Bertram Whittier Wells Papers
MC 00073
Special Collections Research Center
6.25 Linear feet
14 archival storage boxes and 1 flat folder
Bulk, 1901-2004
1849; 1901-2004
These papers represent B. W. (Bertram Whittier) Wells's research interests, publications, and honors as well as Wells's personal life and pursuits, his first wife, Edna Metz Wells, his second wife, Maude Barnes Wells, and his household at Rockcliff Farm, a property on the Neuse River in North Carolina that Wells acquired before his retirement in 1954. In writing his biography of Wells, Prof. James R. Troyer amassed the majority of the materials comprising series 1 of these papers. Series 2 is composed of papers left behind by B. W. and Maude Barnes Wells at Rockcliff Farm, now part of the Falls Lake State Recreation Area in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Bertram Whittier Wells is most widely known for his study and preservation of North Carolina's natural environment. Wells headed North Carolina State College's (later North Carolina State University) Botany Department from 1919 to 1949 and remained on the faculty until 1954. One of the first to rightly be called an ecologist, he wrote on many topics: the insect galls of plants, the effects of salt on coastal vegetation, Bald Head Island, and the formation of the Carolina Bays. However, his most extensive work focused on savannah and pocosin vegetation. First published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1932, Wells's popular book,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, remains in print. Wells also advocated for modern scientific instruction methods, including the teaching of evolution in the 1920s. During Wells's long retirement, he became seriously interested in painting.
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.
15 archival storage boxes
Wells, Bertram Whittier, 1884-1978
Restrictions to Access
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Initial deposit of Wells materials made by B. W. Wells in 1973. Addition made in 1981 by C. B. King. Significant addition by J. R. Troyer in 2003. Addition from Falls Lake State Recreation Area accessioned in 2006.
Acquisitions Information
Gift of B. W. Wells, C. B. King, and J. R. Troyer, 1973-2003. Transfer from Falls Lake State Recreation Area, November 7, 2006.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], Bertram Whittier Wells Papers, MC 73, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Biographical Note
During his long and active life, B. W. (Bertram Whittier) Wells (1884-1978) was keenly interested in the study and preservation of North Carolina's unique landscape. He spent time studying the Big Savannah in North Carolina's Pender County, a spot he made famous in his publications on "natural gardens." Wells also, unsuccessfully, worked to save the Big Savannah from development. In 2002, a similar ecological site was dedicated to Wells's memory. Wells's concern for the environment was evidenced in his teaching and work as the head of North Carolina State College's (later North Carolina State University) Botany Department, his writing, and his personal involvement in botanical and environmental associations. James R. Troyer rightly titled his book about Wells
Nature's Champion.
Born in 1884, in Troy, Ohio, Wells studied botany at Ohio State University, received his doctorate at the University of Chicago, and taught at a number of universities before he came to North Carolina State College in 1919. Wells headed the Botany Department from 1919 to 1949 and continued teaching until his retirement in 1954. During his thirty-five years at North Carolina State, Wells had a significant impact on scientific study. His research interests included the insect galls of plants, the effects of salt on coastal vegetation, Bald Head Island vegetation, and the possible formation by meteorites of the Carolina Bays, in the eastern part of the state. Wells was also a vocal advocate of the teaching of evolution in the 1920s and helped to prevent the legislature from banning it in the public schools. His botanical interests led him to write a book titled
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. Originally written in 1932 and published with the help of the North Carolina Garden Club, the book is still in print from University of North Carolina Press. It provides an account of North Carolina plant life and has a particularly forward-looking position on ecology, advocating the study of plants in their natural environments.
Wells had a profound love for his retirement property, called Rockcliff Farm, located on a bend in the Neuse River. In the 1970s, the Falls of the Neuse Reservoir submerged much of the property and the famed Ziegle's Rock. The property was subsumed within the Falls Lake State Recreation Area, where, in cooperation with the B. W. Wells Association and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the homestead has been preserved. Initially conceived by the B. W. Wells Association as the Rockcliff Farm Interpretive Area (later called the B. W. Wells Home and Interpretive Area), the site is used to educate the public about B.W. Wells and promote his conservation ethics.
The Rockcliff Farm property, home, and personally constructed art studio provided Wells with an ideal setting in which to cultivate his interest in painting. Although his love for art had been life-long and he had been involved in the McLean Mural controversy during his years at State, Wells began teaching himself to paint in his 70s. Although he never sold any artwork, he frequently gave it to friends, and a number of pieces are on exhibit at the Wells historical site. Wells's second wife Maude Barnes Wells, who died in 2001, shared his love of the property. Wells's first wife, Edna Metz Wells, who died in 1938, was a respected local teacher and was honored with a Wake County, North Carolina, park named in her honor.
Although Wells died in December 1978, his contributions, particularly in North Carolina, have engendered a devoted following for his life and work. In addition to J. R. Troyer's biography of Wells, there remains a B. W. Wells Association to administer the historic site and site of his former property, as well as to pass on his botanical knowledge and environmental interests to new generations.
James R. Troyer gathered much of the material in this collection during his preparation for the book,
Nature's Champion: B. W. Wells, Tar Heel Ecologist. Born in Goshen, Indiana, in 1929, Troyer received his B.A. at DePauw University, his M.A. at Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. in Botany at Columbia University, in 1954. After teaching at Yale University until 1957, Troyer began his career at North Carolina State College as an assistant professor of botany. During his 38 years at State, Troyer became a full professor with a focus on plant physiology and the history of botany, particularly in North Carolina. He has held the position of Emeritus Professor of Botany since 1995.
Scope and Content Note
The
Bertram Whittier Wells Papers are divided into two series documenting the life of B. W. Wells, a botanist, artist, and
faculty member in the
Botany Department at North Carolina State College (now
North Carolina State University): The first series was compiled largely by Dr.
James R. Troyer for his biography of B. W. Wells, and it documents the personal and professional interests of this noted botanist. A small portion of the material in series 1 was directly produced by Wells himself. The second series includes materials found inside B. W. and
Maude Barnes Wells's home at Rockcliff Farm by staff members of the
Falls Lake State Recreation Area (which now circumscribes all the land near the Neuse River that once belonged to Wells) after both B. W. Wells and Maude Barnes Wells had vacated the property. (Maude Barnes Wells left the house in 1978 after B. W. Wells died; she passed away in 2001.) This series contains personal and professional papers, documents from the
B. W. Wells Association and the Rockcliff Farm Interpretive Area preservation project (Now the B. W. Wells Home and Interpretive Area), materials from Wells's studio, and an array of photographs and negatives, among other items.
Organization of Collection
This collection is divided into two series: (1) James R. Troyer Biography and (2) Bertram Whittier Wells and Maude Barnes Wells House.
In series 1, some materials have been divided into two categories: materials produced by Wells himself, and materials produced by James R. Troyer in the course of his research about Wells. However, the dates on the folders can be somewhat misleading. Since much of the material is made up of Troyer's notes and research, the dates emanate from the date when Troyer's research was done, not the dates or events he was investigating. For example, the date 1890 was attributed to a news article, because it was a photocopy of this article, but a transcription or notes taken from this same article would be dated 1970. Wherever possible, the materials are arranged according to subseries and then chronologically.
Series 2 originated from papers found at the Rockcliff Farm house after B. W. and Maude Barnes Wells had vacated the property and had both died. Most of the items were loose in boxes, but some original file names have been maintained where possible and practical. The materials have been divided into subseries including personal (encompassing household papers, personal correspondence, items found in B. W. Wells's studio, and other material of a personal nature), professional (encompassing work and affiliations begun before he retired in 1954 and all publications and notes regarding botany and/or ecology), B. W. Wells Association, Rockcliff Farm Interpretive Area project, and photographs.
Related Material
-
Larry Alston Whitford Papers (MC 00107)
-
James R. Troyer Collection on North Carolina Botanists(MC 00335)
-
University Archives Photograph Collection, B. W. Wells Lantern Slides, 1920-1953 (UA 023.039)
-
North Carolina State University. Dept. of Botany Records (UA 100.015)
B. W. Wells Association.
North Carolina State University--Faculty--History.
North Carolina State University. Dept. of Plant Biology--History.
North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society.
Troyer, James R.
Wells, Bertram Whittier, 1884-1978
Wells, Edna Metz.
Wells, Maude Barnes
Artists--North Carolina--History
Big Savannah (N.C.)
Botany--Study and teaching--North Carolina
Conservation of natural resources--Research--North Carolina
Ecology--Study and teaching--North Carolina
Evolution--Study and teaching--North Carolina
Falls Lake (N.C.)
Film negatives
Pender County (N.C.)
Photographs
Rock Cliff Farm (N.C.)
Slides
James R. Troyer Biography
MC 00073 Series 01
1.75 Linear feet
1849-2003
3 archival boxes, 1 flat photograph box
Scope and Contents note
The James R. Troyer Biography series is primarily composed of materials Troyer compiled in working on his biography of B. W. Wells, titled
Nature's Champion: B. W. Wells, Tar Heel Ecologist. These papers include some authored by B. W. Wells and others, including notes, by James R. Troyer, all regarding B. W. Wells's personal and professional pursuits.
Personal
1919-2003
Art, List of Wells's Paintings
1
1
1981-1987
Art, McLean Mural and North Carolina Art Society
1
2
1936-1989
Associations, B. W. Wells Association
1
3
1982-2002
Associations, North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society
1
4
1951-1968
Associations, North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society
1
5
1968-1972
Correspondence
1
6
1951-1960
Correspondence
1
7
1962-1981
Honors, Correspondence
1
8
1962-1982
Honors, Honorary Degree Certificate
1
9
1963
Honors, Honorary Degree Certificate Holder
1
10
1963
Honors, Governor's Award
1
11
1979
Wells, B. W., Curriculum Vita
1
12
circa 1919-circa 1974
Wells, B. W., General
1
13
1935-1992
Wells, B. W., General
1
14
1977-1999
Wells, Edna Metz
1
15
1938-1993
Wells, Maude Barnes
1
16
1941-2001
Wells Family and Associates
1
17
1978-1993
Radio, WPTF Radio, "Talk with Tom"
1
18
August 31, 1993
Radio, WUNC-FM Radio, "The State of Things"
1
19
April 10, 2003
Professional
1849-2001
Research, Big Savannah, Troyer, J. R.
2
1
1951-2001
Research, Big Savannah, Wells, B. W.
2
2
1949-1966
Research, Blueberries, Troyer, J. R.
2
3
1929-1988
Research, Conservation, Troyer, J. R.
2
4
1986-1999
Research, Conservation, Wells, B. W.
2
5
1956-1972
Research, Ecology, Troyer, J. R.
2
6
1849-1974
Research, Ecology, Troyer, J. R.
2
7
1977-1988
Research, Ecology, Wells, B. W.
2
8
1951-1971
Research, Evolution, Troyer, J. R.
2
9
1922-1987
Research, Insect Galls, Troyer, J. R.
2
10
1916-1984
Research, Insect Galls, Wells, B. W.
2
11
1921-1966
Research, Popularization, Troyer, J. R.
2
12
1922-1987
Teaching, Courses
2
13
circa 1980s
Teaching, New College at Teachers College, Columbia University
2
14
1931-circa 1980s
Teaching, North Carolina State University
2
15
1925-1987
Teaching, Students
2
16
1943-circa 1980s
Publications, "Discovering North Carolina," Correspondence
3
1
1933
Publications, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Iden, Susan
3
2
1912-1986
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, First Printing
3
3
1936-1980s
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Later Printings and Spinoffs
3
4
1932-1998
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Troyer, J. R.
3
5
1984-1985
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, UNC Press
3
6
1931-1932
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, UNC Press
3
7
1933-1938
Publications,
The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, UNC Press
3
8
1942-1967
Publications,
Nature's Champion, Book Jacket
3
9
1993
Publications,
Nature's Champion, NCSU Friends of the Library Event
3
10
2000
Publications, Originals of Wells's Offprints
3
11
1914-1931
Publications, Originals of Wells's Offprints
3
12
1934-1976
Publications, Photocopies of Wells's Offprints
3
13
1915-1981
Addition, "Origin of Wet Woodland, Shrub-bog and Swamp-forest Species of the Southeastern United States," Typescript Draft by Wells, B. W.
3
14
undated
Photographs
1920-1994
Personal, Art
4
1
circa 1981-circa 1990s
Personal, Wells, B. W.
4
2
circa 1960s-1977
Professional, Research, Big Savannah
4
3
1994
Professional, Research, Conservation
4
4
1920-1984
Professional, Research, Ecology
4
5
1945-1981
Bertram Whittier Wells (B. W. W.) and Maude Barnes Wells (M. B. W.) House
MC 00073 Series 02
4.5 Linear feet
1901-2004
7 archival boxes, 2 flat photograph boxes, 1 negatives box, 1 large flat box
Scope and Contents note
The papers in series 2 were found and preserved by staff members at the Falls Lake State Recreation Area of the North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation after B. W. Wells and Maude Barnes Wells had both vacated the Rockcliff Farm property.(Maude Barnes Wells left the house in 1978 after B. W. Wells died; she passed away in 2001.) They include correspondence, publications, clippings, notes, drawings, photographs, and other items related to B. W. Wells, his personal and professional pursuits, and his family, especially his second wife, Maude Barnes Wells.
Included in the papers found at the Rockcliff Farm house are records from the B.W. Wells Association, a group that works to educate the public about B.W. Wells and promote his conservation ethics. The association assists the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, the Falls Lake State Recreation Area, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to preserve, restore, and interpret Rockcliff Farm, the site of Wells's retirement after 1954. Also included are early plans and notes for the Rockcliff Farm Interpretive Area (now called the B. W. Wells Home and Interpretive Area) at Falls Lake State Recreation Area.
Personal
1922-2002
Miscellaneous, Personal
5
1
1950-1976, undated
Bertram Whittier Wells, Birth Certificate
5
2
1963
Bertram Whittier Wells, Dedications and Preservation Projects
5
3
1979-1983
Bertram Whittier Wells, Clippings
5
5
1954-2002, undated
Edna Metz Wells Park, Raleigh, NC
5
6
1938-1996
Correspondence, Personal
5
7
1966, 1976-1978, undated
Correspondence, Personal
5
8
1968-1972
Correspondence, Personal
5
9
1975-1976
Correspondence, Personal
5
11
1976
Address Files
5
12
undated
Travel Diary
6
1
undated
Genealogy and Gravesites
6
2
undated
Southport House
6
3
1946-1976
18 Enterprise Street
6
4
1953, 1972
Falls of Neuse/Falls Lake Dam Project, Notes on Rockcliff Farm
6
5
1965-1972, undated
Falls of Neuse/Falls Lake Dam Project, Clippings
6
6
1960-1974
Research Triangle Development
6
7
1957, undated
Household, Rockcliff Farm
6
8
1955-1970, undated
Farming, Plants, and Pesticides, Rockcliff Farm
6
9
1922-1957, undated
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletins
7
1
1944-1972
"Trees of North Carolina" and "Trees of Florida," Pocket Manuals
7
2
1922, 1943
Studio, Pictures Given to Friends Painted by B. W. Wells
7
3
undated
Studio, Clippings
7
4
1937-1972, undated
Studio, Painting Techniques
7
5
1956-1966, undated
Studio, Still Lifes
7
6
1943-1964, undated
Studio, Drawings
7
7
undated
Studio, Pictures on Studio Walls
7
8
undated
Studio, Oversize Art Publications
7
9
1954-1965, undated
Oversize Photographic Portrait
7
10
undated
Professional
1908-1978
Certificates and diplomas: B. W. Wells and Edna Metz Wells
1
North Carolina State University, Dept. of Botany
8
1
1975-1978, undated
Lecture Notes
8
2
undated
Publications
8
3
1910-1928
Publications
8
4
1929-1976
Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Book
8
5
1959-1973
Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Film
8
6
1971-1976
"Biological Individuality," Paper, with Notes
8
7
1961-1969, undated
Molecular Biology
8
8
1967-1970, undated
Grass Balds
8
9
1958-1960
Local Plants, Raleigh, North Carolina, undated
8
10
1958-1960
Baldhead Island
8
11
1969-1975
Baldhead Island, Clippings
8
12
1937-1975, undated
North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society
8
13
1949-1975
Correspondence, Professional
8
14
1951-1971
Miscellaneous, Professional
9
1
1931-1966
Miscellaneous, Professional
9
2
1971-1976, undated
Checklist of the Plants of Gray's Manual, 7th Ed., Personal Copy
9
3
1908
Geology, North Carolina
9
4
undated
Maps, General
9
5
1967-1976, undated
Travel Brochures
9
6
1963, undated
B. W. Wells Association
1929-2004
B. W. Wells Association, Miscellaneous
9
7
1929-1998
B. W. Wells Association, Finances
9
8
1982-1993, undated
B. W. Wells Association, Pamphlets
9
9
undated
B. W. Wells Association, Correspondence, General
9
10
1982-2001
B. W. Wells Association, Membership
9
11
1982-1998, undated
B. W. Wells Association, Legal Documents
10
1
1976-1982, undated
B. W. Wells Association, Newsletters
10
2
1982-1991
B. W. Wells Association, Clippings
10
3
1955-2004
B. W. Wells Association, Clippings
10
4
1955-2002
Rockcliff Farm Interpretive Area Project
1950-1994
Rockcliff Farm Project
10
5
1950-1951
Rockcliff Farm Project
10
6
1985-1991, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project
10
7
1979-1985, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project
10
8
1978-1986, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, B. W. Wells Biography
10
9
1981, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Correspondence
10
10
1975-1994
Rockcliff Farm Project, Original Building Survey Notes and Building Plans
11
1
undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, National Historic Designation
11
2
1979-1991
Rockcliff Farm Project, Grant Applications
11
3
1985-1988
Rockcliff Farm Project, Schematics
11
4
1981-1986, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Wells Guided Trail Write-up
11
5
1981, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Maps
11
6
undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Wells Cemetery and Outhouse
11
7
undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Objectives and Priorities
11
8
undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Inventories and Key Distribution
11
9
1989, undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, Wells Trail #3
11
10
undated
Rockcliff Farm Project, John Lawrence Notecards
11
11
undated
Photographs
1901-1987
Early Photographs
12
1
1901, undated
Hocking County, "The Big Pine Biological Laboratory"
12
2
1911
Bertram Whittier Wells
12
3
1926-1964, undated
Photographs of Individuals
12
4
1926, undated
Photographs of Sybil and Others
12
5
undated
Photographs of Groups
13
1
1926, 1964, undated
From Helen Myer
13
2
undated
Dedications
13
3
1973, undated
Houses, Plants, and Landscapes
13
4
1926-1987, undated
Fieldwork
13
5
1937, undated
B. W. Wells Association, B. W. Wells Interpretive Area
13
6
1986
Negatives and Slides
1925-1939
Negatives
13
7
undated
Slides
13
8
undated
Glass Plate and Large Negatives
14
1925-1939, undated