United Cigarette Machine Company records, 1887-1955 and undated
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Summary
- Creator:
- United Cigarette Machine Company
- Abstract:
- Lynchburg, Virginia manufacturing company specializing in cigarette machine and car parts; plants were located in the U.S. and Germany. The bulk of the United Cigarette Machine Company collection, dating from 1887-1955, consists of thousands of brownprints ("Van Dyke photoprints") and blueprints related to the various cigarette machines and parts manufactured by the company. These include the Universal, U-K, Improved Bonsack (designed by James Bonsack), and Heckendorn cigarette machines; materials from the 1920s also pertain to the manufacturing of Buick, Dodge, and Chevrolet auto parts. Other files contain black-and-white photographs of products, and company catalogs. Additional material includes contracts, legal papers, appraisals, audits, patent lists, tax reports, and minutes documenting company operations and finances. The center of operations was located in Lynchburg, Virginia; the company also owned manufacturing plants in Germany. A few materials are in French and German.
- Extent:
- 40 Linear Feet
Approx. 12,000 Items - Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.01320
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The bulk of the United Cigarette Machine Company collection, dating from 1887-1955, consists of thousands of brownprints ("Van Dyke photoprints") and blueprints related to the various cigarette machines and parts manufactured by the company. These include the Universal, U-K, Improved Bonsack (invented by James A. Bonsack), and Heckendorn cigarette machines; materials from the 1920s also pertain to the manufacturing of Buick, Dodge, and Chevrolet auto parts. Other files contain black-and-white photographs of products, and company catalogs. Additional material includes contracts, legal papers, appraisals, audits, patent lists, tax reports, and minutes documenting company operations and finances. The center of operations was located in Lynchburg, Virginia; the company also owned manufacturing plants in Germany. A few materials are in French and German. The United Cigarette Machine Company's main factory in Lynchburg was built in 1907, at the crossing of the Southern Railway main line and the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad line.
- Acquisition information:
- The United Cigarette Machine Company Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1956.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Willeke Sandler and Matthew Warren, July 2012
Encoded by Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, Willeke Sandler and Matthew Warren, July 2012
Accession described in this finding aid: 56-688
Materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.
- Arrangement:
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Arranged in three series: Company Records, Mechanical Drawings, and Volumes.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Cigarette industry
Cigarette industry -- Virginia
Machinery -- Drawings
Cigarette industry -- Germany
Cigarette manufacture and trade -- United States - Format:
- Brownprints
Mechanical drawings (tool-aided drawings)
Black-and-white photographs
Blueprints - Names:
- United Cigarette Machine Company
United Cigarette Machine Company
Bonsack, James Albert, 1859-1924 - Places:
- Lynchburg (Va.) -- History
Contents
Using These Materials
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Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
- 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 copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], United Cigarette Machine Company Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.