supporters #04009, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1858-1957 and undated." Folder 451-458aFolder 451 |
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Series 2. Miscellaneous Papers
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Subseries 2.1. Non-Professional Papers, 1797-1968.
Includes copies of William L. Spoon's writings, both literary and expository; items relating to his daughter Nancy Miriam's education; deeds, plats, and descriptions of land parcels owned by Spoon and his relatives; financial papers, including bills, receipts, tax returns, and material relating to Spoons' application for a Federal Farm Loan in the 1930s; genealogical notes on the Spoon, Stafford, Shoffner, Vogelman, Vestal, Isley,Ingle, Noe, and Greeson families; descriptions, diagrams, and letters patent for some of Spoon's inventions; legal papers; Alamance County (N.C.) Superior Court vouchers; copies of a few public highway bills presented to the North Carolina General Assembly; weaving patterns; and other miscellaneous items.
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Subseries 2.2. Professional Papers, 1886-1936.
Includes material relating to William L. Spoon's professional career as an engineer and good roads advocate, including reports, contractors' estimates, and other items.
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Subseries 2.3. Printed Material and Photographs
Includes obituaries of both William L. Spoon and his uncle William Luther Spoon Sr.; newspaper clippings about Spoon's work with the Good Roads movement; brochures, leaflets, postcards, and other items about Pilot Mountain, Surry County, N.C.; and other items.
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Series 3. Volumes, 1802-1942 and undated.
The bulk of the volumes in this collection are memorandum books kept by William L. Spoon in which he jotted down random notes about his personal and professional life, including his activities, expenses, and itineraries, as well as notes on farm business and road construction. There are also a number of cross section and field books containing diagrams, sketches, and notes concerning specific road construction projects. Other volumes include auto mileage records; farm produce sales records; ledgers belonging to William Luther Spoon, Addie (Neville) Spoon, Nancy Shoffner, and Georg Spoon; professional expense records; records of diamond drilling progress in North Carolina; school notebooks; and time records. Miscellaneous volumes include genealogical notes; copies of lectures Spoon delivered; an address book of Addie (Neville) Spoon; a record of Pilot Mountain gate receipts for 1933; two household account books of Addie (Neville) Spoon; an inventory for the firm of Spoon and Lewis, 1938; record of the Woman's Home Missionary Auxiliary, Mt. Pleasant Church, 1910; and one printed volume of testimony in a 1905 lawsuit involving one of Spoon's patents.
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Series 4. Maps, Blueprints, and Industrial Diagrams
The bulk of the blueprints relate to road construction. Maps are primarily of North Carolina's highway system.
| Oversize Paper Folder OPF-4009/1a-3a |
Maps, blueprints, and industrial diagrams #04009, Series: "4. Maps, Blueprints, and Industrial Diagrams" OPF-4009/1a-3a |
| Extra Oversize Paper Folder X-OPF-4009/1 |
Maps, blueprints, and industrial diagrams #04009, Series: "4. Maps, Blueprints, and Industrial Diagrams" X-OPF-4009/1 |
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Items Separated
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, April 2010
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
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