mc00304 Guide to the Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records, 1949 - 1993 MC 00304 Finding aid prepared by Processed by: Stephanie A. Horowitz; machine-readable finding aid created by: Stephanie A. Horowitz Special Collections Research Center 2005 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2011-10-29T22:03-0400 Finding aid written in English Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records MC 00304 Special Collections Research Center 43.5 Linear feet 1949 - 2002 The Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records contain the business records, including financial, payroll, sales, and fishing information, of the Perry-Wynns Fish Company (alternatively known as the Perry-Wynns Fishery) of Colerain, North Carolina, on the Chowan River. The papers date from 1947 to 2002. The Perry-Wynns Fish Company was formed in 1952 when L. D. Perry and Leo Wynns formed a partnership to run a herring packing plant in Colerain, North Carolina on the western shore of the Chowan River. Incorporated in 1966, the company was, for decades, the largest freshwater herring fishery in the world, packing both herring and herring roe under the Tidewater Brand, the Bertie Brand and Chowan's Best. In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel destroyed nine of the fishery's eleven buildings, putting the company out of business. off-site For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff. 20 boxes and 21 volumes Perry-Wynns Fish Company. Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.

 Immediate Source of Acquisition note

The Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records were a gift of the Perry-Wynns Fish Company on March 13, 2001 and of Lois Fischer Black on March 23, 2002.

 Acquisitions Information

The Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records were a gift of the Perry-Wynns Fish Company on March 13, 2001 and of Lois Fischer Black on March 23, 2002.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records, MC 304, Special Collections Department, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.

 Copyright Notice

North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Department are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

 Historical Note

The Perry-Wynns Fish Company was formed in 1952 when L.D. Perry and Leo Wynns formed a partnership to run a herring packing plant in Colerain, North Carolina on the western shore of the Chowan River. The company was incorporated on February 7, 1966. For decades, it was the largest freshwater herring fishery in the world, packing both herring and herring roe under the Tidewater Brand, the Bertie Brand and Chowan's Best. It also ran a restaurant, the Sea Gull Cafe, that was open for lunch during the herring season in March and April. During the Perry-Wynns Fish Company's height, it hired up to 200 seasonal and permanent employees. During the 1990s, the number of herring in the Chowan River fell, and the business shrank to a point where it hired 25 seasonal employees and had ten full-time employees. The company also began packing herring, mackerel and mullet caught elsewhere, rather than processing fish caught locally in the Chowan River. In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel destroyed nine of the fishery's eleven buildings, putting the company out of business.

 Scope and Content Note

The Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records include volumes of employee records (including salary information), records of fish caught and packed, and books of sales and general financial information. Also included is a subsequent addition of five photographs.

 Organization of the Collection

The Perry-Wynns Fish Company Records are organized into four series: Employee Records, Financial Records, Catch Records, and Photographs.

 Perry-Wynns Fish Company. Financial statements Fisheries--Accounting--North Carolina Fisheries--North Carolina Herring industry--North Carolina--History Photographs Employee Records Series 1 2.5 Linear feet 1951-1973 10 boxes Scope and Contents note

This series contains payroll records for the Perry-Wynns Fish Company's seasonal and permanent employees. The volumes have been arranged chronologically.

 Employee records 1 1 1951 Employee records 1 2 1952 Employee records 1 3 1953 Employee records 1 4 1954 Employee records 1 5 1955 Employee records 2 1 1956 Employee records 2 2 1957 Fish Cutters 2 3 1958 Fish Cutters 2 4 1959 Roe Pickers 2 5 1959 Fish Cutters 2 5 1963 Employee records 3 1 1960 Fish Cutters 3 2 1960 Roe Pickers 3 3 1960 Employee records 3 4 1960-1961 Employee records 3 5 1961 Fish Cutters 4 1 1961 Roe Pickers 4 2 1961 Employee records 4 3 1962 Roe Pickers and Fish Packers 4 4 1962 Fish Cutters 4 5 1963 Roe Pickers, Fish Packers, and Skinners 5 1 1963 Fish Cutters, Men and Women 5 2 1964 Roe Pickers, Fish Packers, and Skinners 5 3 1964 Additional Cutters 5 4 1964-1965 Regular and Off-season Fish Packers 5 5 July 4, 1964-June 25, 1966 Labor 6 1 1965 Roe Pickers, Skinners, and Fall Fish Packers 6 2 1965 Regular Payroll 6 3 1966 Men and Fish Cutters 6 4 1966 Roe Pickers, Skinners and Fall Packers 6 5 1966 Men and Fish Cutters 7 1 1967 Roe Pickers, Skinners, and Fall Packers 7 2 1967 Men's Working Hours 7 3 1967-1968 Men (Night Workers) 7 4 1967-1970 Regular Payroll 7 5 1968 Men and Fish Cutters 8 1 1968 Roe Pickers and Skinners 8 2 1968 Roe Pickers, Fall Packers, and Skinners 8 3 1969 Seasonal Men and Fish Cutters 8 4 1969 Roe Pickers, Fall Packers, and Skinners 8 5 1970 Regular Employees 9 1 1970-1971 Seasonal Fish Cutters 9 2 1970-1971 Roe Pickers, Skinners, and Packers 9 3 Fall 1971 Men (Night Workers) 9 4 1971-1973 Regular Employees 9 5 November 4, 1971-November 1, 1973 Roe Pickers, Skinners, and Fall Packers 10 1 1972 Fish Cutters 10 2 1972-1973 Roe Pickers, Skinners, and Fall Packers - Seasonal Operations 10 3 1973 Financial Records, Series 2 25.0 Linear feet 1949-1970 21 volumes Scope and Contents note

The Financial Records series contains volumes of the Perry-Wynns Fish Company's financial information, including sales, purchase, and payroll records. The volumes have been arranged chronologically.

 Financial records 11 1949 June - 1952 April Financial records 12 1952 Financial records 13 1953 Financial records 14 1953-1958 Financial records 15 1954 Financial records 16 1955 Financial records 17 1956 Financial records 18 1957 Financial records 19 1958 Financial records 20 1959 Financial records 21 1960 Financial records 22 1961 Financial records 23 1962 Financial records 24 1963 Financial records 25 1964 Financial records 26 1965 Financial records 27 1966 Financial records 28 1967 Financial records 29 1968 Financial records 30 1969 Financial records 31 1970 Catch Records, Series 3 16.0 Linear feet 1950-1995 10 boxes Scope and Contents note

The Catch Records series includes records of the numbers of fish caught by Perry-Wynns Fish Company employees in individual years. The records have been arranged chronologically.

 Catch records 32 1 1950-1952 Catch records 32 2 1953 Catch records 32 3 1954 Catch records 32 4 1955 Catch records 32 5 1956 Catch records 33 1 1957 Catch records 33 2 1958 Catch records 33 3 1959 Catch records 33 4 1960 Catch records 33 5 1961 Catch records 34 1 1962 Catch records 34 2 1963 Catch records 34 3 1964 Catch records 34 4 1965 Catch records 34 5 1966 Catch records 34 6 1966-1968 Catch records 34 7 1967 Catch records 35 1 1968 Catch records 35 2 1969 Catch records 35 3 1970 Catch records 35 4 1970-1971 Catch records 35 5 1971 Catch records 35 6 1972 Catch records 35 7 1972-1974 Catch records 36 1 1973 Catch records 36 2 1974 Catch records 36 3 1975 Catch records 36 4 1975-1977 Catch records 36 5 1976 Catch records 36 6 1977 Catch records 36 7 1978 Catch records 37 1 1978-1979 Catch records 37 2 1979 Catch records 37 3 1980-1981 Catch records 37 4 1980-1983 Catch records 37 5 1982 Catch records 37 6 1983 Catch records [File 1 of 2] 37 7 1984 Catch records [File 2 of 2] 38 1 1984 Catch records 38 2 1985 Catch records 39 1 1985-1989 Catch records 40 1 1985-1995 Catch records 40 2 1987 Catch records 40 3 1988 Catch records 41 1 1990-1993 Catch records 41 2 1994-1995 Photographs, Series 4 2002 1 folder Scope and Contents note

Five photographs were taken of the Perry-Wynns Fish Company by Lois Fischer Black, NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center, following the company's donation of its records to North Carolina State University.

 Photographs 42 2002