A Guide to the Couper Marble Works (Norfolk, VA.) Records, 1848-1943
Call Number Mss3 C8325 a

• Abstract
• Collection Description
• Guide

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

Return to the Online Catalog

Last updated: July 3, 2002

For further information, please contact: Eileen Parris, Archivist
email: eparris@vahistorical.org