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Carolyn Maness and Jean Gordon Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0234

Scope and Contents

The Carolyn Maness and Jean Gordon Papers span from 1999 to 2004 with the bulk dating between 1999 and 2001. The collection documents the campaign, headed by Carolyn Maness and Jean Gordon, to save the Chancellor's House from demolition. It is organized into ten folders containing research materials, official and alumnae correspondence, event materials, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to the preservation of the Chancellor's House.

The Harry Barton Research folder contains Jean Gordon's research into the life of Harry Barton, the architect. The folder has information about his family and work and consists of written and pictorial materials. The Official Correspondence folders contain letters from Jean Gordon, Carolyn Maness, and other alumnae to Chancellor Patricia Sullivan, the UNCG Board of Trustees, architectural historians, UNCG faculty, and Governor Jim Hunt from 1999 to 2000. The Alumnae Correspondence folders are comprised of letters written by UNCG alumnae stating their opinions concerning the destruction of the Chancellor's House. The Afternoon on the Lawn folder includes photographs, correspondence, a newspaper clipping, and a flyer related to the 2001 student-run event supporting the campaign. The newspaper clippings from the Greensboro News and Record discuss the controversy over the decision to demolish the Chancellor's House. The photographs taken in March 2001 are of the exterior and interior of the building.

The papers also include two binders of information compiled on Harry Barton's buildings and the Chancellor's House. The binders contain photographs, newspaper clippings, historical information on the buildings and UNCG, and scholarly articles on building preservation.

Dates

  • 1999 - 2004

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Chancellor's House on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro was built in 1922 under Chancellor Julius Foust. Chancellor Foust conducted a massive building project on campus during the 1920s. Harry Barton (1876-1957) served as architect during this campaign, designing and building the Chancellor's House and numerous dormitories. Barton, a native of Pennsylvania, was a well-known architect in the Guildford County area. His work includes Meyer's Department Store (1904), the Guildford County Courthouse (1918), and the Cone Export and Commission Company Building (1927).

The Chancellor's House served as the residence for UNCG's chancellors from 1922 to 1995, when Chancellor Patricia Sullivan was given off-campus housing. By 1995 the house had fallen into disrepair and the cost of preservation was considered too great, so the Board of Trustees voted in September 1999 to demolish the building and extend Elliot University Center. Jean Gordon, Associate Professor of History Emeritus, and Carolyn Maness, a UNCG alumna, organized a campaign, Save Our Chancellor's House, to prevent the demolition in September 1999. Their efforts included gathering numerous alumnae opinions, raising awareness of the building's and the architect's significance through exhibits and newspaper articles, a letter-writing campaign to Chancellor Sullivan, the Board of Trustees, and Governor Hunt, as well as working with local preservation societies to develop a new use for the building and to raise money for preservation. In 2003 the house was moved further up Spring Garden Street, restored, and opened in February 2004 as an Admission's Center.

Extent

0.40 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Carolyn Maness graduated from the Women's College (UNCG) in 1946 and Jean Gordon taught at UNCG as Associate Professor of History from 1964 to 1994. In the fall of 1999 they organized a preservation campaign to halt the demolition of the UNCG Chancellor's House.

The Carolyn Maness and Jean Gordon Papers date 1999-2004 and contain research materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings and photographs that document the efforts to save the Chancellor's House.

Arrangement Note

Correspondence and newspaper clippings are arranged chronologically, while the research on Harry Barton is arranged topically.

An addition of various materials compiled in binders, created by Maness and Gordon, are kept in their original order and rehoused into smaller folders.

Method of Acquisition

Gift of Carolyn Maness in June 2005 and Jean Gordon in November 2006. Addition received in August 2017.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

Processed by Allyson Atwood under the supervision of Jennifer Motszko, December 2008. Addition processed by Patrick Dollar in September 2017.

Title
Carolyn Maness and Jean Gordon Papers
Author
Allyson Atwood; Patrick Dollar
Date
2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246