Administrative Records, 1859-2004 and undated

Access Restrictions:

Access restricted. Several folders in boxes 23, 35, 38, 43, 44, 45, 246, 247, 249, and 253 are restricted and require prior written approval from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to view. Contact Research Services for more information.

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Scope and content:

Topics in this series are widely varied, however they are all related to the daily operations of the Duke Farms estate. The materials begin with J.B. Duke, primarily documenting the early evolution of the estate from a "gentleman's" farm (raising and breeding cattle and horse) to a public park, and finally to a large-scale agricultural production farm to support the war effort. Materials include the original deeds, mortgages, and agreements relating to the formation of J.B. Duke's Hillsborough property, the certificate of incorporation of the Duke's Farm Company in 1917, correspondence and invoices for purchases of equipment and Jersey cows for the farm, lists of plants and flowers sold, analysis of profit and loss accounts, daily activity reports, and correspondence, notes, and specifications for various architectural projects at Duke Farms, including the construction of a "country house" and the greenhouses. Of particular interest are the letterbooks, which range from 1916 to 1927. The letters detail the daily operations of Duke's Farms, including the purchases of plants, trees, and flowers for the estate, rent paid, farm equipment requests, and letters to Horace Trumbauer regarding the construction of two cottages on the estate.

The series continues with Doris Duke, beginning with her inheritance of the property after J.B. Duke's death in 1925 and ending in 2004 with materials related to the handling of the Estate of Doris Duke after her death in 1993. The materials document the broad, diverse daily activities of the estate, including leases, memoranda and correspondence related to land, houses, and field crops, invoices and vouchers for repairs at different buildings on the estate, and financial statements, receipts, and disbursements related to the daily operations. The materials also document Doris Duke's interests in conservation, raising Jersey cattle, and organic farming, and include memoranda concerning agricultural conservation programs at Duke Farms, invoices and vouchers relating to soil and water conservation, cattle inventories and cow registrations, and proposals for organic farming at Duke Farms. Of particular interest are letters from Hillsborough residents who supported Doris Duke in her land preservation efforts.

At least half of the materials are in oversize boxes and primarily consist of ledgers, financial journals, cashbooks, voucher records, and inventories. The materials in this series are arranged loosely in chronological order.

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