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The archives of the Nabb Research Center encompass a diverse group of historical collections found in the Local History Archives, University Archives, and Special Collections. These primary sources offer researchers a glimpse into the past lives of people in the Chesapeake region and beyond.

The Nabb Center archival collections encompass a diverse group of historical collections found in the Local History Archives, University Archives, and Special Collections. The Finding Aid Portal provides written descriptions of the materials in those collections, as well as their affiliated artifacts, to help facilitate access for researchers. Collections are non-circulating; requesting a collection within the finding aid portal will initiate the process to view that collection in our research room located on the 4th floor of the Guerrieri Academic Commons. For questions please contact us at nabbcenter@salisbury.edu.

A long-term digital humanities project that features a searchable database for finding meaningful connections within digitized and transcribed sources, such as censuses, certificates of freedom, church records, newspapers, ledgers, and oral histories that illuminate the history of Black communities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (and beyond) across the Delmarva Peninsula.

A variety of selected digital items from the collections at the Nabb Research Center, including yearbooks, genealogical publications, transcriptions, and more.

Images from the photograph collections in the Local History Archives, Salisbury University Archives, and Special Collections.

Historic film and video from the archives at the Nabb Research Center.

A digital archive that provides public online access to items from the Salisbury University archives, Special Collections and Local History Archives.

Selections from the photograph collections of  and  in the Local History Archives, documenting the people and places of Maryland’s Eastern Shore during the mid-20th century.

Our non-circulating collection contains over 12,000 books and published materials. While the focus of our library is the history and culture of Delmarva and its families, our published materials stretch beyond our borders and include United States history, African American history, military and government history, decorative arts, exploration, Native American history, and religion.

Our microfilm and CD special collections are divided into the following broad research categories:

• African-American Studies
• Ante-bellum Period thru Civil War Period
• Census
• Colonial Period thru Revolutionary Period
• Economic Records (ledgers, journals, etc.)
• Family History
• Newspapers
• Native American
• Religion / Church Records
• Twentieth Century

In addition to the above, we have a large collection of microfilm consisting of government, church, and newspaper records relating to our main areas of interest: the states (or colonies) of Delaware (Kent & Sussex Counties), Maryland (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, & Worcester Counties) and Virginia (Accomack & Northampton Counties). We do have some assorted films from other counties. Varying by state, county, and dates available, our microfilm includes:

• Chancery Court
• Church records
• Debt Books
• Judicial Records
• Land Records and Deeds
• Maryland State Papers (black, red, brown, & blue books)
• Newspapers
• Order books
• Orphans Court and Guardian Accounts
• Probate records (Wills, Administration Accounts, Administrations Bonds, Inventories)
• Tax lists
• Vital Records
• Warrants & Surveys

The Franklin P. Perdue Museum of Business and Entrepreneurship provides a unique opportunity for visitors and students to study the core values and philosophies of Arthur, Frank, and Jim Perdue within a framework of the business models Perdue Farms has followed over a century and three generations of family ownership.

The Perdue Museum is located in SU’s Perdue Hall, located off U.S. Business Route 13.

Hours

Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Summer Hours

By appointment

Parking

Lots B & C (View Parking Map)

More information: 410-548-5391 or PerdueMuseum@salisbury.edu

The Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture marks its 40th anniversary in 2022, preserving and providing access to the history of Delmarva. 40 Years Preserving the Heart and Soul of Delmarva explores the history of the Nabb Research Center since its beginnings in 1982. What began as an history laboratory for students by Dr. G. Ray Thompson and Mrs. Sylvia Bradley of the Salisbury State College Department of History has grown into a central archival repository for the Delmarva Peninsula. This exhibition delves into the people who contributed to making the center a success, as well as various events and exhibits that have been curated by the Center.

Unmentionable explores some of the unusual, scandalous, disturbing, awful, discriminatory, uncomfortable, and surprising artifacts in the Nabb Research Center’s collection. Artifacts can help tell the history of a community, but that story is not always a pleasant one. Conversely, some artifacts are just downright gross, uncomfortable, or controversial, and are rarely, if ever, displayed because of that. All together in one place, these artifacts make an intriguing statement about our history and how and what archives and museums collect. Unmentionable is modeled on the exhibition from the Hayward Area Historical Society in Hayward, CA and facilitated by Exhibit Envoy.

In conjunction with the Smithsonian Voices and Votes exhibition, Voices and Votes: Democracy on Delmarva explores the mechanics of our democracy and highlights stories of rebellion, resistance, and perseverance that have shaped our region. Expressions of democracy and community engagement have taken many forms throughout Delmarva's history. From grievances about colonial taxation to the struggle for voting rights, participation in civic life is part of our past and present. The exhibit features artifacts, documents, and stories from the Nabb Center's collection that we hope will inspire visitors to think about the democratic process, activism, and civic engagement within our local community.

This three part podcast series was created by Nabb Research Center's Digital Humanities Intern, Rihana Stevenson, and is dedicated to sharing the stories of Vietnam Veterans from the Eastern Shore. The three men featured in these episodes are Donald Whaley, Harry Basehart, and Newell Quinton. This podcast uses resources from the Nabb Research Center to explore the complexities of these mens' experiences during the Vietnam War and how their lives were impacted by the War.

This online exhibit curated by Samantha Steltzer as the culmination of her Museum Studies internship at the Nabb Research Center was inspired by a biscuit brake found in the Nabb Center’s collections and an interest in highlighting the techniques that women used to sustain traditional Maryland baked goods. The focus of the exhibit is two of the most prominent Eastern Shore related foods - Beaten Biscuits and Smith Island Cake. Included in the exhibit are archival items and artifacts from the Nabb Research Center's collections and local newspaper articles that detail the history, techniques, recipes, and people’s personal stories behind these traditional Eastern Shore foods.

This exhibition was created by the Nabb Research Center to promote critical thinking through the examination of propaganda materials from around the world. Many of the items featured are part of the Salisbury University Libraries Special Collections. The Special Collections consist of primary source materials that span the globe and reach across disciplines to provide opportunities for collaborative and creative research.

Red Cross chapters across Delmarva have rallied to offer support in times of crisis and need. Whether aiding those impacted by the influenza epidemic of 1918 or the current COVID-19 pandemic, helping soldiers on the front lines or families on the home front, or providing relief efforts after natural disasters, the Red Cross has provided assistance to our region for over one hundred years. The Power of Humanity details the long and varied service of the Red Cross on the Eastern Shore through historic artifacts, documents, and photographs from the collections of the Nabb Research Center.

The Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture is committed to documenting and preserving the region’s history. This exhibit presents an introduction to the region and showcases a small sampling of the archival and artifact collections that are stored on-site and are accessible for students, staff faculty, and members of the community for their research.

This exhibit is part of a recent exchange between the Institución Universitaria ITSA, in Barranquilla, Colombia, and SU’s Janet Dudley-Eshbach Center for International Education. It features ITSA student artwork and photography that explores themes of cultural identity and pays tribute to Colombian Caribbean culture. Some of the work may seem familiar, as the student artists re-imagined well-known works of art inspired by Afro and Indigenous Colombian beauty and aesthetics.

Throughout the twentieth century, in the ballparks and backyards of small towns on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, the most popular summer activity was attending or playing baseball. This exhibition looks at the history and heritage of baseball on the Delmarva Peninsula and the role it played in the local communities that embraced the national pastime.

Not Just a Pretty Face is an online exhibit curated by Emma Griebner as the culmination of her museum internship at the Nabb Research Center. The exhibit concept was inspired by vintage beauty advertisements and magazines in the Nabb collections and an interest in finding out more about the role women played in the beauty industry.

The libraries at Salisbury University have traversed a long and storied road from the first College Library to the new Academic Commons. What began in cramped quarters in 1925 expanded into its own building — Blackwell Library — which, despite major renovations to meet student needs in 1975, has since been outgrown. Now the library has its new home within the Guerrieri Academic Commons. Yet, the libraries at Salisbury University continue to be, in the words of Germaine Greer, "Reservoirs of Strength, Grace, and Wit."

Leland Starnes came to Salisbury State College in 1972 with impressive credentials and the intention of bringing one big production to the stage each year. Starnes established the Salisbury State Theatre, which he viewed as a "repertory company in a professional environment." He was passionate about theatre and devoted himself to the Salisbury program, stating, "We're determined that the new Salisbury State Theatre will be for everyone a place of rich vitality and joy. Significant theatre – if it is indeed significant – must be an event that its audiences attend with a sense of pleasurable anticipation and excitement rather than from any heavy awareness of duty or 'cultural enrichment'; truly fine theatre, we all know, arouses, within its viewers of every level, the excited curiosity to see even the direct truth carried out to its logical culmination because of its very theatricality. This is the wild and free kind of theatre that we're going to try like hell to bring to Salisbury State in our new season."

Suffrage on Maryland's Eastern Shore examines the campaign for women's voting rights. The purpose of this exhibit is to bring attention to an often overlooked element of Eastern Shore history. By examining how suffragists on the shore campaigned for the vote, struggled with opposition, and engaged with the community, we can see that the suffrage movement had a strong presence on the shore. This exhibit is an extension of Nicole Brumback’s master’s thesis.