On May 2nd, 1960 the Durham Sun reported:
The article stated: A gift described by Duke University Librarian Benjamin E. Powell as “one of the largest and most important manuscript collections to come to Duke University in recent years,” has been presented to the Duke Library by the Richard and Thomas Wright families of Durham.
The collection of over 175,000 items are the papers of Richard H. Wright, uncle of the donors.
Covering the period from 1873 to 1927, the collection is said to be “particularly rich in local history and valuable as a source on early tobacco manufacturing.”
The elder Mr. Wright was an early partner in W. Duke, Sons and Co. and later organized the Wright Automatic Machinery Company, a firm of worldwide importance in packaging tobacco. The firm’s machines also were used in wrapping soap, candy and bakery products.
Records of the Durham Traction Company, which operated the town’s first electric railway and furnished electricity to the town, also are a part of the collection. At the turn of the century the Traction Company hired a band to play summer concerts and attracted excursions from nearby towns. In 1903, an electric railway between Durham and Chapel Hill was proposed.
Also in the collection are 80 letter press books containing about 500 letters each. These give interesting details about the development of Durham and the Piedmont Section of N.C. and include materials on furniture and manufacturing cotton mills, and the Interstate Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Mr. Wright’s business interest were wide. In addition to his own automatic machinery company, he held a foreign franchise for the Bonsack Machine Company that carried him to England, Canada, the Philippines, India, the Orient and South Africa.
In announcing the gift to the Duke Library, Dr. Powell emphasized the completeness of the collection. “Seldom does one find as well preserved and complete a collection covering such a span of years. The Wright Papers will be a valuable source for scholars for years to come. We are particularly grateful to the members of the Wright family for this gift to the University.”
I’m excited to share that my book, A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way, is now available in hardback! It is 25% off until December 22nd.
For the past two years, I have been researching and writing about my grandfather’s uncle, Richard Harvey Wright. When I began my search, I knew very little about this man except that he was one of the founding fathers of Durham, North Carolina. But what I discovered was a story of passion, love, and a determination to succeed with no boundaries. My new book, A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way, will cause you to reflect on your own history and hopefully create in you a desire to study your own rich past.