Happy Holidays from Atkins Library!
Adopt a Map for Atkins!
Students, scholars, and community members ask about maps more than any other type of historical material in Special Collections and University Archives. You can help us share local history by sponsoring the purchase of a unique map to add to our collections.
Mecklenburg County survey maps from the early-to-mid twentieth century, now available for purchase, each tell the story of a particular place. Homes, churches, farms, factories, textile mills, speedways, and other businesses are shown, as are the locations of roads, rivers, streams, and property lines. Each map is hand-drawn, signed, and detailed, many with unique, ornate compass roses and other aesthetic features.
Landowners and county officials relied upon these maps to settle land disputes, undertake development projects, and provide information about places. They give us valuable information about how land has been used, many depicting locations that have been developed and redeveloped since the maps were drawn.
The maps are for sale individually at prices that range from about $250 to $1000 each, depending upon date, size, condition, paper quality, and aesthetic features. If you would like to see a list of the maps and the locations they cover, please contact Associate Dean Dawn Schmitz at dawn.schmitz@uncc.edu or 704-687-1674.
Image: Detail of map of Louise Mills property, 1907.
Recorded Talk with Caldecott Winner Now Available
Atkins recorded the November 8th discussion with Professor Mark West and Gail Haley, the local author and illustrator who won the Caldecott Medal in 1971 for her children’s book, A Story A Story. Prof. West talked with Haley about her life and artistry.
A Unique Gift Idea
Capture the stories of your friends and family for the holidays! As part of its mission to preserve and share the history of Charlotte, Atkins has conducted oral history projects since the 1970s. Life & Legacy Personal Histories is a philanthropy program that offers you the opportunity to support our community-engaged oral history projects while preserving your own family's history.
- Select a family member, friend, or colleague whose stories and recollections you would love to preserve for posterity.
- We will conduct and record a 1-hour interview to professional standards.
- We will send the recording to the interviewee in a handsome package that includes instructions on how to preserve the recording for generations to come.
- We request a gift of at least $1,500 to our oral history fund for each interview.
For more information on the Life & Legacy Personal Stories Philanthropy Program, contact Dawn Schmitz, Associate Dean for Special Collections & University Archives, Dawn.Schmitz@uncc.edu or 704-687-1674.