North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations Records 1909-2015 (bulk 1944-2008)

Summary
Contents
Names/subjects
Using these materials
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Creator
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Size
82.2 linear feet (72 boxes, 53 slide storage boxes, 24 cartons, 3 oversize flat boxes, 1 flat folder, 1 negative box, 1 half box, 1 flat box, 1 legal box); 485 megabytes; 29 files
Call number
UA 102.050
Access to materials

This 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 to digital files may require additional advanced notice.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations Records contain administrative records of the County Operations office, as well as records from individual county offices. The county offices represented are Alamance, Dare, Hertford, McDowell, Pamlico, Rutherford, and Person. The Alamance County Records contain photographs, publications, and yearbooks from the North Carolina Home Demonstration Club and the Alamance Extension Homemakers Club. The Dare County records contain photos, yearbooks, meeting minutes, publications, files, newsletters, slides, and negatives. The majority of the materials are related to summer camps and the extension homemakers association. The Pamlico County records comprises reports filed by county extension agents, including a record of county agent work from 1922-1935. The McDowell County records contain scrapbooks, photographs, publications, slides, and meeting minutes. The Hertford County records include a history of extension work in the county, reports, photographs, publications, and scrapbooks. The Rutherford County records include photographs of extension events, newspaper clippings, slides, and a narrative history. The Person County records contain slides featuring presentations and photographs. The materials in the Other Counties series represent all one hundred counties in North Carolina, and include farm census summaries, histories of extension work, agents lists, and publications.

In November of 1907 North Carolina appointed its first white county agent, James A. Butler, for the purpose of educating farmers on productive farming techniques. The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, located at A & M College, hired Neil Alexander Bailey as its first African American agricultural extension agent on November 1, 1910. As a result of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, land-grant universities were authorized to begin cooperative extension work with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Smith-Lever Act made provisions for the use of County Extension agents to educate farmers, provide help in farming, and help with 4-H Clubs and Home Demonstration agents to provide help in running a farm household and provide health information. County and Home Demonstration agents work in cooperation with North Carolina State University and North Carolina A and T.

Biographical/historical note

In November of 1907 North Carolina appointed its first white County Agent for the purpose of educating farmers on productive farming techniques. The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, located at A & M College, hired the first African American Agricultural Extension Agent in November of 1910. As a result of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, land-grant universities were authorized to begin cooperative extension work with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Smith-Lever Act made provisions for the use of County Extension agents to educate farmers, provide help in farming, and help with 4-H Clubs and Home Demonstration agents to provide help in running a farm household and provide health information. County and Home Demonstration agents work in cooperation with North Carolina State University and North Carolina A and T.

Scope/content

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations Records contain administrative records of the County Operations office, as well as records from individual county offices. The county offices represented are Alamance, Dare, Hertford, McDowell, Pamlico, Rutherford, and Person. The Alamance County Records contain photographs, publications, and yearbooks from the North Carolina Home Demonstration Club and the Alamance Extension Homemakers Club. The Dare County records contain photos, yearbooks, meeting minutes, publications, files, newsletters, slides, and negatives. The majority of the materials are related to summer camps and the extension homemakers association. The Pamlico County records comprises reports filed by county extension agents, including a record of county agent work from 1922-1935. The McDowell County records contain scrapbooks, photographs, publications, slides, and meeting minutes. The Hertford County records include a history of extension work in the county, reports, photographs, publications, and scrapbooks. The Rutherford County records include photographs of extension events, newspaper clippings, slides, and a narrative history. The Person County records contain slides featuring presentations and photographs. The materials in the Other Counties series represent all one hundred counties in North Carolina, and include farm census summaries, histories of extension work, agents lists, and publications.

Arrangement

This collection is divided into nine principal series: Administrative, Alamance County, Dare County, Hertford County, McDowell County, Other Counties, Pamlico County, Person County, Rutherford County

Use of these materials

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,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," 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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations Records, UA 102.050, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Source of acquisition

Transferred from North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations.

Processing information

Finding aid updated to reflect additions to the collection by Cate Putirskis, 2009 April; Cathy Dorin-Black, 2011 November, 2012 February, April, September, November; and Todd Kosmerick, 2016 September; collection processed by Ashton Reddish, Carter Claiborne, James Stephens, Katherine Russo, Stacey Minter, Kayla Bridgham, and Trey Kaufman, 2021 July; finding aid updated by Clara Wilson, 2021 August; finding aid updated to reflect additions to the collection by Shima Hosseininasab, 2022 August; Person County series processed by Allison Hall, 2023 December; finding aid updated by Clara Wilson, 2023 December; finding aid updated by Katelyn Cuomo, 2024 February; Rutherford County series processed by Allison Hall and Sarah Take, 2024 August; finding aid updated by Clara Wilson, 2024 August; Alamance County series processed by Campbell Dunne, 2025 July

Please note that some historical materials may contain harmful content and/or descriptions. Learn how we’re addressing it.

Access to the collection

This 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 to digital files may require additional advanced notice.

For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.

Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111

Phone: (919) 515-2273

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, County Operations Records, UA 102.050, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Use of these materials

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,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," 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.