| Title: | Dallas W. Newsom and Dorothy Newsom Rankin Collection | |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1913, 1930-1990 | |
| Extent of Materials: | 10 boxes (6 linear feet) | |
| Location: | Office Shelves 46-49 and Map Cabinet Drawer 11 | |
| Donor: | Dallas W. Newsom and Dorothy Newsom Rankin | |
| Processor: | Todd Johnson. Updated by Amy McDonald, 2011. | |
| Subject Headings: | Choral Society of Durham. | |
| Community life -- North Carolina -- Durham. | ||
| County government -- North Carolina. | ||
| Durham (N.C.) -- Economic conditions | ||
| Durham (N.C.) -- History | ||
| Artifacts. | ||
| Clippings. | ||
| Ephemera. | ||
| Photographs. | ||
| Abstract: | Clippings, subject files, and miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera collected by Dallas W. Newsom, Durham county manager in 1930s and 1940s, and his daughter, civic leader and local historian/preservationist Dorothy Newsom Rankin. | |
| Scope and Content: | The bulk of materials from Dallas W. Newsom’s collection consists of clippings and subject files related to Durham County government during the Great Depression and World War II years. This material has particular research potential for scholars interested in relief efforts during the Depression, the beginnings of Raleigh-Durham Airport, and the inner workings of county government. The Dorothy N. Rankin files provide extensive material on Durham local history. Especially noteworthy are a history she compiled on the Southern Conservatory of Music in Durham and a collection of Durham historical photographs. | |
| Related Materials: | D. W. Newsom papers, circa 1890-1950 and undated (bulk 1929-1948). David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. | |
| Robert S. Rankin Papers, 1898-1977. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. | ||
| Restrictions: | The collection is open for research. | |
| Biographical/Historical Note: | Dallas Walton Newsom was born October 24, 1873, in Littleton, Warren County, North Carolina. He attended Cedar Grove School and Littleton High School and Business Institute, assisting in the teaching of several subjects. In 1895 he entered Trinity College (now Duke University) in Durham, and was soon working as secretary to President John C. Kilgo. During his senior year he was president of his class and editor of The Trinity Archive, a literary magazine. After graduating from Trinity, Mr. Newsom spent a year in Havana, Cuba, as secretary to the U.S. Comptroller of Customs. He returned to Durham in 1901 as registrar at Trinity, and in 1907 he was appointed treasurer as well. He was also a poet and writer who composed lyrics for a town song, “In Old Bull Durham Town,” in the 1930s. | |
| On September 14, 1905, Mr. Newsom married Tempie Battle (1881-1941), a voice teacher at the Southern Conservatory of Music. The couple had four children: D.W. Newsom, Jr. (died 1962); Routh Battle Newsom (died 1910); Dorothy Newsom (died 2002); and Tempie Garrett Newsom. | ||
| In 1923 Mr. Newsom left Trinity and began his own real estate and insurance business. He was elected secretary and president of the Durham Real Estate Board and was active in affairs of the community and the Methodist Church. He served as a county commissioner from 1924 until 1930. On August 8, 1930, he was appointed the first county manager of Durham County, and held that post in exemplary fashion until his death on February 21, 1949. | ||
| Dorothy Newsom Rankin (1911-2002), daughter of D. W. Newsom, was a local civic leader and historic preservationist. She was married to Duke University political science professor Robert S. Rankin. She was active in Durham's cultural and musical life; among her activities in this area, she sang as an alto in, and held several leadership offices with, the Durham Civic Choral Society (now the Choral Society of Durham) for over 40 years. | ||
| Reference: Information in the above biographical note was taken from the detailed biographical introduction to Mr. Newsom’s Along the Silent Ways. This book is a collection of his poems, edited by his daughters, Dorothy Newsom Rankin and Tempie Newsom Prouty, and published in 1973, the 100th anniversary of his birth. | ||
| Condition Notes: | Clippings found in this collection were photocopied and then discarded. Many of the materials in the 2010 accession have been damaged by water and mold growth. Care should be used when handling this fragile paper. | |
| Organization of Collection: | 1. Dallas W. Newsom Papers | |
| 2. Dorothy N. Rankin Papers | ||
| 3. Dorothy N. Rankin Papers, 2010 Accession | ||
| Container List: | Dallas W. Newsom Papers | |
| Box 1 | ||
| Collection Information Folder | ||
Contains biographical information about D. W. Newsom and inventory lists detailing several of the accessions that make up the collection. |
||
| Subject Files | ||
| ABC Board | 1936-1947 | |
| Agriculture, State & County | 1932-1939 | |
| Agriculture, State & County | 1940-1945 | |
| Agriculture, Farmers Mutual Exchange | 1930-1947 | |
| Agriculture, U.S.D.A. | 1939-1944 | |
| Airport/Airline Companies (2 folders) | 1934-1947 | |
| Bonds | 1937, 1941 | |
| Cattle Publications | 1939-40, 1955 | |
Includes North Carolina Cow Sale brochure, September 28, 1955; reprint of "Eastern States Herefords" from The American Hereford Journal, September 1, 1939 issue; and The American Hereford Journal, March 15, 1940 and April 1, 1940 issues. |
||
| Civilian Conservation Corps | 1934-1939 | |
| City Canning Program | 1943 | |
| County Fairs | 1936-1946 | |
| "Survey of County Homes in North Carolina" | 1938 | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Courts: Juvenile Court: Monthly/Annual Reports | 1935-1942 | |
| Courts: Juvenile Court: Clippings and Miscellaneous | 1934-1945 | |
| Courts: Recorder's Court Reports (two folders) | 1931-1948 | |
| Foreclosures and Tax Liens | 1934-1940 | |
| Grand Jury | 1932-1947 | |
| Home Guard | 1940-1941 | |
| Hospitals: Insurance and Indigent Care | 1933-1946 | |
| Hospitals: Duke, Lincoln, McPherson, Watts | 1934-1944 | |
| Hospitals: Lincoln Hospital | 1952-1953 | |
Blueprint of Nurseries, February 25, 1952, removed to Newsom Oversize Folder 1 |
||
| Hospitals: Watts Hospital | 1953 | |
Contains program from Watts Hospital dedication ceremony, December 20, 1953 |
||
| Box 3 | ||
| Recorder's Court: Clippings | 1934-1939 | |
| Superior Court | 1934-1943 | |
| Taxes | 1927-1935 | |
| Taxes | 1936-1943 | |
| Durham County Tuberculosis Sanitorium | 1943-1944 | |
Blueprint of Colored Help's Living Quarters, 1944, removed to Newsom Oversize Folder 1 |
||
| Unemployables | 1935 | |
| Valuation (Durham County) | 1933-1942 | |
| Box 4 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 1932-1940 and undated | |
| Work Projects Administration | 1935-1941 | |
| Annual Statement, Durham County | 1931-1932 | |
| Bills of Materal for Privies | undated | |
| Correspondence | 1943-1946 | |
| City Hall Newsletter, Vol. 1, no. 4 | September 1943 | |
| Durham Chamber of Commerce Annual Report | 1944 | |
| Durham Tobacco Festival & Fair, 1938 Yearbook | 1938 | |
| Durham Jaycee Record, Vol. 1, no. 4 | November 8, 1939 | |
| Durham Y.M.C.A. Annual Report | 1935 | |
| Proposed Consolidation of City and County Government, Durham Chamber of Commerce | December 1932 | |
| Talks given by D. W. Newsom as County Manager | ca. 1930s | |
| Taxpayers League | ca. 1932 | |
| Subject files-Civil Defense | ca. 1930-1950 | |
| Subject files-Clubs | ca. 1930-1950 | |
| Subject files-Festivals | ca. 1930-1950 | |
| Box 5 | ||
| Clippings | ||
| Agriculture | 1930-1934 | |
| Airport | 1931-1937 | |
| City/County Merger | 1930-1933 | |
| County Budget | 1940-1948 | |
| County Coroner | 1934-1941 and undated | |
| County Government | 1931-1937 and undated | |
| County Home/Farm | 1931-1934 | |
| County Manager (D. W. Newsom) | 1930-1948 | |
| Courts | 1931-1937 | |
| Crime | 1931-1932 | |
| Dr. Bartlett Durham's reburial | 1933 | |
| Elections | 1931-1944 | |
| Federal Government | 1933-1934 | |
| Fire Department | 1932-1989 and undated | |
| Forestry Camp | 1933-1934 and undated | |
| Great Depression Relief Work | 1931-1945 and undated | |
| Hospitals | 1932-1937 | |
| Illiteracy | 1931-1932 | |
| Library | 1931-1947 | |
| Miscellaneous | 1932-1934 | |
| Prisons/Jails | 1930-1934 | |
| Prohibition/Repeal | 1931-1937 | |
| Public Health | 1930-1934 | |
| Roads | 1930-1937 | |
| Scandals/Disputes | 1930-1934 | |
| Schools | 1931-1937 | |
| Taxes/County Finance (3 folders) | 1930-1944 | |
| Box 6 | ||
| Printed Materials, Volumes, and Oversized Materials | ||
| "In Old Bull Durham Town" sheet music | ca. 1930s | |
| County Budgets and Financial Statements | 1937-1948 | |
| D. W. Newsom Daybooks | 1935, 1938-1948 | |
| Chanticleer (Duke University yearbook) | 1913 | |
| Property Tax Listing Notice | undated | |
| Property Maps and Plats | 1934, 1938, 1956, and undated | |
Documents properties owned by Durham County, R. H. Rigsbee, and the W. T. Rigsbee Estate. |
||
| Scrapbook pages (loose) | ca. 1931 | |
Pages contain clippings from the Durham Herald and Durham Sun about Newsom's work as county manager. |
||
| Lakin, Bennie D., photograph | ||
| "For Rent" and "For Sale" Signs (2), D. W. Newsom Real Estate & Insurance | undated | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | ||
| Blueprint of Nurseries, Alterations & Additions to Lincoln Hospital | February 25, 1952 | |
| Blueprint of Colored Help's Living Quarters at Durham County Tuberculosis Sanatorium | 1944 | |
| Dorothy N. Rankin Papers | ||
| Box 7 | ||
| List of photographs and postcards in Dorothy N. Rankin's collection | 1983 | |
| Notes on Durham History | ||
| The Southern Conservatory of Music (2 folders) | undated | |
Contains Mrs. Rankin's manuscript history of the Southern Conservatory of Music |
||
| Photographs | ||
| Allen Hervey Newsom at Durham Book & Stationery Company | ca. 1910s | |
| Interior of Durham Book & Stationery Company | October 1, 1908 | |
| Eastern Airlines airmail plane, pilots, & businessmen (reproduction) | ca. 1930s-40s | |
| Printed Material | ||
| Brochures on Durham Buildings | 1989 and undated | |
| City Hall Dedication Program | 1978 | |
| Church Service Bulletins | 1930, 1940 | |
| Durham Centennial Program | 1953 | |
| Durham Citizens for One Government Brochure | 1974 | |
| Durham Council of Garden Clubs Christmas Cookbook | 1952 | |
| Durham County Centennial Program | 1981 | |
| Durham History Series Program (Friends of the Durham Library) | 1983 | |
| Durham Men's Shop Newsletter | 1932 | |
| Flora (Sarah P. Duke Gardens Newsletter) | Spring 1991 | |
| Historic Preservation Society of Durham Brochures & Event Programs | 1988, 1991, and undated | |
| North Carolina School of the Arts Capital Campaign Brochure | ca. 1980 | |
| Box 8 | ||
| Clippings | ||
| African Americans | 1991 | |
| Arts and Music | 1981-1988 | |
| Businesses | 1976-1989 | |
| Churches | 1980-1996 | |
| Development/Urban Renewal | 1949-1990 | |
| Dixon, Wyatt T., columns (2 folders) | 1957-19 | |
| Duke family and Duke Homestead | 1958-1978 and undated | |
| Duke University | 1955-1992 | |
| Eno Festival/History | ||
| Government | 1984-1989 | |
| General History | 1923-1991 | |
| Box 9 | ||
| DNR: Clippings-Fire Department | ||
| Historic Properties/Preservation | ||
| Hospitals | ||
| Lougee, George, columns | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Neighborhoods | 1980-1994 | |
| Nixon, Richard | ||
| Raleigh-Durham Airport | 1985-1989 | |
| Schools | ||
| Water Resources | 1961, 1989 | |
| Webb, Mena, columns | ||
| Dorothy N. Rankin Papers, 2010 Accession | ||
| Box 10 | ||
| Durham Civic Choral Society Materials | ||
First organized as the Durham Oratorio Society, the Durham Civic Choral Society incorporated in 1951 (and is now the Choral Society of Durham). Concerts were held frequently on the Duke University campus, in Page Auditorium, the Woman's College Auditorium (now Baldwin Auditorium), and the Duke Chapel. The society frequently performed with the North Carolina Symphony and the Raleigh Oratorio Society. |
||
| Inventory of Durham Civic Choral Society Concert Programs | ca. 1996 | |
Inactive mold has been removed (as much as possible) from several pages of Mrs. Rankin's original inventory. The paper, especially those portions that sustained water and mold damage, is fragile, so one of the two photocopied inventories should be used for study or photocopying whenever possible. Program #132 is the last one represented in the inventory. |
||
| Programs 1-10 | 1949-1953 | |
These programs cover the first four seasons of the Durham Oratorio Society / Durham Civic Choral Society |
||
| Programs 11-19 | 1953-1956 | |
| Programs 20-29 | 1956-1961 | |
| Programs 30-39 | 1961-1966 | |
| Programs 40-49 | 1966-1971 | |
| Programs 50-59 | 1971-1976 | |
Dorothy Newsom Rankin records that no concert (which she numbered as #50) was held in December 1971. |
||
| Programs 60-69 | 1976-1979 | |
| Programs 70-79 | 1979-1982 | |
| Programs 80-89 | 1983-1985 | |
| Box 11 | ||
| Programs 90-100 | 1985-1988 | |
| Programs 101-109 | 1988-1991 | |
Poster for "American Music for Christmas and Vivaldi's Magnificat," December 18, 1988 has been removed to Rankin Oversize Folder 1. |
||
| Programs 110-119 | 1991-1992 | |
| Programs 120-129 | 1993-1996 | |
| Programs 130-136 | 1996-1998 | |
The program for the society's April 5, 1997 performance has been misnumbered as program #132; it is actually program #133. |
||
| Unnumbered Programs | 1997-2008 | |
The Joy of Choral Music |
May 10, 1997 | |
The Rachmaninoff Vespers |
December 12 & 13, 1998 | |
The Berlioz Requiem |
March 27, 1999 | |
War Requiem, Benjamin Britten |
April 19 & 20, 2008 | |
| 50th Anniversary Celebration | 1999 | |
| Durham Civic Choral Society Photographs | 1949, 1993 and undated | |
1993 photograph has been removed to Rankin Oversize Folder 1. The 1949 photo is earliest photo of the Durham Oratorio Society, taken at their first concert. |
||
| Durham Civic Choral Society Miscellany | 1991 | |
Includes two performance and rehearsal schedules for the 1991-1992 season and a postcard for the 1991 DCCS Summer Sing-Through |
||
| Box 12 | ||
| Durham High School Class of 1929 Reunions | 1975-1984 | |
| Friday Morning Music Study Club | 1982 and undated | |
| Historical Sketch of the Town & Campus Club of Durham, NC | 1981 | |
| Performance of "St. Matthew's Passion" at Duke Chapel | 1980 | |
| Research Materials on History of Durham County Government | 1982 | |
| Photographs | ||
| Eno River Photographs | ca. 1918-1930 and undated | |
| D. W. Newsom with unidentified group | undated | |
| Printed Material | ||
| Calvary Methodist Church Service Bulletin | March 26, 1933 | |
The service included a performance by members of the Duke University Men's Glee Club. |
||
| Carolina Theatre Brochures & Performance Programs | 1926-1994 | |
| Duke Memorial Methodist Church Service Bulletins and Programs | 1932-1972 and undated | |
The folder includes a service bulletin for "Candles of Courage, Comfort, and Consecration: A Program of Recognition and Commemoration," held after the conclusion of World War II (and which includes a list of church members who served), and programs from the dedication of the church's organ in 1971. |
||
| Miscellaneous Printed Materials | 1935 | |
The folder contains two programs from a performance at the Fall 1935 meeting of the North Carolina chapter of the American Guild of Organists and a newspaper clipping noting the appearance of author Virginia Moore Untermeyer at a 1935 meeting of the Folio Club. |
||
| Musical and Theatrical Performance Programs | 1925-1975 and undated | |
| National Music Week Programs | 1943 | |
| Stagville Treats Cookbook | 1982 | |
| Temple Baptist Church Service Bulletin | April 15, 1924 | |
| Trinity Methodist Church Programs | 1927-1944 and undated | |
This folder includes a program for the church's dedication in 1944. |
||
| Trinity Treats Cookbook | undated | |
| Ephemera | ||
| Blotters, Carolina Office Supply Company | undated | |
| Blotters, Christian Print Company | undated | |
| Blotter, Durham Laundry Company | undated | |
| Blotter, Georgia Home Insurace Company (J. Southgate & Son, Inc., Agents) | undated | |
| Bridge Score Pad, Bailey's Esso Service Center | undated | |
| Bridge Score Pad, H. E. Montsinger & Son | undated | |
| Business Card, Old Country Ham Store | undated | |
| Calendar, Belk-Leggett Company | 1971 | |
| Calendar, Thomas Book Store | 1943 | |
| Calendar, The Rose Agency | 1945 | |
| Display Cards, Depositors National Bank | undated | |
| Order Forms, Long Meadow Farms (dairy) | 1981-1983 | |
| Box 13 | ||
| Artifacts | ||
| 1940 Day Planner (blank), Durham Realty and Insurance Company | undated | |
| 1944 Calendar, Phillips Mutual Insurance Agency | undated | |
| 1969 Calendar and Mirror, George J. Poe, Nationwide Insurance | undated | |
| Cloth Bag, Durham Bank & Trust Company | undated | |
| Coin Purse, Harvey's Cafeteria | undated | |
| Durham Logo Pin | undated | |
| Eyeglass Case, Dr. N. Rosenstein & Son | undated | |
| "For Rent" Signs (2), D. W. Newsom Real Estate & Insurance | undated | |
| Golf Ball Marker, Scott Coal & Oil Company | undated | |
| Golf Pencil, Hillandale Golf Course | undated | |
| Keychain, Nu-Tread Tire Company | undated | |
| Pen, Flintom Services, Inc. | undated | |
| Pen, G.E. Appliance & TV Center, Durham | undated | |
| Pen, Tally's Liver Pudding Company | undated | |
| Pen, Weaver's Cleaners & Laundromat | undated | |
| Pencil, Borden Brick & Tile Company | undated | |
| Pencil, Commercial Branch Banking & Trust Company | undated | |
| Pencil, Durham Bank & Trust Company | undated | |
| Pencil, Durham Laundry Company | undated | |
| Pencil, Georges' Mobile Homes of Durham, Inc. | undated | |
| Pencil, Sawyer & Moore, Inc. | undated | |
| Piece of Wood, Bennehan-Cameron Plantation | undated | |
| Pill Box, Eckerd's, Durham | undated | |
| Ruler, The Rose Agency (stationers) | undated | |
| Rulers (2), Mid-Way Electric Shoe Shop | undated | |
| Thimble, J. C. Bissette & Company | undated | |
| Token, Duke Power Company | undated | |
| Token, New York City Transit Authority | undated | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | ||
| Broadside: Second Annual Playground Circus and Playground Review, Roycroft's Warehouse | August 19, 1932 | |
| Front Page of Durham Herald-Sun | February 22, 1942 | |
| Photograph: Durham Civic Choral Society | May 22, 1993 | |
Photograph mat is signed by society members. |
||
| Poster: "American Music for Christmas and Vivaldi's Magnificat | December 18, 1988 | |
