1962 Alumni Association Pictorial Historical Map of the University of North Carolina

This is a 1962 historical pictorial view of the campus of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, produced by Sydney W. Britton and Louise Britton for the university's alumni association.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northwest, this richly-illustrated view contains a wide range of references to the history of the university from its earliest days to the modern era. These include buildings ranging from Old East (1793) to recent structures such as the Ehringhaus Residence Hall (1962). Other buildings throughout the campus are illustrated, often with the year of construction noted, along with relevant historical facts or quotes. In the spaces between buildings, additional facts and illustrations about the university and quotes from authors, artists, and philosophers appear. One particularly amusing reference near Kenan Memorial Stadium is a dig at rival Duke University, referencing a 1959 football game.

At top-left is an illustration of William Richardson Davie (1756 - 1820), a Founding Father and prominent member of the North Carolina General Assembly, considered to be the father of the university. At top-right are illustrations relating to astronomy, a reference to the university's importance for that field of study, particularly the Morehead Planetarium (constructed 1949), which was used to train NASA astronauts in celestial navigation. At bottom-left and bottom-right are the seals of the Women's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC Greensboro) and the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, which in 1931 merged into UNC-Chapel Hill. The border consists of the names of various campus buildings.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Louise Britton and Dr. Sydney W. Britton in 1962, as noted at bottom. According to records, a wall map edition was printed in a run of 500 copies on '150-pound Vellum Finish Bristol' board - of this, we have found no surviving examples. At the same time, an unspecified number of smaller lithographs, of which this is an example, were also printed 'by one of the country's leading lithographers' (unnamed) and sold by the General Alumni Association. The map is rare, with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill itself being the only institution noting it among their collections.