| Summary |
The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the life of Colonel Frederick Augustus Olds and the early development of the North Carolina Museum of History. It is also to show the state of museums during the first quarter of the twentieth century and the evolution of the museum idea in North Carolina. In order to understand the man, an overview of the politics, social history and economics of the times is necessary. Olds is also put into perspective by comparing his museum work to that in the other museums of the time. Each of the four chapters covers a well-defined period in his life and tells how he was influenced by the local, state and national events that were occurring around him. This story is based on correspondence, newspaper articles, government documents, interviews and numerous published works. Thus, Chapter One focuses on Olds's early years and the direction of southern thinking following the Civil War. The following chapter discusses the growing southern pride, some of the men responsible for the development of that pride, and how Olds was affected by them. The final two chapters look at the first three decades of the North Carolina Museum of History, then known as the Hall of History, and how Olds developed the collection while becoming one of the best known men in the state. That story is set against the background of the fast-changing technology and museum practices of the twentieth century. Anecdotes about Olds's involvement with the newspaper business; his love for people, especially children; his family; and his emergence as one of the best known and most colorful North Carolinians of his time reveal his personality and philosophy. |
