Manuscripts

The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections & University Archives is proud to announce that it will be the repository for the archive of the Eastern Music Festival (EMF). EMF, established in 1962 in Greensboro, North Carolina, is nationally acclaimed not only as a celebration of classical music, but also for its music education camp. The festival attracted world-class artists, many of whom shared their musical expertise by teaching master classes to the approximately 200 students who participated each year. For five weeks each year, the EMF treated the Triad community to spectacular performances of internationally renowned musicians.  

The EMF collection contains a complete record of the music recital programs for the festival, as well as scrapbooks, photographs, and news clippings. Additionally, the collection contains recordings by student, faculty, and guest artists. The Eastern Music Festival Records join the prestigious music collections of the UNCG Special Collections & University Archives, which includes the records of the North Carolina Music Educators Association Records, the collection of Metropolitan Opera’s piano accompanist George Darden, North Carolina composer Harold Schiffman’s archive, the manuscripts and papers of former Greensboro Symphony Orchestra conductor Peter Paul Fuchs, and the UNCG Cello Music Collection. 

Rare Books

Culinary History

200 Years of Black Cookery

200 Years of Black Cookery is a cookbook primarily researched, written, and compiled by Bea Moten (later Moten-Foster), a trailblazing African American journalist. She served as chair of an Indianapolis committee dedicated to honoring Black Americans during the nation’s bicentennial celebration. Bea Moten-Foster was the first Black woman to be a radio announcer and television host in Indianapolis. She previously founded and published the Black newspaper Muncie Times, and hosted a radio show in New York.

Reflections of an African American Kitchen

Reflections of an African American Kitchen is a comprehensive collection of recipes, stories, and traditions that celebrate the rich heritage of African American cuisine. Featuring over 100 recipes, it offers a diverse selection of traditional dishes and contemporary variations, making it a valuable resource for documenting culinary history.

A Fire in the Kitchen

A Fire in the Kitchen is the autobiography of Florence White, the founder of the English Folk Cookery Association. She established the association in 1928 and published Good Things in England in 1932, which served as her overview of the value of traditional English cuisine. Her work aligned with a broader folk movement, contributing to a renewed appreciation for England’s cultural culinary traditions.

Juvenile Literature Collection

Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales

Aside from a few occasional printings of individual stories, this is the first comprehensive published collection of West African folk tales, featuring multiple appearances of the character Anansi, here referred to as “Mr. Spider.” The compilers, who gathered these stories from children attending a mission school in Africa, have preserved the tales in the West African dialect and emphasize in their preface that they have not altered either the spirit or the content of the stories.

8192 Têtes Folles : Animées par 32 dessins

A flip-section book that allows users to create thousands of cartoon figures from 32 three-part pages of designs. The text inside and outside the covers is in French; the content features only cartoons without additional text.

The Victory March, Or, the Mystery of the Treasure Chest

This book was developed and published to encourage children’s participation in the home front war effort by collecting Savings Stamps, which could then be exchanged for $25 Series E War Bonds. It features nearly every major Disney character of the era, illustrating their efforts to assist Donald Duck in recovering and safeguarding a treasure chest (represented by the 10-cent stamp) from the Big Bad Wolf and two other characters depicted as Nazi and Japanese agents. Additional characters included are Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goofy, Casey Junior, Dumbo, Pluto, the Three Little Pigs, Jiminy Cricket, and others.

Works Documenting Revolutions and Uprisings

A Visit to Colombia in the Years 1822 and 1823 by Laguayra and Caracas, over the Cordillera to Bogota, and thence by the Magdalena to Cartagena

William Duane, an Irish-American journalist and editor of the Democratic newspaper Aurora, traveled to newly independent Colombia to secure payment for arms and supplies delivered to Bolívar’s revolutionaries by Philadelphia merchant Jacob Idler. He offers detailed observations on social conditions and politics, as well as local flora, and consistently emphasizes the potential commercial and political significance of South America for the United States, reflecting the emerging American policy later known as the Monroe Doctrine.

The Cruise of the Pearl Round the World, With an Account of the Operations of the Naval Brigade in India

Williams served as the chaplain aboard HMS Pearl, whose crew was mobilized to assist in suppressing the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After departing for South America, the crew experienced an incident when they were boarded during an uprising in Peru. The vessel then traveled to Honolulu and the Sandwich Islands. While docked in Hong Kong, the crew received news of the rebellion in India. Subsequently, alongside HMS Shannon, the ship was dispatched to Calcutta.

Mary Shelley’s First Published Book

History of a Six Weeks’ Tour: Through a part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland: with letters descriptive of a sail round the lake of Geneva, and of the Glaciers of Chamouni

First edition of Mary Shelley’s debut book. The History of a Six Weeks’ Tour was compiled by Mary during her residence at Marlowe, where she also completed her work on Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which was published on January 1, 1818. Similar to Frankenstein, the book was initially published anonymously; however, this edition notably features many of the contributors’ names handwritten in pencil by an early owner.

The volume includes Mary’s eighty-one-page journal documenting her travels across Europe following her elopement with Percy Shelley, alongside her stepsister Claire Clairmont. These entries cover their journey from July to September 1814. The book also incorporates letters exchanged between Mary and Percy, including his correspondence to Thomas Love Peacock, detailing their second European visit in the summer of 1816—specifically around Lake Geneva and the Chamouni Valley in Switzerland—an expedition that inspired Mary’s creation of Frankenstein. The final addition is Shelley’s compelling and enigmatic poem “Mont Blanc,” which appears here for the first time in printed form.

Special Collections

Recent Additions to SC 0014 Performing Arts Collection

Program for Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones is a groundbreaking musical by Oscar Hammerstein II that reimagines Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen with an all-Black cast and a contemporary American setting. Originally produced by Billy Rose and directed by Hassard Short, Carmen Jones premiered on Broadway in 1943 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Hammerstein’s adaptation relocated the original story from Seville, Spain to the American South during World War II, focusing on the lives of African American characters working in a parachute factory and serving in the U.S. Army.

The booklet features detailed production stills and portraits, along with a synopsis of the two-act story and biographical information on Oscar Hammerstein II and producer Billy Rose. Hammerstein’s adaptation not only emphasized racial representation but also highlighted the importance of providing operatic and theatrical opportunities for Black performers during a period of limited access in mainstream theater. Carmen Jones was both a critical and commercial success, widely praised for challenging racial barriers on the American stage and for showcasing Black talent in leading roles beyond stereotypical portrayals.

This program offers a valuable and historically significant overview of one of Broadway’s earliest and most influential all-Black musicals, marking a key moment in the development of American theater and cultural history.

Pressbook for the film Native Son

Richard Wright initially envisioned Canada Lee starring in the adaptation of his acclaimed novel, Native Son, for which Wright wrote the dialogue and collaborated on the screenplay with director Pierre Chenal. However, this plan did not come to fruition, and ultimately, Wright played the lead role of Bigger Thomas himself. The film had a limited release in the United States, and this promotional book for the production is uncommon.

Theatre Window Card for Sweet Charity

Debbie Allen received a Tony Award nomination for her starring role in the 1986 production of Sweet Charity. The production was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and it was a revival of the 1966 musical, which Fosse originally created twenty years earlier.

Poster for Torch Song Trilogy

Original poster for the Broadway production of this play, written by and starring Harvey Fierstein, which won him two Tony Awards: for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play.

Poster for Grind

Grind is a musical production with a book by Fay Kanin, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh. The show features a predominantly African American cast performing at a burlesque venue in Chicago in the 1930s, with Ben Vereen among the cast members. It received seven Tony Award nominations and was honored with two awards.

University Archives

Portrait of Sally Lee Schindel Cone

This beautiful portrait of Sally Cone was recently transferred to the University Archives from the Foust Building. Sally Cone, and her husband Alan, were an important part of the UNC Greensboro community and we are very proud to have her portrait in the Archives. She passed away at Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro, NC on January 17, 2020. Her obituary can be found here.

Vintage Postcards of Campus

The University Archives recently received two vintage postcards depicting the Administration Building (now the Foust Building) and the Carnegie Library (now the Forney Building). Donated by the family of Class of 1945 alumna Esther Livengood Irby of Burlington, North Carolina, these items add valuable visual context to the institution’s early history.

Published by the College Bookstore, these postcards offer a visual record of the campus during the Woman’s College era (1932–1963). The Carnegie Library image can be dated before 1950, prior to the library’s relocation to its current site. Likewise, the postcard labeled “Administration Building” predates 1960, the year the structure was officially renamed in honor of Julius Foust.

Textiles and Artifacts from Kathleen McGirty

Kathleen McGirty, the Assistant Director of the EUC, recently retired and transferred some wonderful items to the Archives, including T-Shirts representing many years of UNC Greensboro’s blood drives. McGirty oversaw the blood drives for several years and praised the efforts of campus blood donors. Other donated artifacts included pins, stickers, buttons, and other student-related material.

UNC Greensboro Athletics Trophies and Plaques

The UNC Greensboro Athletics Department recently transferred several trophies and plaques to the Archives. These amazing artifacts reflect the deep and abiding history of campus athletics.

Women Veterans Historical Project

Unknown Texas Border War U.S. Army Nurse Photograph Album

In 1917, the U.S. was involved in territorial disputes with Mexico. This album was compiled by an unknown U.S. Army Nurse who was stationed in 1917 at Fort Sam Houston and Kelly Air Field in Texas, and Camp Cody, New Mexico. The photograph album documents Army camp life at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Kelly, Texas, and Camp Cody, New Mexico, during the heart of the Texas Border War in 1917, and during training for World War I. The photographs from Fort Sam Houston include images of the base hospital, an elevated view of the barracks, the nurses’ quarters, the parade grounds, and a field hospital.

Gladys E. Sayer Scrapbook

This scrapbook was compiled by a U.S. Navy WAVE during 1943-1945. Gladys Ellen Sayre (1917-1992), of Chicago, Illinois, served as a Yeoman in the United States Navy WAVES from 1943-1946. This 1943-1945 scrapbook documents Sayre’s time as a WAVE, including her training at Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, OK. Also included are copies of WAVES newsletters “Bright Work” and “Conning Tower.”

Kadence in the Kitchen: Manual from Sub-School for Bakers and Cooks, First WAC Training Center, Fort Des Moines, Iowa

This 1943 training manual includes information about cooking terms, work sheets, menus with timetables, food preparation, sanitation, conserving meat, frozen foods, salad making, converting to a different number of servings, reconstituting dehydrated foods, breadmaking, altitude adjustments, figuring cost of one ration, the rations system, duties of the Kitchen Police (their work, prep, cooking, waste & garbage, storage & equipment), table of food yields, and other topics.

WWI U.S. Army Nurse Betsy Bertha Blake Papers

Betsy Bertha Blake (1891-1937), of Ann Arbor, Michigan, served as a U.S. Army Nurse in France during World War I from 1918-1919. The collection includes an itinerary of dates and other information about her postings at military hospitals in the U.S. and France, a typewritten letter describing the bad conditions in France, and a War Risk Insurance Compensation document.

1952 Lackland Air Force Base Shavetail Yearbook

This yearbook includes material about the WAFs (Women in the Air Force) who were stationed at Lackland in 1952.