Virgil Lusk Edwards papers, 1920s-1940s
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Summary
- Creator:
- Edwards, Virgil L. (Virgil Lusk), 1878-1965
- Abstract:
- Virgil Lusk Edwards (1878-1965) was a white American resident of Yancey County, N.C. Among his many pursuits, he owned and operated a printing press. This collection contains documents, broadsides, and samples he printed for various businesses, government offices, and community events in Yancey County (N.C.) and surrounding Appalachian communities.
- Extent:
- 1.0 Linear Foot (1 box and 1 oversize folder)
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.13165
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains items printed by Edwards, appearing to be largely created on his original steam-powered printing press, that document his career as well as provide a look at Yancey County and surrounding areas during the 1930s-1940s. Includes broadsides for local revivals, auctions, and other gatherings; high school and family newspapers; receipts and stationery letterheads; and other documents. Some newspaper titles include scattered issues and fragments of The Mountain Log (Burnsville, N.C.), The District Postmaster (Salley, S.C.), and the Edwards Broadcaster (Burnsville, N.C.). The collection also contains a few pieces of correspondence, and three pages of handwritten text, presumably written by Edwards.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Virgil Lusk Edwards (1878-1965) was a white American resident of Yancey County, N.C. He was a self-taught printer and publisher who operated Edwards Press in Yancey County. He was a local personality: his obituaries note his work as a historian, dentist, writer and editor; he also owned and operated a saw mill, a farm, and served as a justice of the peace. He was active in the Republican Party and the Presbyterian Church. Some of his newspapers include The Blue Ridge Rocket, Blue Ridge Sun, The American Vim, The Mountain Log, and the War Lion. Edwards married Minnie Belle Letterman in 1904 and the couple had five children.
- Acquisition information:
- The Virgil Lusk Edwards papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase (from Ebay) in 2003.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Meghan Lyon, September 2025
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2003-0193
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Virgil Lusk Edwards papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m10t8k