Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
Ralph L. Biggerstaff (1906-1999) lived in Fall River, Massachusetts. He maintained correspondence with industries in North Carolina and gathered information on textile mills.
The collection contains information on wage, tax, energy, and other costs of operation of textile mills in Fall River, Massachusetts and various cities in North Carolina between 1921 and 1933.
Ralph L. Biggerstaff was a native of Rutherford County, North Carolina. He graduated from Duke University and Harvard Business School, and moved to Fall River, Massachusetts. Biggerstaff maintained correspondence with industries in North Carolina and gathered information on textile mills. He retired as president of Alamance Builders, Inc., and lived in Mebane, North Carolina until his death in January 1999.
Included in the collection are final drafts of the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers' Code of Fair Competition for the Cotton Textile Industry, conditions of approval, and a newsletter presenting arguments concerning the code. There is information on the costs of operation for liquidated textile mills and those still in operation as of 1921 and 1932 in Fall River, Massachusetts, including number of employees, wage rates of various mill positions, spindle and loom counts, and total capital stock and bonds. There is also information on the costs of textile mill operation in various cities in North Carolina, including employee wages, power costs, and taxes. Several newspaper clippings and articles are included, which help explain the implications of the statistics to the textile industry. Dates for the statistical figures range from 1921 to 1933.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Ralph L. Biggerstaff Papers, MSS 00093, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The collection was received from the North Carolina Divison of Archives and History in December 1976. The Division received the collection from Alamance Technical Institute.
Processed and encoded by Terra Kridler, 2005 June; updated by Susan C. Rodriguez, 2015 November.
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
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[Identification of item], Ralph L. Biggerstaff Papers, MSS 00093, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.