Couper Marble Works (Norfolk, VA.)
A Guide to the Couper Marble Works (Norfolk, VA.) Records, 1848-1943
Call Number Mss3 C8325 a
Abstract
Main Entry: Couper Marble Works (Norfolk, VA.) Title: Records, 1848-1943 Size: ca. 32,500 items Provenance: Gift of Monroe Couper Restrictions: None.
Collection Description
John Diedrich Couper (1822-1909) founded the Couper Marble Works in 1848. Located behind the family home on the corner of Main and Granby streets, Norfolk, Va., the firm specialized in the import and carving of stone used for construction and monuments. Run by succeeding members of the family, including John Diedrich Couper (1856-1917) and Charles Cowling Couper (1860-1942), the company remained in family hands for over one hundred years before closing in 1981. In later years it was known as Couper Memorials.
The collection consists of ca. 32,500 items and includes correspondence, accounts, contracts, orders, drawings, sketches, ledgers, and day books of the company. Also included are drawings and scrapbooks relating to the Norfolk Confederate Monument. The monument, located at Main Street and Commercial Place, was originally to be topped with a heroic bronze figure of peace, while four life-sized bronze figures representing a Confederate sailor, infantryman, cavalryman, and artilleryman were intended to adorn the base. The pedestal was completed in 1889. With money short, the original plans were reconsidered, and, in 1907, a handsome fifteen-foot bronze statue of a defiant Johnny Reb, created by renowned sculptor William Couper (1853-1942), son of John D. Couper (1822-1909), was added.
The collection was the gift of Monroe Couper, Waynesboro, Va., and Wilmington, Del., in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Accessioned 17 January 1969 and 9 February 1971.
Guide
Section One: General Materials
Box 1 Checklist and miscellany
Section Two: Incoming Correspondence, 1848-1942
Box 2 Letters (incoming), 1848-1875 3 Letterbook (incoming), 1852-1865 4 Letters (incoming), 1867-1869 5 Letters (incoming), 1870-1873 6 Letters (incoming), 1875-1877 7 Letters (incoming), 1879-1880 8 Letters (incoming), 1881-1882 9 Letters (incoming), 1883 10 Letters (incoming), 1884-1886 11 Letters (incoming), 1886-1887 12 Letters (incoming), 1888 13 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (A - C through 1891) 14 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (A - C through 1892-1898) 15 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (D, F) [there are no “E” letters] 16 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (G - H) 17 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (I - L) 18 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (M) 19 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (N - P through 1894) 20 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (P through 1898-R) 21 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (S) 22 Letters (incoming), 1889-1898 (T - V) 23 Letters (incoming), 1899-1916 (H - P) [there are no “A - G” letters] 24 Letters (incoming), 1899-1916 (Q - Y) 25 Letters (incoming), 1925-1928 26 Letters (incoming), 1929 27 Letters (incoming), 1930 28 Letters (incoming), 1931-1932 29 Letters (incoming), 1933-1935 30 Letters (incoming), 1936-1937 31 Letters (incoming), 1938-1939 32 Letters (incoming), 1940-1941 33 Letters (incoming), 1942
Section Three: Contracts, 1905-1942
Box 34 Contracts, 1905-1909 35 Contracts, 1910-1913 36 Contracts, 1914-1919 37 Contracts, 1920-1923 38 Contracts, 1924-1931 39 Contracts, 1932-1937 40 Contracts, 1938-1942
Section Four: Orders, 1888-1942
Box 41 Orders, 1888-1890 42 Orders, 1902-1906 (part.) 43 Orders, 1906 (cont.)-1909 44 Orders, 1910-1913 (part.) 45 Orders, 1913 (cont.)-1916 46 Orders, 1917-1921 47 Orders, 1922-1927 48 Orders, 1928-1937 49 Orders, 1938-1942
Section Five: Accounts, 1848-1902
Box 50 Accounts, 1848-1868 51 Accounts, 1869-1874 52 Accounts, 1875-1879 53 Accounts, 1880-1884 54 Accounts, 1885-1888 55 Accounts, 1889-1902
Section Six: Scrapbooks and Drawings
Box 56 Scrapbook A, Pt. 1 (Confederate Monument, Norfolk, Va.) 57 Scrapbook A, Pt. 2 58 Scrapbook B 59 Drawings and sketches, 1895-1900 60 Drawings and sketches, 1901-1904 61 Drawings and sketches, 1905-1908 62 Drawings and sketches, 1909-1923 63 Drawings and sketches, A - G 64 Drawings and sketches, H - P [there are no “Q” drawings] 65 Drawings and sketches, R - Z 66 Drawings and sketches, Misc.
Section Seven: Letterbooks (Outgoing), 1877-1943
Vol. A 1877 Nov 17 - 1881 May 10 B 1881 May 18 - 1883 Mar 7 C 1883 Mar 7 - 1885 Jul 31 D 1885 Aug 1 - 1887 Aug 27 E 1887 Aug 30 - 1889 Jan 18 F 1889 Jan 18 - 1889 Oct 11 G 1889 Oct 12 - 1890 Sep 12 H 1890 Sep 13 - 1891 May 5 I 1891 May 6 - 1891 Dec 9 J 1891 Dec 9 - 1892 Dec 20 K 1892 Dec 22 - 1894 Mar 17 L 1894 Mar 17 - 1895 Feb 23 M 1895 Feb 23 - 1895 Sep 30 N 1895 Oct 1 - 1896 Apr 15 O 1896 Apr 15 - 1896 Aug 12 P 1896 Aug 12 - 1897 Aug 23 Q 1897 Aug 23 - 1898 Jul 16 R 1898 Aug 23 - 1899 Mar 11 S 1899 Mar 11 - 1899 Oct 27 T 1899 Oct 27 - 1900 Apr 12 U 1900 Apr 12 - 1900 Sep 5 V 1900 Sep 6 - 1901 Mar 25 W 1901 Mar 25 - 1902 Feb 20 X 1902 Feb 20 - 1902 Sep 8 Y 1902 Sep 9 - 1903 Mar 21 Z 1903 Mar 23 - 1903 Sep 8 28 1903 Sep 28 - 1904 Feb 16 [there is no volume #27] 29 1904 Feb 17 - 1904 Jul 12 30 1904 Jul 13 - 1904 Dec 3 31 1904 Dec 4 - 1905 Apr 25 32 1905 Apr 25 - 1905 Sep 18 33 1905 Sep 18 - 1906 Feb 25 34 1906 Feb 28 - 1906 Jul 30 35 1906 Jul 31 - 1906 Dec 28 36 1906 Dec 28 - 1907 May 28 37 1907 May 29 - 1907 Sep 19 38 1907 Sep 20 - 1908 Jan 23 39 1908 Jan 29 - 1908 May 20 40 1908 May 20 - 1908 Sep 1 41 1908 Aug 31 - 1909 Jan 5 42 1909 Jan 6 - 1909 May 24 43 1909 May 29 - 1909 Oct 9 44 1909 Oct 11 - 1910 Apr 26 45 1910 Apr 26 - 1910 Oct 27 46 1910 Oct 27 - 1911 Jun 6 47 1911 Jun 6 - 1911 Nov 7 48 1911 Nov 7 - 1912 May 31 49 1912 Jun 1 - 1913 Jan 11 50 1913 Jan 11 - 1913 Jul 15 51 1813 Jul 15 - 1913 Nov 20 52 1913 Nov 21 - 1914 May 8 53 1914 May 11 - 1914 Nov 25 54 1914 Nov 25 - 1915 Jul 22 55 1915 Jul 23 - 1916 Apr 30 56 1916 May 1 - 1917 Feb 10 57 1917 Feb 10 - 1917 Nov 2 58 1917 Nov 5 - 1918 Aug 2 59 1918 Aug 26 - 1919 Jun 30 60 1919 Jul 1 - 1919 Dec 10 61 1919 Dec 11 - 1920 Aug 18 62 1920 Aug 19 - 1921 Jun 2 63 1921 Jun 21 - 1921 Nov 18 64 1921 Nov 19 - 1922 Jun 9 65 1922 Jun 10 - 1922 Dec 26 66 1922 Dec 26 - 1923 Nov 1 67 1923 Nov 2 - 1924 Aug 22 68 1924 Aug 22 - 1925 Aug 7 69 1925 Aug 7 - 1926 Nov 15 70 1926 Nov 15 - 1927 Nov 15 71 1927 Nov 10 - 1928 Aug 19 72 1928 Aug 20 - 1929 Jun 19 73 1929 Jun 20 - 1930 May 14 74 1930 May 15 - 1931 May 31 75 1931 May 15 - 1932 May 31 76 1932 Jun 1 - 1933 Jul 12 77 1933 Jul 14 - 1934 May 17 78 1934 May 18 - 1935 Mar 7 79 1935 Mar 9 - 1935 Aug 6 80 1935 Aug 6 - 1935 Dec 31 81 1936 Jan 1 - 1936 Jul 8 82 1936 Jul 9 - 1936 Dec 31 83 1937 Jan 1 - 1937 Jun 30 84 1937 Jul 1 - 1937 Nov 30 85 1937 Dec 1 - 1938 May 31 86 1938 Jun 1 - 1938 Dec 31 87 1939 Jan 1 - 1939 Aug 31 88 1939 Sep 1 - 1940 Apr 23 89 1940 Apr 23 - 1940 Oct 31 90 1940 Nov 1 - 1941 Mar 31 91 1941 Apr 1 - 1941 Aug 31 92 1941 Sep 1 - 1942 May 29 93 1942 Jun 1 - 1943 Jul 26
Section Eight: Financial Volumes, 1848-1943
Estimate book #40, 1938 Aug 17 - 1940 Jul 15 Estimate book #41, 1940 Jul 18 - 1943 Dec 13 Ledger A, 1848-1852 Ledger B, 1852-1855 Ledger C, 1855-1858 Ledger D, 1857-1866 Ledger E, 1867-1871 Ledger F, 1871-1875 Daybook, 1866-1868 Daybook, 1868-1870 Daybook, 1870-1873 Daybook, 1873-1875 Daybook, 1876-1882 Daybook, 1883-1887 Daybook, 1887-1889 Daybook, 1889-1891 Daybook, 1891-1893 Daybook, 1894-1895 Daybook, 1896-1898 Daybook, 1899-1902
Section Nine: Inscription Index, 1885-1938
Inscription index, 1885-1938
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Last updated: July 3, 2002
For further information, please contact: Eileen Parris, Archivist
email: eparris@vahistorical.org