North Carolina Mutual Transfers Collections to Duke and NCCU

Duke University's John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture and North Carolina Central University's University Archives, Records and History Department are the joint recipients of the historical archives of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the nation’s largest and oldest African American life insurance company.

North Carolina Mutual founders John Merrick, C.C. Spaulding, and Aaron Moore

The company's archives includes thousands of business documents, newsletters, commercials, photography and books which chronicle the vitality of Durham’s “Black Wall Street” in the early 20th century. During the Jim Crow era, North Carolina Mutual allowed the black middle class access to home mortgages, small business loans, and insurance. The archives may be the largest assemblage of African American corporate material in the nation.

For more information on using this collection, contact the Franklin Research Center staff at franklin-collection(at)duke.edu.