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Register of the Wyatt T. Dixon Papers, 1850s-1987

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Descriptive Summary

Title

Wyatt T. Dixon Papers, 1850s-1987

Creator

Dixon, Wyatt T.

Extent

3.6 Linear Feet
2700 Items

Repository

Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185

Language

English.

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Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research/restricted.

However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in the Wyatt T. Dixon Papers have not been transferred to Duke University. For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Wyatt T. Dixon Papers, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.

Provenance

The Wyatt T. Dixon Papers were donated to the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library in 1981 and 1986.

Processing Information

Processed by Donna Longo DiMichele

Completed June 17, 1994

Encoded by Robin LaPasha

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

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Biographical Note

1894, Oct. 27	Born, Durham, N.C.
1917, July 25	Called into service for the United States Army, 30th Division, 113th Field Artillery, Battery C, Durham, N.C. Dixon made Company Clerk.
1917, Sept. 16	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, moved to Camp Sevier, S.C.
1918, May 19	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, moved to Camp Mills, Long Island, N.Y.
1918, May 27	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, departed for France on the [Armagh ?]
1918, June 7	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, landed in Liverpool, England; departed England on the Prince George
1918, June 13	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, arrived in La Havre, France
1918, Sept. 12	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, participated in the St. Michiel offensive
1918, Sept. 26	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, participated in the Meuse-Argonne campaign
1919, Jan. 14	113th Field Artillery, Battery C turned in their horses and supplies
1919, March 19	113th Field Artillery, Battery C, returned to United States, landed at Newport News, Va.
1919, June 1-1962	Writer and photographer for the Durham Morning Herald and The Durham Sun newspapers, Durham Herald Co., Durham, N.C.
1933-1986	Wrote weekly columns, "Along the Battlefront" about World War I and "How Times Do Change" about Durham, N.C., for The Durham Sun
1962	Retired from The Durham Sun, but continued to write "How Times Do Change" until 1986
1986, Jan. 1	Died, Durham, N.C.

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Collection Overview

The Wyatt T. Dixon Papers span the 1850s to 1987, although the bulk of the material dates from 1918 to the 1960s. The collection consists of diaries, photographs, photomechanical prints, postcards, clippings, correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, printed materials, forms, military records, leaflets, and maps. The Pictures Series comprises the largest portion of the collection. The collection documents the activities of the United States Army, American Expeditionary Forces, 30th Division, 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, from 1917 to 1919; Durham, North Carolina; and Dixon's career as a journalist.

The World War I Series chronicles the activities of the American Expeditionary Forces, 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, which consisted primarily of men from Durham, N.C. Dixon's diaries chronicle the unit's movements and activities in the United States and Europe including England, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Battery C was involved in the Saint Michiel offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Campaign. The diaries describe camp life in the United States and Europe, including daily routines; camp conditions; outbreaks of measles and other medical situations; and the soldiers' personal recreational activities. The journey by ship to Europe is also described in detail, including the sale of food to the soldiers and the conditions on board. Civilian responses to the soldiers as they visited or traveled through towns and cities in America, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg are noted throughout the diaries. Dixon mentions a unit of African-American soldiers was at Mont Dore, France. There are some snapshot photographs of Battery C which Dixon probably created with his Kodak camera and some formal panoramic photographs of the entire unit. Letters written by Dixon and his family while he was in the Army are in the Writings Series.

The Writings Series contains some personal correspondence and a diary, but the bulk of the series documents Dixon's career as a writer for newspapers published by the Durham Herald Company in Durham, N.C. In his column "How Times Do Change," Dixon described life in Durham and the surrounding area and the manner in which cityscapes and social life had changed over the past decades. The bulk of the pictures in the Pictures Series document Durham, N.C., and appear to have been collected by Dixon to illustrate his articles.

The Pictures Series consists primarily of photographs and documents social life and cityscapes in Durham, N.C. Pictures include buildings such as banks, businesses, cemeteries, churches, court houses, dams and power plants, hospitals, hotels and inns, plantations (abandoned), post offices, schools, and tobacco warehouses and factories. There are street scenes and aerial views. Pictures of people include portraits and candid scenes of groups engaged in social activities. There are pictures of events such as holiday celebrations and parades. Transportation, including trolleys, buses, fire fighting equipment and train depots, is documented.

The Durham Printed Materials Series and the Miscellaneous Series include information about the City of Durham and Durham County, genealogical information about Dixon's family, and the minutes book of a social club for young men.

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Subject Headings

These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.

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Detailed Description of Collection

Writings Series, 1915-1987, undated (bulk 1930s-1980s).

Includes correspondence, a diary/autograph book, clippings, a scrapbook, printed material, notes, and manuscripts. The first part of the series contains personal correspondence and miscellaneous publications. The "How Times Do Change" Subseries contains copies of Dixon's articles by that title and drafts and notes for articles, as well as a volume of reproductions of the articles. The subseries is arranged with the published volume first, followed by miscellaneous articles in chronological order, and finally drafts and notes for articles arrranged by subject.

Box 1

Correspondence, 1918-1985, undated (4 folders)

Diary/Notebook, 1915, Oct.-1917, Feb.

Mangum, Willie P.: Biographical sketch, undated

"Municipal Progress Under Manager Government II. Durham Gets More and Better Service." In National Municipal Review, 14(8), 1925

Newspaper articles, 1935, Aug.-1952, Apr.

Clippings scrapbook (re: Durham, N.C.), 1920s-1930s, undated

"How Times Do Change" Subseries

Box 1

Published volume (article reprints), 1987

Box 2

Newspaper articles, 1933, Sept.-1983, Mar., undated

Drafts and notes for newspaper articles:

Buildings, 1942-1982, undated

Churches, 1949, undated

Fire department and fires, 1974-1980, undated

Government, city positions, directories, Durham overviews, 1946, undated

Hotels, 1983, undated

Military, 1934-1945, undated

Newspapers, 1933, undated

People, 1933-1978, undated

Streets, transportation, utilities, 1963-1984, undated

Theaters, undated

Tobacco, undated

Trinity College/Duke University, 1962-1980, undated

Miscellaneous, 1936-1984, undated (2 folders)

World War I Series, 1917-1980, undated (bulk 1917-1919).

Includes diaries, manuscripts, letters, printed material, a service record, photographs, negatives, a passenger list, and clippings. See also oversize. Arranged with the diaries first, followed by a history of the unit, records from reunions, and pictures at the end.

Box 3

Diary fragment, 1917, July?

Diary, 1917, Aug. 30-1918, July 14 (2 folders)

Diary, 1918, Mar. 9-1919, Mar. 20 (2 folders)

Diary transcription, 1917, Sept. 16-1919, Mar. 21

History of 113th Field Artillery, Battery C, ca. 1918

Printed material, ca. 1917

Record Books: insurance, memos, and correspondence, 1918

Reunions, 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, 1969-1980, undated (2 folders)

Box 4

Service record: Sims, Willie H., 1917

Pictures: World War I: 113th Field Artillery, 1918, undated

Negatives: World War I: 113th Field Artillery, ca. 1918

Durham: Printed Materials Series, 1873-1981, n.d

Includes primarily printed material including advertisements, brochures, leaflets, directories, clippings, reports and house organs. See also oversize.

Box 4

Businesses, 1884-1961, undated

Camp Butner, 1971, undated; Brooklyn Tabernacle Sunday School, 1892

City and county public Works, government and public services, 1873-1925, undated (2 folders)

Herald-Sun house organs, 1944-1975, undated

Maps: City of Durham, 1881-1981; Durham County, undated

Organizations/Social clubs, 1913-1974

Promotional, 1913-1981, undated

Schools, 1881-1926

Trinity College, 1889, undated

Miscellaneous Series, 1863-1986.

Includes correspondence, clippings, notes, a sermon, lists, treasury forms, a social club's minutes record book, poems, leaflets, and speeches. See also oversize.

Box 5

Miscellaneous: 1863-1980, undated

Biographical and genealogical information, 1936-1986, n.d

Communist Party in North Carolina, 1950, July-ca. 1952

Durham city and county, 1869-1974

Speeches, 1963, undated

Top-Notch Club: Minute Book, 1913, Feb. 25-1914, May 7

Clippings: By authors other than Dixon or unsigned, 1924, Jan.-1986, Jan.

Pictures Series, 1850s(?)-1976, undated (bulk 1920s-1960s, undated)

Includes photographs, copy prints, photomechanical prints, negatives, and postcards. See also oversize. Arranged by subject: People: Identified, arranged alphabetically by surname of principle individual in the photograph, and then People: Unidentified; followed by Groups: Identified, arranged alphabetically, and then Groups: Unidentified; Places: Identified, arranged alphabetically, and then Places: Unidentified; Miscellaneous; Postcards, arranged by location; and Negatives.

Box 5

People:

Identified: A-W, 1890s-1970s, undated (4 folders)

Box 6

Unidentified, 1953, undated

Groups:

Identified:

County and city officials, governors, judges, mayors, 1922-1953, n.d

Dixon, Wyatt T. with others, 1976, undated

Durham Morning Herald staff, 1920, undated

Empty Stocking Club, 1927-1952, undated

Firemen, policemen, and street car operators, music groups, ca. 1885-1900, undated

Military and veterans, 1921-1971, undated

Schools and orphanages, 1895-1926, undated

Spanish-American war soldiers in camps in Kentucky and Georgia, 1898

Trinity College and Duke University, 1925, undated

Miscellaneous, 1911-1953, undated

Unidentified, 1957, undated

Places:

Aerial views of Durham, 1938-1960, undated

Box 7

Banks, 1878-1973, undated

Bennett Place, 1964, undated

Buildings (miscellaneous):

Identified: 1882-1969, undated (2 folders)

Unidentified, undated

Businesses (various):

General, undated

Interiors, 1904, undated

Camp Butner, 1945, undated

Cemeteries and burials, 1934-1954, undated

Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, 1930, undated

Churches, ca. 1850(?)-1976, undated

Courthouses, ca. 1887(?)-1963, undated

Dams, power plants, 1899-1925, n.d

Ft. Macon, 1935, undated

Homes: Identified, 1883-1965 (2 folders)

Box 8

Hospitals, ca. 1976(?), undated

Hotels and inns, 1891-1975, undated

Plantations: Fairntosh, undated, Stagville, undated

Post offices, ca. 1906(?)-1961, undated

Schools, 1882-1992, undated

Streets:

Identified, 1895-1976, undated (2 folders)

Unidentified, 1927-1963, undated

Tobacco warehouses, factories, barns, and stores, ca. 1870-1970, undated

Trinity College, ca. 1892(?)-1960, undated (2 folders)

Trinity Methodist Church, 1860-1923

YMCA, 1956, undated

Miscellaneous:

Christmas/holiday, 1937-1967, undated

Hurricane Hazel, 1956

Parades, including military, 1895-1945, undated

Box 9

Transportation, including depots and fire fighting equipment, ca. 1888- ca. 1968(?), undated

Cook tent at Div. Hospital, Lexington, Ky., undated

Postcards:

Durham, N.C., 1907-1967, undated (2 folders)

Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, N.C., undated

Europe, undated

Negatives:

People:

Identified: C-D, M, undated

Groups:

Identified, undated

Unidentified, undated

Military and veterans, undated

Places:

Banks, undated

Buildings: Identified: schools, library, bank, Masonic Temple, unidentified, undated

Businesses (various), undated

Churches, 1878, undated

Homes identified, undated

Hospitals, hotels, and inns, 1961, undated

Plantations: Fairntosh, undated, Stagville, undated

Tobacco warehouses and stores, undated

Miscellaneous: Transportation, undated

Postcards: Durham, undated

Oversize Materials

World War I Series

Ovsz. Box 78

Pictures:

113th Field Artillery Unit, Batteries A-E, Headquarters Co., Supply Co., Officers, Field Artillery Unit, 1919, March 20

113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, Camp Sevier, S.C., 1918, Feb.

Oversize Cabinet OC:II:2: Unidentified soldiers, undated

Oversize Cabinet OC:II:2: 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, passenger list for returning members, 1919, Feb. 28

Durham Printed Material Series

Ovsz. Box 78

City and county public works, government and public services, 1911; Promotional, 1905

Miscellaneous Series

Oversize Cabinet OC:II:2: Maps: City of Durham, 1891; Durham property owned by B. L. Duke, 1901; railway routes in Va. and N.C., undated

Pictures Series

Ovsz. Box 78

People:

Identified: Government officials, 1948-; Durham Sun staff, n.d

Groups:

Identified, 1885, 1916, undated; unidentified, undated

Places:

Buildings: Identified, undated; unidentified, undated

Streets unidentified, ca. 1930-1961

Miscellaneous: Parades, military, undated

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Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Subject Headings
Detailed Description of Collection

	List of Series in Collection
		Writings Series, 1915-1987, undated (bulk 1930s-1980s).
		World War I Series, 1917-1980, undated (bulk 1917-1919).
		Durham: Printed Materials Series, 1873-1981, n.d
		Miscellaneous Series, 1863-1986.
		Pictures Series, 1850s(?)-1976, undated (bulk 1920s-1960s, undated)
		Oversize Materials