Clemson University Libraries Special Collections
Leland Engineering Records
Mss.0352
A Register, 1939-2013; bulk dates 1947-2005
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Clemson University Libraries Special Collections
- Creator - Engineer
- Leland , William B. (William Baker), 1914-2008
- Title
- Leland Engineering Records
- ID
- Mss.0352
- Date [bulk]
- Bulk, 1947-2005
- Date [inclusive]
- 1939-2013
- Extent
- 136.0 cubic feet (1,763 folders, 2 volumes, 585 rolled architectural drawings, and 16 oversize folders)
- Language
- English
- Abstract
- The Leland Engineering Records document various types of engineering projects undertaken by William B. Leland and his firm for architects, contractors, and other clients during the second half of the twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries. A wide variety of building types are represented in the project files including commercial buildings, churches, government buildings, hospitals, residences, and schools. The collection provides a record of the architecture (especially vernacular architecture) and built environment of North and South Carolina, especially Charleston, SC and Wilmington, NC and surrounding areas.
Preferred Citation
When citing materials from manuscript collections and the University Archives, use the following format: Identification of the item, folder and box number, title of the collection, Special Collections, Clemson University Libraries, Clemson, South Carolina.
Biographical Note
William Baker Leland was born in McClellanville, SC on July 25, 1914 to Rutledge Baker Leland and Claudia Lucille Morrison. He graduated from Clemson College with an electrical engineering degree in 1935. Leland married Sarah Barnwell (1920-1985) in 1948 and they had three children: Henrietta, Richard G., and William B. Leland Jr. After her death he married Ruth McCrackin of Newberry, SC and became stepfather to Laurie, Thad, and William McCrackin.
Leland began to work as an engineer shortly after graduating from Clemson working with both consulting engineering firms and contractors. He also worked for the Works Progress Administration in McClellanville and later found more stable work in Greensboro, NC. During World War II he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions (the Seabees) building power lines, roads, airfields, and power plants in Guam and other locales in the Pacific theatre.
After the war Leland was involved in shrimping in Charleston, SC and opened his own engineering firm in Greensboro. He eventually relocated his engineering firm to Charleston where his company would provide engineering services for nearly 2,200 projects including commercial, educational, health care, military, public, and residential buildings. Some of the more prestigious projects handled by Leland Engineering include Charleston City Hall, Charleston Municipal Auditorium, the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia, SC and various buildings on the campuses of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and Wilmington College in Wilmington, NC. Leland’s two sons, William B. Leland, Jr. and Richard G. Leland also worked for the company.
Leland enjoyed sailing and racing Blue Jay class sailboats. He was a member of the Hobcaw Yacht Club, St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant, SC and the Republican Party. He died on July 16, 2008 in Newberry, SC, the oldest working engineer in the state.
Sources
William B. Leland information at ancestry .com http://trees.ancestryinstitution.com/tree/1507478/person/504625609 (accessed May 2, 2013)
“Engineer still works at 90” by Adam Ferrell, Charleston, SC Post and Courier, November 4, 2004, page B1 (http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_theme=cpcb&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_docid=111F22A910188B60&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%20111F22A910188B60%20)&p_product=CPCB, accessed May 2, 2013)
“William Baker Leland, Mt. Pleasant” obituary, Newberry (SC) Observer, c. July 2008, (http://www.newberryobserver.com/pages/full_story/push?article-WILLIAM+BAKER+LELAND+MT+PLEASANT+-045-%20&id=1562282, accessed May 2, 2013)
“Office Experience Record,” Mss 352 Leland Engineering Records, Box 90, Folder 11.
Scope and Contents Note
The Leland Engineering Records consists of advertisements, account books, architectural drawings, bid documents, clippings, correspondence, daybooks, invoices, ledgers, lists, memoranda, notes, photographs, publications, reports, receipts, shop drawings, sketches, specifications, and other materials.
Materials in this collection cover the period 1939-2013, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1947-2005.
Only projects with architectural drawings—a floor plan with scale at minimum—were retained. Exceptions include projects relating to historic buildings, almost all of which are in Charleston, SC; easily-identifiable African-American schools prior to 1970; textile mills with drawings showing the layout of the mill; and building rehabilitation and repair in the wake of Hurricane Hugo in 1979. Examples of projects for unusual structures (such as communication towers) and of “expert witness” testimony in legal cases were also kept. A list of all projects originally documented in the collection is filed with the other non-project files.
The collection was created as Leland Engineering undertook various electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), mechanical, plumbing, and structural engineering projects for architects, contractors, and other clients, most of them in North and South Carolina but including a few projects in Georgia, Michigan, Virginia and even overseas in Australia, the Ukraine, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These files document the architecture (especially vernacular architecture) and built environment of the Carolinas, especially Charleston and the Low Country including Beaufort and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Fayetteville, Greensboro, Jacksonville-Onslow County, Raleigh, and above all New Hanover County-Wilmington in North Carolina.
The projects encompass churches and related buildings, including Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints chapels; elementary and secondary schools, including West Rowan High School in Salisbury, the first attempt at open planning in North Carolina; government buildings such as courthouses, post offices; hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices; and various commercial buildings such as apartments, banks, condominiums, funeral homes, hotels, piers, restaurants, supermarkets, textile mills (mainly North Carolina), and warehouses. There are projects files for university buildings at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC; Wilmington College in Wilmington, NC; Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC; Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, NC; and Baptist College, The Citadel, and the College of Charleston all in Charleston, SC among others. The firm also was involved in military projects at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, SC, the Charleston Naval Shipyard and related facilities in Charleston, SC and the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, NC.
Historic buildings represented in the collection include Ashley Hall, the Charleston County Courthouse, the Dock Street Theater, the Heyward-Washington House, the Old Charleston Jail, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, and the Waring House, all in Charleston, SC; the Penn Community Center in Frogmore, SC (St. Helena Island); and the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia, SC.
Among the other material in the collection are job/project lists alphabetically by name; lists numerically by job/project number, including what was referred to as the “Cupboard Record;” and lists alphabetically by type of job/project. There is a small amount of financial information about early projects Leland was involved in, although most of this information is in the project files. Also included in the collection are daybooks and accounts relating to the operations of the shrimp boats S.S. Carolina, Finisterre, and Venus from the mid-1940’s to the early 1950’s; some biographical information; and a photograph of Leland with his brother Rutledge in July 2008 about a week before he died.
Correspondents represented in this collection include the following architects/architectural firms: Ballard, McKim, and Sawyer of Wilmington, NC; Read Barnes of Charleston, SC; Leslie N. Boney, of Wilmington, NC later Boney Architects, Inc.; Clark and Poole, Architects of Kingstree, SC; Clark, McCall and Leach, Architects of Charleston, SC ; Augustus E. Constantine of Charleston, SC which later became Constantine and Constantine Architects, Inc.; R. Nelson Crow and R. Edward Marrs, Architects of Myrtle Beach, SC; Cummings and McCrady, Inc. of Charleston, SC; J. Whitney Cunningham of Sumter, SC and also the firm J. Whitney Cunningham, Clark and Poole, Architects of Kingstree, SC; William A. Faust of Myrtle Beach, SC; J. E. [John E.] Gardner & Associates, Architects of Charleston, SC; Hopkins, Baker & Gill, Architects, of Florence, SC which later became Baker & Gill; Demetrios C. Liollio of Charleston, SC which became Liollio Associates, Inc. and later Watson Tate Savory Liollio Architecture, Inc.; Archie B. Myers of Charleston, SC; David LeRoy Parrott of Charleston, SC; and Simons & Lapham of Charleston, SC which later operated under the names Simons, Lapham & Mitchell (1955-1964), Simons, Lapham, Mitchell & Small (1964-circa 1972 or 1973), and Simons, Mitchell, Small & Donahue. There is also a good deal of correspondence with the Charleston County School District; the Medical University of South Carolina’s Physical Plant department; the Officers in Charge of Construction at Camp Lejeune, the Charleston Naval Shipyard, and MCAS Beaufort; Robert A. Shoolbred, Consulting Engineer (later Shoolbred Engineers, Inc.) and The Sheridan Corporation, Structural Engineers, both of Charleston, SC; and the South Carolina State Ports Authority.
A Project Index follows the folder-title list to provide project-level access to the collection.
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged numerically by project number with non-project files located at the end of the collection and arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections 2013
Box 343001Clemson, SC, 29634
Revision Description
2014
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Advance notice of 48 hours is required since the collection is stored offsite.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Richard G. Leland, William B. Leland, Jr. and Henrietta L. Whelchel, 2012 in accession 12-12.
Processing Information
Processing of the collection occurred in 2012-2013. James Cross prepared the register in 2013. Processing assistance was provided by Archivist Virengia Houston and student assistants Rebecca Gnosa, Taylor Johnson, and Patrick Kent.
Related Materials
Related Archival Materials Note
MC00096, Leslie N. Boney Architectural Papers, 1901-1988. Special Collections Research Center, D. H. Hill Library, Box 7111, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7111.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Archie B. Myers (firm).
- Baker & Gill.
- Ballard, McKim and Sawyer.
- Boney Architects, Inc.
- Charleston County School District.
- Charleston Naval Shipyard.
- Clark and Poole, Architects.
- Clark, McCall and Leach, Architects.
- Constantine & Constantine Architects, Inc.
- Cummings & McCrady, Inc.
- David LeRoy Parrott, Architect.
- Demetrios C. Liollio, Architect.
- Hopkins, Baker & Gill.
- J. Whitney Cunningham (Firm).
- J. Whitney Cunningham, Clark and Poole, Architects.
- Liollio Associates, Inc.
- Medical University of South Carolina. Physical Plant.
- R. Nelson Crow and R. Edward Marrs, Architects.
- Read Barnes (Firm).
- Sheridan Corporation.
- Shoolbred Engineers, Inc.
- Simons & Lapham.
- Simons, Lapham & Mitchell.
- Simons, Lapham, Mitchell & Small.
- Simons, Mitchell, Small & Donahue.
- South Carolina State Ports Authority.
- William A. Faust, Architect.
Genre(s)
- Account books
- Advertisements
- Architectural drawings (visual works)
- Base bid specifications
- Bidding documents
- Daybooks
- Photographs.
- Preliminary sketches (sketches)
- Reports.
- Shop drawings
Geographic Name(s)
- Beaufort (S.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Camp Lejeune (N.C.)—Marines—Correspondence
- Charleston (S.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Fayetteville (N.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Greensboro (N.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Jacksonville (N.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort (S.C.)—Marines—Correspondence
- Myrtle Beach (S.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Raleigh (N.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
- Wilmington (N.C.)—Buildings, structures, etc.
Subject(s)
- African Americans—Education—North Carolina—History
- African Americans—Education—South Carolina—History
- Architects—North Carolina
- Architects—South Carolina
- Architecture--South Carolina.
- Architecture—North Carolina
- Architecture—North Carolina—Wilmington
- Architecture—South Carolina—Charleston
- Church buildings—North Carolina
- Church buildings—South Carolina
- College buildings—North Carolina
- College buildings—South Carolina
- Engineering—North Carolina
- Engineering—South Carolina
- Engineers—South Carolina
- Historic buildings—South Carolina—Beaufort
- Historic buildings—South Carolina—Charleston
- Hospital buildings—North Carolina
- Hospital buildings—South Carolina
- Hurricane Hugo, 1989.
- School buildings—North Carolina
- School buildings—South Carolina
- Textile factories—North Carolina
- Vernacular architecture—North Carolina
- Vernacular architecture—South Carolina
Collection Inventory
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Project Files RF 1-11 1943-1952 |
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Project Files RF 12-28 1940-1952 |
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Project Files 9-163 1951-1953 |
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Project Files 196-252 1954-1955 |
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Project Files 259-317 1950-1955 |
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Project Files 319-354 1954-1956 |
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Project Files 362-392 1956 |
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Project Files 395-436 1956-1957 |
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Project Files 437-472 1957-1958 |
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Project Files 473-498 1958 |
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Project Files 500-533 1958-1960 |
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Project Files 535-569 1960 |
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Project Files 573-597 1960-1961 |
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Project Files 600-610 1961 |
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Project Files 615-640 1961-1962 |
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Project Files 643-660 1962-1963 |
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Project Files 671-689 1963 |
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Project Files 690-720A 1964 |
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Project Files 722-740 1964 |
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Project Files 741-755 1964-1965 |
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Project Files 756-768 1965 |
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Project Files 769-779 1965 |
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Project Files 780-804 1965-1966 |
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Project Files 805-815 1966 |
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Project Files 817-839 1966-1967 |
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Project Files 841-849 1967 |
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Project Files 850-865 1967-1968 |
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Project Files 868-878 1968 |
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Project Files 879-891 1968-1969 |
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Project Files 896-922 1969 |
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Project Files 923-943 1969-1970 |
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Project Files 947-959 1970 |
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Project Files 961-990 1970-1971 |
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Project Files 992-1006 1971 |
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Project Files 1007-1024 1972 |
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Project Files 1025-1034 1972 |
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Project Files 1035-1053 1972-1973 |
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Project Files 1054-1067 1973-1974 |
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Project Files 1068-1088 1973-1974 |
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Project Files 1089-1106 1974 |
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Project Files 1107 1974 |
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Project Files 1111-1127 1974-1975 |
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Project Files 1129-1152 1975-1976 |
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Project Files 1153-1177 1976 |
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Project Files 1178-1201 1976-1977 |
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Project Files 1203-1230 1977-1978 |
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Project Files 1240-1262 1978 |
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Project Files 1265-1275 1978-1979 |
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Project Files 1277-1300 1979 |
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Project Files 1301-1318 1979-1980 |
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Project Files 1319-1356 1980 |
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Project Files 1357-1383 1981 |
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Project Files 1386-1404 1981-1982 |
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Project Files 1406-1420 1982 |
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Project Files 1421-1451 1982-1983 |
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Project Files 1452-1483 1983-1984 |
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Project Files 1483-1500 1984 |
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Project Files 1501-1514 1984 |
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Project Files 1516-1530 1984-1985 |
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Project Files 1531-1549 1985 |
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Project Files 1553-1572 1985 |
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Project Files 1575-1613 1985-1986 |
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Project Files 1615-1639 1986-1987 |
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Project Files 1642-1663 1987 |
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Project Files 1663-1680 1987 |
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Project Files 1682-1706 1987-1988 |
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Project Files 1707-1733 1988 |
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Project Files 1734-1763 1988 |
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Project Files 1764-1774 1988-1989 |
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Project Files 1780-1815 1989 |
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Project Files 1817-1847 1989-1990 |
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Project Files 1848-1864 1990 |
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Project Files 1865-1882 1990 |
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Project Files 1884-1897 1990-1991 |
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Project Files 1897B-1906 1991 |
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Project Files 1908-1928 1991 |
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Project Files 1929-1942 1991 |
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Project Files 1946-1957 1992 |
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Project Files 1959-1974 1992 |
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Project Files 1977-1987 1992-1993 |
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Project Files 1988-2011 1993 |
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Project Files 2020-2034 1993-1994 |
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Project Files 2040-2062 1994 |
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Project Files 2066-2111 1994-1996 |
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Project Files 2117-2171 1996-1997 |
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Project Files 2173-2211 1997-1998 |
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Project Files 2214-2254 1998-1999 |
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Project Files 2257-2299 1999-2000 |
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Project Files 2301-2392 2000-2004 |
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Alphabetical Job Listing Journal (old) [1952-1983] February 14, 2012
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Atlantic Creosote Company Job; Myrtle Beach Power Line Journal [1948?], 1950
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S.S. Carolina Accounts; Engineering; S.S. Finisterre 1946-1953, 1979-1980, 1983
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Daybook and Shrimp Data 1947-1949
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Jobs by Alphabetical Listing [1951-1984] 1987
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Jobs by Type and "Cupboard Record" Folder I 1955-2006
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Jobs by Type and "Cupboard Record" Folder II 1950-2006
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Jobs Journal 1955-1957
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List of projects originally documented in Leland Engineering Records 2013
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Numeric Job Listing [1943-1988] February 14, 2012
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Office Experience Record October 1996; November 4, 2004; circa July 2008
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Project Lists by Number 1969-1998
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S.S. Venus Daybook 1947-1950
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William B. and Rutledge B. Leland, Jr. July 8, 2008
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