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Collection Number: 05161

Collection Title: James A. Felton and Annie Vaughan Felton Papers, circa 1930s-2015

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 2.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1100 items)
Abstract Personal and professional papers of James A. Felton, African American author, teacher, counselor, and civic leader in Hertford County, N.C., and his wife, Annie Vaughan Felton, African American educator, church worker, and community leader, who were instrumental in the restoration and establishment of the C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum which opened in Winton, N.C., in 1986. The collection contains correspondence; programs for meetings and events held by educational, religious, and civic organizations; sermons; reports; and newspaper clippings describing James A. Felton's civic contributions in Hertford County, N.C. Best documented are activities related to the C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum in Winton, N.C., the People's Program on Poverty, the North Carolina Family Life Council, and the Montford Point Marines. Also included are a short biography of Annie Vaughan Felton and some materials that she collected after her husband's death. Photographs show James A. Felton throughout his adult life with his family, his colleagues, and his students at the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Training Center.
Creator Felton, James A. (James Andrew), 1919-1994.



Felton, Annie Vaughan.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the James A. Felton and Annie Vaughan Felton Papers #5161, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Annie Vaughan Felton of Winton, N.C., in May 2004 (Acc. 99798) and in August 2014 (Acc. 102083); and from Biff Hollingsworth in August 2015 (20200224.1).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Elise Allison, March 2005

Encoded by: Elise Allison, March 2005

Revisions by: Jodi Berkowitz, September 2015; Nancy Kaiser, February 2020, March 2021; Patrick Cullom, September 2022; Jodi Berkowitz, September 2022.

Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

In September 2022, the decision was made to integrate all accessions (Acc. 99798, 102083, and 20200224.1) into combined Papers, Photographs, and Moving Image Materials series, respectively.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

James Andrew Felton was born on 6 July 1919 in Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C. After spending almost three years in the United States Marine Corps as a member of the Montford Point Marines, he earned his B.S. from Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University) and his M.A. from North Carolina College at Durham (now North Carolina Central University). He taught in the Greene and Hertford County school systems for 20 years, and, in 1965 he published Fruits of Enduring Faith, a story that dramatizes the human issues behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In the mid-1960s, Felton and Reverend John L. Scott of New Ahoskie Baptist Church formed the People's Program on Poverty, an African American organization created to study and fight poverty on the grass-roots level. Through his work in this program, Felton founded the first Family Training Center in the United States. During this time, he was also actively involved in organizations such as the President's Commission on Rural Poverty, the North Carolina Family Life Council, and a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

In 1980, Felton established the C. S. Brown School Auditorium Restoration Association to restore Brown Hall, a building that had been part of the campus of Chowan Academy, an African American school founded in 1886 by Calvin Scott Brown. The C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum in Winton, N.C., opened in 1986.

James A. Felton married Annie Vaughan on 3 August 1947. Annie Vaughan was a graduate of Elizabeth City State Teachers College and taught for many years at C.S. Brown School. She was also an active church worker, community leader, and school volunteer. The Feltons had six children: James Andrew, Jr., Keith, Maria, Sharon, Michele, and Camilla. James A. Felton died in Winton, N.C., on 6 October 1994.

For additional information about James A. Felton, see Who's Who Among Black Americans, 1st edition, 1975-1976.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection consists of materials documenting teacher and community activist James A. Felton's life, focusing on his civic activities and achievements, especially those related to the C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum, the People's Program on Poverty, the North Carolina Family Life Council, and the Montford Point Marines. It includes correspondence; programs for meetings and events held by educational, religious, and civic organizations; sermons; reports; and clippings describing Felton's civic contributions in Hertford County, N.C. Also included are a short biography of Annie Vaughan Felton and some materials that she collected after her husband's death. Photographs show James A. Felton throughout his adult life with his family, his colleagues, and his students at the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Training Center.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Papers, 1938-2015.

About 800 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by folder title.

Personal and professional papers of James A. Felton and Annie Vaughan Felton, chiefly relating to civic activities, including the C. S. Brown Cultural Arts Center and Museum, People's Program on Poverty, the North Carolina Family Life Council, and the Montford Point Marine Association. Documents include correspondence, sermons, event programs, certificates, reports, and newsletters. The papers also include a short biography of Annie Vaughan Felton and some materials that she collected after her husband's death.

Folder 1

Biographical information, 1943-1994

Folder 2

Civic activity: general, 1947-2003

Folder 3

Civic activity: Hammocks Beach Drama Committee, 1968-1970

Contains letters from individuals at the University of North Carolina Institute of Outdoor Drama, including Paul Green and Mark R. Sumner, related to a proposed Hammocks Beach Performing Arts Institute. James A. Felton was a member of the Hammocks Beach Drama Committee.

Folder 4

Civic activity: North Carolina and Choanoke Area Family Life Councils, 1975-1988

Includes notes, bylaws, programs, and a brochure. James A. Felton and Annie Vaughan Felton were involved in these organizations.

Folder 5

Civic activity: North Carolina Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows Association, 1982, 2002-2010

Includes programs, a report, and a membership directory.

Folder 6

Civic activity: North Carolina Teachers' Association and Hertford County Teachers' Association, 1949-1965

Includes scattered programs, a letter, a newsletter, and a certificate of participation.

Folder 7

Clippings, 1952-2008

Primarily related to activities of James A. Felton; also included are an obituary for him, 6 October 1994, and an article, 2008, about recipients of a scholarship established in his memory.

Folder 8

Correspondence, 1951-1994

Includes a letter from Paul Green, 1957, and three unrelated letters from Julius Chambers, one pertaining to the People's Program on Poverty, 1966. Also includes a copy of a letter to Mayor Charles Evers of Fayette, Miss., related to the People's Program on Poverty, 1969.

Folder 9-11

Folder 9

Folder 10

Folder 11

C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center amd Museum, 1986-2003

Contains scattered administrative material, including agendas, meeting minutes, reports, brochures, newsletters, and material documenting various events hosted by the Calvin Scott Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum, including programs, clippings, and fliers.

Folder 12

Highway dedication ceremony, 1998

Folder 13

Lorenzo Jones poetry, 1992 and undated

Folder 14

Marine Corps, 1967-1994

Folder 15

Membership cards, 1955-1992

Folder 16

People's Program on Poverty, 1968, 1974, 1986

Contains reports and a grant proposal.

Folder 17-19

Folder 17

Folder 18

Folder 19

Sermons, 1960s-1980s

Three folders of sermons delivered by James A. Felton, some typed, many handwritten, most of which are on smaller pieces of paper.

Folder 20

Water and road conditions in Halifax and Bertie Counties, 1962-1979

Scattered meeting minutes, meeting notes, and a resolution regarding water and road conditions.

Folder 21

Writings and related information, undated

Includes handwritten autobiography of James A. Felton.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5161/1

Oversize papers

Includes high school diploma of James A. Felton, a voter education project poster, and posters for James A. Felton book events

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Photographs, circa 1930s-1998.

About 300 items.

Photographs of James A. Felton throughout his adult life. They show him with his family, his colleagues, and his students at the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Training Center. In addition, several photos show the highway dedication and street naming ceremonies honoring Felton after his death. In summer of 2022, the photographic materials in the original accession and additions were combined into one photographic series.

In September 2022, the decision was made to integrate all photographic materials (Acc. 99798, 102083, and 20200224.1) into one combined photographic series.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1 "Pictures of James A. Felton Life," circa 1930s-1980s.

About 35 items.

Chronological

Photographs of James A. Felton throughout his life. Images in this subbseries were numbered, captioned, and detailed in a typed inventory that was not created by Wilson Library.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials

Image Folder PF-5161/1

Original notes for PF-5161/2-33

3 pages

Printed materials

Images appear to have been compiled for presentation and are described in detail in document and on backs of prints.

Descriptions were compiled and numbering assigned before the materials were processed.

Image Folder PF-5161/2

This is Your Life: James A. Felton, circa 1980s

2 images

Printed materials

Printed program from event.

Image Folder PF-5161/3

This is Your Life: James A. Felton, circa 1980s

2 images

Color photographic prints

Images depict speakers at event.

Image Folder PF-5161/4

"Skinner, Eugene Felton (father), Alina Skinner, Virgilla Felton (mother)," circa 1920-1930s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/5

"Mrs. Marioin Morris (former teacher), Geraldine F. Brookfield (sister), James A. Felton, unknown, George W. Felton (father), unknowns," circa 1900-1910s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/6

"James A. Felton (age 21)," circa 1940

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/7

"James A. Felton (place of birth, Hertford, N.C.)," circa 1950s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/8

"James A. Felton, Marine in Elizabeth City, N.C.," circa 1940s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/9

"James A. Felton, Camp Le June, Jacksonville, N.C.,1943"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/10

"James A. Felton, Camp Le June, Jacksonville, N.C., 1943"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/11

"The 92nd Company of Platoon, James A. Felton (second from left)," circa 1940s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/12

"James A. Felton 1943, Camp Le June, Jacksonville, N.C., Montford Point"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/13

"Hampton University, where he did further studies," circa 1940-1950s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/14

"Howard University, where he did further studies in religion," circa 1940-1950s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/15

"North Carolina Central where he earned his masters degree," circa 1940-1950s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Back of image indicates it is Hampton University.

Image Folder PF-5161/16

"James A. Felton poses," circa 1967

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/17

"James A. Felton, wife Ann," circa 1980-1990s

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/18

"James A. Felton when he visited San Diego, California 1979"

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/19

"James A. Felton, wife Ann in San Diego, California 1979"

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/20

"James A. Felton, wife Ann at home in Winton, N.C.," circa 1980s

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/21

"James A. Felton, wife at C.S. Brown Cultural Arts Center, Winton, N.C.," circa 1980s

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/22

"James A. Felton (home in Winton, N.C.)," circa 1980s

1 image

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/23

"James A. Felton and wife at Smithsonian, Washington D.C.," circa 1980s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/24

"James A. Felton (poses) 1960"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/25

"James A. Felton (pictured extreme left with his Boy Scout Group) 1958-1959"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/26

"Ministers Conference held at Shaw University (1983)"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/27

"Member of Lodge (Perfect Ashley) Winton, N.C.," circa 1950-1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/28

"Member of Lodge (Perfect Ashley) James A. Felton 4th from the left in first row," circa 1950-1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/29

"Vacation Bible School, Winton, N.C. James A. Felton (1957)"

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/30

"James A. Felton in Rosenwall classroom at Mill Neck School, Como, N.C.," circa 1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/31

"Grounds of Rosenwall (Mill Neck School) Como, N.C.," circa 1950-1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/32

"James A. Felton's mother holding granddaughter Maria," circa 1940s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/33

"James A. Felton, Walace Felton (brother),Eugene Felton (father), George Felton (brother)," circa 1970s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2 James A. Felton and family, circa 1930s-1998.

About 65 items.

Chronological

Photographs of James A. Felton throughout his life. Many of the images in this subbseries are numbered, captioned, and detailed in typed inventories that were not created by Wilson Library staff.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials

Image Folder PF-5161/34

James A. Felton portraits, circa December 1940

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/35-36

PF-5161/35

PF-5161/36

James A. Felton in the United States Marines, circa 1940s

5 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/37

Program from "Montford Point Marine Association, INC and Ladies Auxiliary: Celebrates the Fiftieth Anniversary of Montford Point: Remembrance/Memorial Ceremony," 21 June 1992

3 pages

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/38

James A. Felton portraits, circa 11 August 1947

2 images

Color photographic prints

One image is inscribed and signed by Felton.

Image Folder PF-5161/39

James A. Felton portraits, circa 1940s

2 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/40

James A. Felton post-secondary education, "Hampton Institute," circa 1930s-1940s

5 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/41

James A. Felton post-secondary education, "Elizabeth City State University," circa 1930s-1940s

5 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/42

James A. Felton post-secondary education, "Howard University," circa 1930s-1940s

5 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/43

James A. Felton family portraits, circa 1940s

2 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/44

James A. Felton portraits, circa 1950s

2 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/45

James A. Felton family portraits, circa 1950s

6 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Includes images of the Felton children at First Baptist Church School.

Image Folder PF-5161/46

James A. Felton family portrait, circa 1959

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Image Folder PF-5161/47

James A. Felton at 1965 World's Fair, Brooklyn, N.Y., circa 1965

2 images

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/48

James A. Felton portraits, circa 1965-1967

2 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/49

James A. Felton family portrait, circa 1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Includes printed description.

Image Folder PF-5161/50

James A. Felton group portrait, circa 1970s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Includes printed description.

Image Folder PF-5161/51

James A. Felton group portrait, circa 1970s

2 images

Color photographic print

Includes printed description.

Image Folder PF-5161/52

James A. Felton portraits, circa 1980s

7 images

Color photographic prints

Includes printed description.

Image Folder PF-5161/53

James A. Felton portraits, circa 1980s

1 image

Color photographic prints

Includes printed description.

Image Folder PF-5161/54

James A. Felton and Annie Vaughan Felton portraits, circa 1980s

2 images

Color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/55

Annie Vaughan Felton portraits, circa 1980s

2 images

Black-and-White photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/56

Annie Vaughan Felton family portraits, circa 1930s-1960s

6 images

Black-and-White photographic prints

Includes some of Annie Vaughan Felton's extended family members.

Image Folder PF-5161/57-59

PF-5161/57

PF-5161/58

PF-5161/59

James A. Felton family portraits, circa 1920s-1940s

3 folders

Black-and-White photographic prints

Includes images of James A. Felton's parents and his daughter Sharon.

Image Folder PF-5161/60-62

PF-5161/60

PF-5161/61

PF-5161/62

James A. Felton highway dedication,Winton, N.C., 22 May 1998

6 images

Color photographic prints

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.3 Schools and local communities, circa 1930s-1980s.

About 40 items.

Chronological

Photographs of schools and communities that James A. Felton was active in throughout his life. Many of the images in this subbseries are numbered, captioned, and detailed in a typed inventory.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials

Image Folder PF-5161/63-65

PF-5161/63

PF-5161/64

PF-5161/65

Zachariah School, Wooten's Crossroads, Greene County, N.C., circa 1985

4 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/66-67

PF-5161/66

PF-5161/67

Mill Neck School, Como, N.C., circa 1950s

20 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/68-69

PF-5161/68

PF-5161/69

"Local community," 1950s-1970s

15 images

Black-and-white and color photographic prints

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials. Does not appear to include Feltons.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.4 Family Life Training Center and Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers Association Training Center, Rich Square, N.C., circa 1970s-1980s.

About 50 items.

Chronological

Photographs of James A. Felton associated with the Family Life Training Center and Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers Association Training Center in Rich Square, N.C. Many of the images in this subbseries are numbered, captioned, and detailed in a typed inventory.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials

Image Folder PF-5161/70-74

PF-5161/70

PF-5161/71

PF-5161/72

PF-5161/73

PF-5161/74

"Family Life Training Center, Rich Square, N.C., Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers Association Training Center," 1976-1987

50 images

Color photographic prints and Color 35mm slide

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.5 People's Program on Poverty, circa 1960s-1980s.

About 60 items.

Chronological

Photographs of James A. Felton associated with the People's Program on Poverty. Felton was a founder of the People's Program on Poverty, an African American organization created to study and fight poverty on the grass-roots level in northeastern North Carolina. Many of the images in this subbseries are numbered, captioned, and detailed in a typed inventory.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Image Folder PF-5161/75

People's Program on Poverty, circa 1960s-1970s

7 images

Black-and-white photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/76-79

PF-5161/76

PF-5161/77

PF-5161/78

PF-5161/79

People's Program on Poverty, circa 1960-1980s

50 images

Black-and-white and color photographic prints

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.6 C.S. Brown School and Regional Arts Center, circa 1930s-1980s.

About 35 items.

Chronological

Photographs of James A. Felton associated with C.S. Brown School and Cultural Resource Center. Felton and his wife, Annie Vaughan Felton, and African American educator, church worker, and community leader, were instrumental in the restoration and establishment of the C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center and Museum, which opened in Winton, N.C., in 1986.Many of the images in this subbseries are numbered, captioned, and detailed in a typed inventory.

Titles devised from original captions or notes found with materials.

Descriptions in quotation marks were transcribed from original captions or notes found with materials

Image Folder PF-5161/80

C.S. Brown Consistory, circa 1950s

1 image

Black-and-white and color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/81

J.C. Smith and C.S. Brown High School Home Economics Department, circa 1960s

1 image

Black-and-white photographic print

Has additional description.

Image Folder PF-5161/82

C.S. Brown, circa 1940s-1970s

15 images

Black-and-white and color photographic prints

Image Folder PF-5161/83-84

PF-5161/83

PF-5161/84

"Restoration of C.S. Brown Cultural Arts Center and Museum, Winton, N.C.," circa 1986

14 images

Color photographic prints

Images depict both restoration work on building and events tied to renovations. Annie and James Felton appear in several images.

Image Folder PF-5161/85

Buildings on C.S. Brown grounds, circa 1930s

4 images

Black-and-white photographs(oversize)

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Moving Image Materials, 1967-1998.

4 items.

Videotapes consist of a tape of C. S. Brown Cultural Arts Center documentation; a tape of James A. Felton's funeral, 1994; and a tape of the highway dedication for James A. Felton, Winton, N.C., 22 May 1998. There is also a film on the President's Committee on Poverty, prepared by James A. Felton and Leon Vaughan.

Videotape VT-5161/1

C. S. Brown Regional Cultural Arts Center documentation

Videotape VT-5161/2

James A. Felton's funeral, 1994

Videotape VT-5161/3

Highway dedication for James A. Felton, Winton, N.C., 22 May 1998

Film F-5161/1

President's Committee on Poverty film, 1967

Prepared by James A. Felton and Leon Vaughan; shown in Washington, D.C.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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