Solar Greenhouses, 1978 - 1982

The collection is organized into eight series which represent the original accession received between 1967 and 1970 and the subsequent seven additions received between 1971 and 1996. The numbering of the boxes in the first series includes a roman numeral to denote the original box numbering of this series. The organization of the folders within the series—mostly alphabetical—and the folder titles are substantially those of Mr. Cox. Folders have been divided where the contents were excessive. The materials in the collection concern the development of civil society in Mississippi, the South and the wider United States during much of the twentieth century focusing on civil rights and race relations, the rights of farm and urban labor, government and politics, economic inequality and the Protestant churches.



Series 1, Original Accession, 1967-1970, contains correspondence, clippings and publications mostly from the 1950s and 1960s. The battle between the supporters of civil rights for African Americans and their segregationist opponents is documented. There are folders on the White Citizens’ Councils, the Ku Klux Klan, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission (Boxes 1-2) and the African American protests (Box 5), including many publications on race relations (Box 10). This series contains material related to Cox’s work for the National Council of Churches (Box 3) and publications on the church’s social role (Boxes 10-11), as well as documenting H.L. Mitchell and the National Agricultural Workers Union (Box 4). One folder of particular interest concerns the Rust Cotton Picker Company (Folder 17, Box 4) since the Rusts were early backers of the Delta Cooperative Farm. A film showing a demonstration of the company’s revolutionary machine is included. A number of folders contain material on the Providence credit union and there are also publications on credit unions and cooperatives from the period of the Delta Cooperative Farm’s founding (Boxes 5-6). Cox donated a substantial amount of correspondence related to the Socialist Party and farm trustee Dr. William Amberson from the 1930s, and the Southern Tenant Farmers' Union from the same period, to the University of Memphis but copies were made for him and these can be found in Box 8. Cox’s work with unions both urban and rural is reflected in folders of labor publications (Box 9) and material on the Mississippi AFL-CIO (Box 8). There are also scattered folders on the cooperative farms in Box 8 including a financial statement from 1936, a statement to the trustees by Amberson revealing the divisions in the board, and copies of correspondence between Amberson and Sam Franklin (the originals are held by the University of North Carolina).



The second series, 1971 Addendum, is of similar content to Series 1, with the battle for civil rights a prominent subject. There are folders on African American protests, the NAACP, school desegregation, and the Ku Klux Klan and the Citizen’s Council (Boxes 11-12). Folders on private schools and the shootings at Jackson State College can be found in Box 12, while folders on union activities are in Boxes 12-13. Publications covering civil rights, education, the church and unions are in Boxes 13-14.



Series 3, 1972 Addendum, is a small series with folders on welfare and poverty, African American protest groups, the National Council of Churches and the Delta Ministry. The series contains some publications on race relations and economic topics.



1973 Addendum is Series 4. It contains folders on white supremacist groups and Alabama Governor George Wallace, and their opponents. Other subjects covered include Holmes County, Mississippi, and a group of folders related to the 1955 meeting in Tchula where Cox and Minter were asked to leave the county (Boxes 17-18). The publications include The Black Panther, Black Chronicle, and Many Voices.



Series 5, 1974 Addendum, is another small series. It contains folders on Holmes County, Mound Bayou, and Greenwood, Mississippi, as well as most other subjects in previous series. The publications are mostly 1973 issues of union and civil rights periodicals.



The sixth series, 1975 Addendum, contains similar material to other series but has a number of folders on the Farm Labor Union (Box 20). It also contains material on the Committee of Southern Churchmen and individuals such as Will D. Campbell, Sam Checkver, Clay East, and Margaret Valiant. Publications include Katallagete, The Black Panther, and The Thunderbolt.



Series 7, 1978 Addendum, is a larger series with folders continuing Cox’s interest in civil rights, unions, and economic inequality. It includes folders on prisons, the NAACP, white collar crime, the politically active Ford family of Memphis, Tennessee, and the death of Elvis Presley. The publications include Southern Coalition on Jails and Prisons Report and The Southern Patriot and The Southern Struggle.



The largest series is the eighth series, 1996 Addendum. This contains a significant amount of material on the Cooperative Farms and their participants, and the Delta Foundation, including historical information, correspondence, financial records, and plats (Boxes 28-34). Personal records relating to Gene and Lindy Cox, including financial records, can be found in Boxes 32, 35-36. The series includes a large number of folders with copies of newspaper clippings on the whole range of Cox’s interests, such as energy, politics, race relations, Holmes County, Elvis Presley, the Peoples Temple, prisons, and space exploration. The publications cover agriculture and rural life, the church, the economy, government, history, and race relations, and there are also a group of university extension service and Department of Agriculture bulletins, and other periodicals. The series also contains some 16mm films shown at the cooperative farms and a film documenting the Head Start program at Providence farm. There are also photographs of the cooperative farms, including an album compiled around 1937. Some artifacts revealing Cox’s hobbies complete the series.