The Elisabeth Holt Burns Nimocks Special Collections

The archive contains a wealth of source materials that illuminate the history of the Lower Cape Fear and North Carolina, while also providing insights into the role of women’s organizations, such as the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina (NSCDA-NC), in establishing the field of historic preservation.

The nonprofit NSCDA-NC was founded in 1894 with the purpose of promoting appreciation for the people, places and events that led to the formation and development of our country. The Nimocks Special Collections ensures the preservation of the records that document the NSCDA-NC’s long and eventful history of historic preservation, patriotic service and education. In addition, it houses all of the documents pertaining to the restoration of the buildings, as well as an abundance of family documents. Historians and other scholars can make appointments for research purposes.

The Nimocks Special Collections room is named in memory of the late Elisabeth Holt Burns Nimocks of Fayetteville. At the time of her death in 2014, Nimocks had been an exemplary member of the NSCDA-NC for more than 60 years. 

Mary Bason Broadfoot Internship

In 2016, The NSCDA-NC created the Mary Bason Broadfoot Internship to provide an on-the-job educational experience for students in museum studies and library science. If you are currently a student and are interested in learning more about the internship, please contact our museum director, Christine Lamberton.

The internship is funded by a gift from Mary Broadfoot Ivie, made in honor of her late mother Mary Bason Broadfoot, for whom the internship is named. Ivie is a member of the NSCDA-NC, as was her mother. Broadfoot also served as the nonprofit organization’s president from 1979 to 1984.