Elizabeth E. Norris Photograph Collection, PhC.220
Abstract
The Elizabeth E. Norris Photograph Collection consists of documentary black and white photographs taken 1967-1971 by Miss Norris of historic structures within the Blount Street Historic District of downtown Raleigh, NC; color slides taken c.1975-1991 depicting historic Raleigh structures outside the Blount Street Historic District; and a few miscellaneous copy photographs, handwritten notes by Miss Norris, and related ephemera.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Elizabeth E. Norris Photograph Collection
- Call Number
- PhC.220
- Creator
- Norris, Elizabeth Edmond
- Date
- 1935 - 1998 1965-1985
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Series Quick Links
- Blount Street Historic District Houses, 1940 - 1974
- Miscellaneous houses outside the Blount Street Historic District, 1982
- Haywood Hall, 1985
- Blount Street houses outside the Blount Street Historic District, 1978 - 1991
- Copy prints of postcards
- North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh, NC, c.1961
- Notes on houses
- Ephemera, 1935 - 1998
Collection Overview
The Elizabeth E. Norris Photograph Collection comprises eight series. Series 1, the largest in the collection, consists of documentary black and white photographs taken 1967-1971 by Miss Norris of historic structures within the Blount Street Historic District, Raleigh, NC. Most of these are paired with the original medium format negatives, although there are several negatives without a paired print, and several prints without a paired negative. Series 2, 3 and 4 consist of a grouping of color slides and their matching color prints taken c.1975-1991 depicting historic Raleigh structures outside the Blount Street Historic District. These include several slides without a matching print, and several prints without a matching slide. Many of the houses photographed are either no longer extant or have been moved since being photographed by Norris. Series 5, 6, 7 and 8 consist of miscellaneous copy photographs, handwritten notes by Miss Norris and ephemera.
Biographical/Historical
Elizabeth E. Norris was a local historian, historical researcher, and writer of historical tracts. She wrote biographic entries for the 'Dictionary of North Carolina Biography' (William S. Powell, ed., UNC Press, 1979-96) on Raleigh notables Thomas Munro Argo, Peter Brown, Theophilus Hunter Hill, and Spier Whitaker, and published 'Historic Oakwood Cemetery' in 1990. Her papers are currently housed in the Southeast Regional Library, Garner, N.C. That collection contains research files, maps, and publications related to Raleigh and Wake County history, the bulk of the collection dealing with historic families, buildings, and cemeteries in the City of Raleigh.
Contents of the Collection
1. Blount Street Historic District Houses, 1940 - 1974
2. Miscellaneous houses outside the Blount Street Historic District, 1982
3. Haywood Hall, 1985
4. Blount Street houses outside the Blount Street Historic District, 1978 - 1991
Scope and Content:
Norris-Heartt and Heck-Andrews Houses, Blount Street, Raleigh, NC. PhC.220.4.1.1-3 are of the Norris-Heartt House; PhC.220.4.1.4 is of the Heck-Andrews House. PhC.220.4.1.1-3 are date stamped 1978; PhC.220.4.1.4 has the hand-written date October 1991. The sleeve contains a grouping of four slides. The slides include notations written by Miss Norris.
5. Copy prints of postcards
Scope and Content:
5"x7" black and white copy prints of early 20th century postcards depicting various Raleigh, NC landmarks. The prints are all undated.
6. North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh, NC, c.1961
Scope and Content:
Elevated view of the State Capitol taken from the roof of the Highway Building. There is a single 9"x9" print in the folder and no negative. The print includes notes on the reverse written by Miss Norris.
7. Notes on houses
Scope and Content:
17 index cards with notes on the Blount Street homes in the Elizabeth E. Norris Collection handwritten by Miss Norris.
8. Ephemera, 1935 - 1998
Scope and Content:
A guide map to 20th century Raleigh architecture (1998) and three copies of the Murphey School student newspaper (January 1935, January 1937, and March 1937).
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Several years ago Elizabeth E. Norris gave the photographs in this collection to Bill Uzzle of Raleigh, N.C., who donated the collection to the State Archives of North Carolina in October 2015.