The Industrial History of North Carolina:
A Research Guide

Since formal industries in North Carolina began to replace small, subsistance agriculture in the ninteenth century, the history of North Carolina has been inextricably tied to industrial development. Banking, biotechnology, furniture, naval stores, textiles and tobacco are a few of the prominent industries that have shaped the state's history and cultural character.

This research guide introduces researchers to a selection of the resources available on industrial history in the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Call numbers for each resource refer to the special numbering system in the closed stacks of the North Carolina Collection. The staff at the North Carolina Collection will pull items for patrons from the stacks, as requested.

This pathfinder was created by Anne Fleming, as part of a class project in Spring 2007.

LC Subject Headings

Banks and banking -- North Carolina.
Banks and banking -- North Carolina -- History.
State Bank of North Carolina.

Resources

Powell, W. S. Beginning of Banking in North Carolina, 1804-1860. The ESC Quarterly, 7(1), 3, 1942. C331.1 N87u3

An analysis of how the banking industry began in North Carolina including the first charters- Bank of Cape Fear and Bank of New Bern, the creation of a State Bank and a state currency.

Gatton, T. H. Banking in North Carolina: A Narrative History (1st ed.). Raleigh: North Carolina Bankers Association, 1987. C332.1 G163b

An anecdotal, narrative history of banking in North Carolina and the people involved in its history, organized chronologically. There is a quick reference in back of book that includes the presidents of the North Carolina Bankers Association from 1897-1987 and lists of banks in the state for the years 1950 and 1987.

Hunter, J. O., & Wachovia Corporation. A History of Banking and Wachovia: A Course Well Charted. Winston-Salem, NC: Wachovia Corporation, 1991. Cp332.1 W11H

A publication from Wachovia Corporation, which introduces the company's history of banking in North Carolina.

North Carolina Bankers' Association. The Tarheel Banker. Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Bankers Association, 1922-1993. C332.1 T18

The official publication of the North Carolina Bankers' Association, with articles by and for professional bankers. Once a year, an official list of North Carolina Bankers' Association members is printed.

Blair, W. A., & Clark, W. A. A Historical sketch of Banking in North Carolina. New York: Arno Press, 1980. C332.1 B63h

Written by the 1899 president of the North Carolina Bankers' Association, this reprinted history examines the role of state legislation on regulating and chartering the first banks in the state.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p. 85-88. CR903 E56n

An introduction to the banking industry in North Carolina, with specific entries on: Bank of America, Bank of Cape Fear, Branch Banking and Trust Company, Central Carolina Bank & Trust Company, State Bank of North Carolina and Wachovia Corporation.

NC Industry Home

LC Subject Headings

Biotechnology -- North Carolina.
Biotechnology industries -- North Carolina -- Directories.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Resources

North Carolina Biotechnology Center [Online via http://www.ncbiotech.org/].

Private, non-profit corporation developing the state's industry. Includes glossary, range of activities, and contacts for staff at Research Triangle Park.

North Carolina Biotechnology Center. North Carolina's Biotechnology Community. Research Triangle Park, NC: The Center, 1988-95. C338.7 N87n

An annual publication that lists statistics and descriptions about biotechnology companies in North Carolina. Prior to 1996, the series is titled, North Carolina Companies in Biotechnology.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p. 121. CR903 E56n

The encyclopedia entry introduces biotechnology, the newest and fastest growing North Carolina industry.

NC Industry Home

LC Subject Headings

Furniture -- North Carolina.
Furniture industry and trade -- North Carolina.
Labor -- North Carolina -- Periodicals.

Resources

Bernice Beinenstock Furniture Library [Online via http://furniturelibrary.com/].

A library in High Point, N.C. that is "devoted to the advancement of knowledge of furniture."

North Carolina.Dept. of Labor and Printing. Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Printing of the State of North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C.: The Office Bureau Labor Statistics, 1887-1972.
C331 N87L

Published annually from 1887-1972, this report lists statistics on furniture factories within each North Carolina county. Employee and wage information is also included. After the 1930s, the reports become more general and do not contain industry-specific information.

Southern Furniture Journal Co. Southern Furniture Journal. High Point, N.C.: Southern Furniture Journal Co.C684 S72h

This journal published for the furniture manufacturers, dealers and supply houses in Southern and Southeastern States, is comprised of articles and advertisements that influenced the industry.

Drexel Enterprises. Sixty years of progress in the making of fine furniture, 1903-1963. Drexel, North Carolina: Drexel Enterprises, 1963. C684.1 D77r

The history of Drexel Enterprises, one of the largest furniture manufacturers in North Carolina, from 1903-1963.

High Point Chamber of Commerce. The Building and the Builders of a City. High Point, N.C.: Hall Printing Co., 1947. C971.41 H63h2

This history of High Point, N.C. lists the furniture manufacturing plants in the city from 1900-1922.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p. 483-87. CR903 E56n

An introduction to the furniture industry in North Carolina, with specific entries on: Broyhill Furniture, Drexel Furniture Company, International Home Furnishings Market and White Furniture Company. The list of North Carolina's largest-grossing furniture companies in 2004 is also included in the entry.

NC Industry Home

LC Subject Headings

Labor -- North Carolina -- Periodicals.
Naval stores -- North Carolina.
Naval stores industry -- North Carolina -- History.
Turpentine industry and trade -- North Carolina.

Resources

Outland, R. B. Tapping the Pines: The Naval Stores Industry in the American South. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2004. C634.986 O94t

A social and environmental history of naval stores, the South's oldest industry.

Outland, R. B. Suicidal Harvest: The Self-destruction of North Carolina's Naval Stores industry.North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. 78, no. 3 (July 2001). Cp970 N87hi v. 78 no. 3

An analysis of the naval stores industry and its effect on industrial and ecological history, particularly the destruction of North Carolina's forests.

Williams, J. English mercantilism and carolina naval stores, 1705-1776. The Journal of Southern History, 1(2), 1935, p. 169-185. [For UNC affiliated users: Online via JSTOR ].

An evaluation of English mercantilism and the practice of providing bounties to colonies for ship materials (Act of Parliament 1705) and how this affected the development of the naval stores industry in the colony of North Carolina.

III, R. B. O. Slavery, work, and the geography of the North Carolina naval stores industry, 1835-1860. The Journal of Southern History, 62(1), 1996, p. 27-56. [For UNC affiliated users: Online via JSTOR ].

This article looks at the harsh and difficult and unique conditions of slave labor in the naval stores industry in North Carolina from 1835-60.

North Carolina.Dept. of Labor and Printing, Daniels, J., Stewart, M. I., Barnes, G. V., Uzzell, E. M., North Carolina, et al. Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of North Carolina. Raleigh: Office Bureau Labor Statistics, 1887. C331 N87L

This report lists statistics on the naval stores industry within each North Carolina county. Employee and wage information is also included.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p.783-84. CR903 E56n

This encyclopedia entry features the naval stores industry in North Carolina: the production of tar, pitch and turpentine from the 1720 through the Civil War.

NC Industry Home

LC Subject Headings

Cotton manufacture -- North Carolina.
Mills and mill-work -- North Carolina.
Textile factories -- North Carolina.
Textile industry -- North Carolina.
Textile industry -- North Carolina -- History.

Resources

Clark Publishing Co. Clark's Directory of Southern Textile Mills. Charlotte, N.C.: Clark Pub. Co., 1912-1950. C677 C58

Clark's is an annual publication that contains information on textile mills in the state of North Carolina. Statistics for each company include: capital, product produced and names of the board of directors.

North Carolina Dept. of Labor. Directory of Manufacturing Firms, North Carolina. Durham: Division of Statistics, North Carolina Dept. of Labor, 1944-1968. C670 N87c1

This annual publication from the North Carolina Department of Labor has statistics on of textile mills and companies for each year.

North Carolina Dept. of Labor and Printing. Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Printing of the State of North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C.: Office Bureau Labor Statistics, 1887-1972. C331 N87L

Published annually from 1887-1972, this report lists statistics on textile factories within each North Carolina county. Employee and wage information is also included. After the 1930s, the reports become more general and do not contain industry-specific information.

Clark, D. Textile Bulletin. Charlotte, N.C.: Clark Pub. Co. 1911-1933.C677 T35b

Formerly called Southern Textile Bulletin, this weekly periodical for the textile industry that consists of employment ads for mill positions, advertisements for textile production products and articles on the industry.

Glass, B. D. The Textile Industry in North Carolina: A History. Raleigh: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1992.C677 G54t

A narrative history that combines research and oral histories of the textile industry in North Carolina, from the the early years to the present.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p.1111-1114. CR903 E56n

This encyclopedia entry follows the history of the textile industry, one of the most important products in North Carolina since the nineteenth century.

NC Industry Home

LC Subject Headings

Tobacco -- North Carolina.
Tobacco -- North Carolina -- History.
Tobacco industry -- North Carolina.
Tobacco industry -- North Carolina -- Periodicals.

Resources

Brooks, J. E. The Mighty Leaf: Tobacco Through the Centuries (1st ed.). Boston: Little, Brown, 1952. C679 B87m

An historical overview of the tobacco industry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Tilley, N. M. The Bright-Tobacco Industry, 1860-1929. Chapel Hill: Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1948. C679 T57b

A history of the manufacture of tobacco from 1860-1929 , which highlights North Carolina's ascent as leader in the industry.

Southern Trade Publications, Co. The Southern Tobacco Journal. Greensboro, N.C.: Southern Trade Publications Co., 1923-1978. FC633 S72

This periodical was published for the members of the tobacco industry in the region. Advertisements, articles and columns focus on the interests of tobacco growers and manufacturers.

North Carolina Dept. of Labor and Printing. Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Printing of the State of North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C.: Office Bureau Labor Statistics, 1887-1972. C331 N87L

Published annually from 1887-1972, this report lists statistics on tobacco factories within each North Carolina county. Employee and wage information is also included. After the 1930s, the reports become more general and do not contain industry-specific information

American Tobacco Company. The American Tobacco Story. [New York] : American Tobacco Co., c1962. Cp679.1 A51

A history of the evolution of The American Tobacco Company.

Tilley, N. M. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. C679.1 R45t

The history of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and how it developed into a leading tobacco manufacturer in the United States.

Brooks, J. E., & North Carolina. Green Leaf and Gold :Tobacco in North Carolina. Raleigh: State Dept. of Archives and History, 1962. Cp 679 B87g

A history of the tobacco industry in North Carolina, published jointly by the State Department of Archives and History and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Powell, W. S., Mazzocchi, J., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p. 1120-24. CR903 E56n

This encyclopedia entry gives a synopsis of how this major industry began in North Carolina, focusing especially on the rise of "big tobacco" following the Civil War.

NC Industry Home

Images

"The People's Trust Co., Roxboro, N.C.", Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

"[Burroughs Wellcome Co.]", Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

"[High Point, North Carolina]", Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

"Turpentine Still, Fayetteville, N.C.", Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

"White Oak Cotton Mills, Greensboro, N.C.," Guilford County, North Carolina Postcard Collection (P052), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

"Reidsville Plant of the American Tobacco Company, Reidsville, N.C.", Rockingham County, North Carolina Postcard Collection (P052), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.

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