{"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact","next":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026page=2\u0026view=compact","last":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026page=37\u0026view=compact"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":37,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":370,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n Meetings (Minutes) \n \n n.d.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c02","vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03"],"title_filing_ssi":"111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n                     Meetings (Minutes) \n                     \n                     n.d.","title_ssm":["111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n Meetings (Minutes) \n \n n.d."],"title_tesim":["111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n Meetings (Minutes) \n \n n.d."],"normalized_title_ssm":["111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n Meetings (Minutes) \n \n n.d."],"text":["111 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Annual\n Meetings (Minutes) \n \n n.d.","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business","Box-folder 9:111"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":130,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 9:111"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#2/components#2","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c03"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n \n n.d","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c02","vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03"],"title_filing_ssi":"112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n                     \n                     n.d","title_ssm":["112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n \n n.d"],"title_tesim":["112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n \n n.d"],"normalized_title_ssm":["112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n \n n.d"],"text":["112 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Reports \n \n n.d","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business","Box-folder 9:112"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":131,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 9:112"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#2/components#3","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c04"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n Statements \n \n n.d.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c02","vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03"],"title_filing_ssi":"113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n                     Statements \n                     \n                     n.d.","title_ssm":["113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n Statements \n \n n.d."],"title_tesim":["113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n Statements \n \n n.d."],"normalized_title_ssm":["113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n Statements \n \n n.d."],"text":["113 Azurest Syndicate, Inc. Bank\n Statements \n \n n.d.","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business","Box-folder 9:113"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":132,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 9:113"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#2/components#4","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c05"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"126 Virginia State University Professional\n \n 01-03-1977, 03-07-1979","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c03","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c03","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES III: WORKS-V.S.U."],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c03"],"title_filing_ssi":"126 Virginia State University Professional\n                  \n                  01-03-1977,03-07-1979","title_ssm":["126 Virginia State University Professional\n \n 01-03-1977, 03-07-1979"],"title_tesim":["126 Virginia State University Professional\n \n 01-03-1977, 03-07-1979"],"normalized_title_ssm":["126 Virginia State University Professional\n \n 01-03-1977, 03-07-1979"],"text":["126 Virginia State University Professional\n \n 01-03-1977, 03-07-1979","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES III: WORKS-V.S.U.","Box-folder 9:126"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES III: WORKS-V.S.U."],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES III: WORKS-V.S.U."],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":149,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 9:126"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#10","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c03_c11"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"1972 \n \n Wayne","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c07","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c07","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES VII. PHOTOS -- LOOSE"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c07"],"title_filing_ssi":"1972 \n                  \n                  Wayne","title_ssm":["1972 \n \n Wayne"],"title_tesim":["1972 \n \n Wayne"],"normalized_title_ssm":["1972 \n \n Wayne"],"text":["1972 \n \n Wayne","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES VII. PHOTOS -- LOOSE","Box-folder 16:249"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES VII. PHOTOS -- LOOSE"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES VII. PHOTOS -- LOOSE"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":297,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 16:249"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#6/components#24","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c07_c25"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n North \n \n n.d.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c02","vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03"],"title_filing_ssi":"Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n                     North \n                     \n                     n.d.","title_ssm":["Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n North \n \n n.d."],"title_tesim":["Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n North \n \n n.d."],"normalized_title_ssm":["Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n North \n \n n.d."],"text":["Account- Meredith and Terry Azurest\n North \n \n n.d.","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business","Box-folder 9:113a"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS","D. Business"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":133,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 9:113a"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#2/components#5","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c03_c06"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01","type":"Sub-Series","attributes":{"title":"A. Dunbar High School Class\n Reunion","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c05","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c05","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES V: ORGANIZATIONAL\n AFFILIATIONS"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c05"],"title_filing_ssi":"A. Dunbar High School Class\n                  Reunion","title_ssm":["A. Dunbar High School Class\n Reunion"],"title_tesim":["A. Dunbar High School Class\n Reunion"],"normalized_title_ssm":["A. Dunbar High School Class\n Reunion"],"text":["A. Dunbar High School Class\n Reunion","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES V: ORGANIZATIONAL\n AFFILIATIONS"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES V: ORGANIZATIONAL\n AFFILIATIONS"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES V: ORGANIZATIONAL\n AFFILIATIONS"],"level_ssm":["Sub-Series"],"level_ssim":["Sub-series"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":195,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":2,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#4/components#0","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c05_c01"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01","type":"Sub-Series","attributes":{"title":"A. Family","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c02","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c02","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c02"],"title_filing_ssi":"A. Family","title_ssm":["A. Family"],"title_tesim":["A. Family"],"normalized_title_ssm":["A. Family"],"text":["A. Family","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS"],"level_ssm":["Sub-Series"],"level_ssim":["Sub-series"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":5,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":13,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#0","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c02_c01"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01","type":"Sub-Series","attributes":{"title":"A. General","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c04","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c04","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c04"],"title_filing_ssi":"A. General","title_ssm":["A. General"],"title_tesim":["A. General"],"normalized_title_ssm":["A. General"],"text":["A. General","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI"],"level_ssm":["Sub-Series"],"level_ssim":["Sub-series"],"component_level_isim":[2],"sort_isi":152,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":32,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#3/components#0","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01"}},{"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14","type":"Item","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n Lists of Graduates \n \n n.d.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14","ref_ssm":["vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14"],"id":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01","parent_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01","parent_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI","A. General"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vipets_vipets00005","vipets_vipets00005_c04","vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n                     Lists of Graduates \n                     \n                     n.d.","title_ssm":["Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n Lists of Graduates \n \n n.d."],"title_tesim":["Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n Lists of Graduates \n \n n.d."],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n Lists of Graduates \n \n n.d."],"text":["Alumni Forms, Individual File Sheets\n Lists of Graduates \n \n n.d.","Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI","A. General","Box-folder 11:142"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI","A. General"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","SERIES IV: ALUMNI","A. General"],"level_ssm":["Item"],"level_ssim":["Item"],"component_level_isim":[3],"sort_isi":166,"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"containers_ssim":["Box-folder 11:142"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["EDIT ME!"],"_nest_path_":"/components#3/components#0/components#13","timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_ssi":"vipets_vipets00005","_root_":"vipets_vipets00005","_nest_parent_":"vipets_vipets00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vsu/vipets00005.xml","title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"text":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","1982-20","This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces.","The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.","Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints","Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.","The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).","EDIT ME!","The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.","English"],"collection_title_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"collection_ssim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["1982-20"],"unitid_tesim":["1982-20"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia State University"],"access_terms_ssm":["EDIT ME!"],"acqinfo_ssim":["These papers were given to the V.S.U. Archives/ Special\n            Collections Department by decree of Ms. Meredith's Last\n            Will and Testament."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["This collection\n         contains ca. 5,000 pieces."],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["The items in Box 29 are restricted; there are no other\n            restrictions in this collection."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026amp; REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. General \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. House Committee \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eSeries IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eA. Furniture \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eB. Line Drawings \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eC. Blueprints\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (Container 1) \n         Series II. CORRESPONDENCE \u0026 REPORTS (Containers 1-9)\n         A. Family [1. By Date / 2. By Name] \n         B. Personal [1. By Name / 2. By Date] \n         C. Business [1. Azurest Syndicate / 2. U. S. Patent\n         Office] \n         Series III. WORK- V.S.U. (Container 9) \n         Series IV. ALUMNI (Containers 10-12) \n         A. General \n         B. House Committee \n         Series V. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATIONS (Container 12) \n         A. Dunbar High School Class Reunion \n         B. Gillfield Baptist Church \n         C. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Club \n         Series VI. SCRAPBOOKS (Containers 13-15, loose books) \n         Series VII. PHOTOGRAPHS (Container 16) \n         Series VIII PRINTED MATERIAL (Container 17) \n         Series IX. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (Containers 18-20) \n         A. Furniture \n         B. Line Drawings \n         C. Blueprints"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMs. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eHer career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eShe also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died.\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on\n         August 14,1895. She was the daughter of Emma P. Kenny\n         (Meredith) and Samuel P. Meredith. She had two sisters and one\n         brother; the eldest child , Maude, maintained a life-long\n         closeness with Amaza. In 1915, Meredith completed here early\n         schooling in Lynchburg, where she graduated at the top of her\n         class.","Her First teaching job was at a rural ungraded school\n         called Indian Rock, located in Botetourt County, Virginia.\n         Here, Meredith organized the Indian Rock Parent- Teacher's\n         Association, which worked in conjunction with the Negro\n         Organization Society of Virginia to bring improvement to the\n         local school system. In 1918, she returned to Lynchburg, where\n         she taught elementary school. In 1922, she served as\n         Valedictorian for her class at the Virginia Normal and\n         Industrial Institute. This was followed by six years of\n         teaching mathematics at Dunbar High School in Lynchburg.","Ms. Meredith enrolled in the Teacher's College of Columbia\n         University, New York in 1928. It was there where she earned\n         both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Fine Arts\n         Education.","Her career with Virginia State University began in 1930,\n         though she took a leave of absence from 1934-35 to complete\n         her Master's degree. In 1935, she advanced to the position of\n         Department Char, where she remained until her retirement in\n         1958. Amaza Meredith established the schools of Fine Arts\n         department.","Beyond her career at V. S. U., Meredith's life was also\n         rich in contributions. Her artistic self spilled over into\n         these other facets of her life. She exhibited her art at the\n         Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and in galleries in New York and\n         North Carolina. Some works were acquired by groups, such as\n         the Gillfield Baptist Church, where they are still displayed;\n         many others hang in the homes of area residents.","She also developed interior decorating and design skills.\n         In the field of business, she coordinated color schemes for\n         campus buildings. To provide for new shelving units, she\n         created blueprints, which proposed modifications in the art\n         department layouts.","This remarkable person also pursued architectural\n         interests. Though she had no known formal training, Amaza\n         Meredith fully designed her own home - both inside and out,\n         and im1939, it was built on Boisseau Street here in Ettrick.\n         She named it \"Azurest South.\" In the ensuing decades, Meredith\n         laid out the blueprints for several homes, most notably in Sag\n         Harbor, Long Island, New York.","In the 1950's Sag Harbor flourished as resort area for\n         blacks. Amaza and her sister, Maude, worked together to buy,\n         create, and develop the subdivision later called \"Azurest\n         North.\" They worked with others to establish the \"Azurest\n         Syndicate, Inc.\" Syndicate lots were sold to individual\n         investors, who the built summer, or year-round cottages and\n         this land. Ms. Meredith designed at least two of these\n         residences: 1) Terry Cottage, summer home for her sister,\n         Maude Terry: and 2) Edendot, belonging to friends Ed and Dot\n         Spaulding.","Additionally, Meredith provided several sets of blueprints\n         for the proposed V. S. U. Alumni House in 1949. Once these\n         plans fell through, Amaza tried another approach: She willed\n         her half of Azurest South to the V. S. U. Alumni Association\n         in the hopes that the dream for which she had worked so long\n         would become a reality. Joint ownership of Azurest South was\n         held with Ms. Edna Colson, another retired faculty member of\n         V. S. U. In 1985, the Alumni Association purchased the\n         Colson's half of the house, and Azurest South is now the\n         official V. S. U. Alumni House.","Meredith was generally active in the Alumni Association.\n         She was an honorary member of the Gillfield Baptist Church.\n         While she participated in several other organizations and\n         committees, the extent of her involvement is not known.","In 1984, Amaza Lee Meredith died."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAmaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"prefercite_tesim":["Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1930, Accession\n            #1982-20, Special Collections Dept., Johnson Memorial\n            Library, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eBeginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMany of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAnother group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eMeredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eIt appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eUnquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eFound in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eLastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.\u003c/p\u003e\n      ","\u003cp\u003eAmaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29).\u003c/p\u003e\n    "],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912-1983, document a slice\n         of Virginia's history in the twentieth century. This founder\n         of the Fine Arts Department lived a life abundant in\n         contributions well beyond her career at Virginia State\n         University, while some materials relate directly to her work\n         as a faculty member. Her devotion to education spanned over\n         four decades; these papers reflect her efforts. Born in 1895,\n         Meredith was raised in a period which some consider the lowest\n         point in African-American history since the antebellum era. A\n         product of such adversity, she adjusted to work and achieve\n         during and after a time of legal segregation. This collection\n         speaks to her successes in overcoming the \"obstacles\" of both\n         race and gender.","Beginning in 1930, Meredith corresponded frequently with\n         family, most notably, her sister, Maude Terry. These letters\n         reveal the depth of love and loyalty the family cultivated and\n         nurtured for lifetime. They demonstrate the difference in\n         women's roles between the black and white interdependent\n         relationship with men; black women have received greater\n         support from their peers in the arena of independence. In this\n         vein, Meredith's family gave her nothing short of a full\n         endorsement for her outstanding achievements. It is likely\n         that such contributed to her ability to surmount societal\n         resistance.","Many of Meredith's peers were educators. Her papers include\n         correspondence with Helen Edmonds, Anne Crittendon Preston,\n         and Jean Murrell Capers (who later made her mark in politics).\n         The remaining correspondence comes from people of varied\n         backgrounds, also as viable research material.","Another group of personal correspondence related to\n         Stafford Evans, a prized students of Ms. Meredith. While there\n         is some continuation of correspondence into the 1980s, most of\n         these letters were written while Evans served in the navy from\n         1943-45. Included are copies of The Mananan, a WWII Black\n         sailors' March and December of 1945. This sub-series lends\n         expression to the ambiguity, which black soldiers felt while\n         in fighting for a democracy to which they themselves were not\n         privy.","Meredith's business records document the origins of the\n         Azurest Syndicate in 1953. Ms. Meredith worked with her\n         sister, Ms. Terry, to pioneer the development of a Black\n         summer resort area known as the Azurest North. The Syndicate\n         served to regulate the subdivision's lot sales. The unique\n         aspect of this venture are numerous: the development of a\n         black resort in this time period, the syndicate, and the\n         project's creation and development by two Black women - whose\n         careers were unrelated to such a field.","It appears that, from the 1950's through the 1970's some\n         homes in Azurest North were designed by Ms. Meredith. Though\n         she had no known formal architectural schooling, she created\n         countless line and ink drawings as well as blueprints, which\n         are also included in this collection. Several of these\n         projects succeeded in being built. For many more, the end\n         result is as yet undetermined.","Unquestionably, Meredith designed and built her own home,\n         known as Azurest South, which she truly reflects her artistic\n         gift. Blueprints, line drawings, and sketches of this home are\n         available for research.","Found in another series are the plans for the proposed V.\n         S. U. Alumni House. Beginning in 1949 and working through the\n         next decade, Meredith was active with the Alumni House\n         Committee in attempts to produce an Alumni House. She retained\n         general Alumni records from as early as 1936 and ending in\n         1969.","Lastly, she created more than a dozen scrapbooks, devoting\n         each to a different subject and/or person. They contain\n         documents, photos, letters, news clippings, and ephemera,\n         which combine to form a rich source of research on their\n         topics. The materials cut across all the other sub-series in\n         these collections.","Amaza Meredith maintained a life-long friendship with Edna\n         Colson, former head of the Education Department at V. S. U.\n         They also shared a residence and had mutual friends. Clearly,\n         in order to research either person in- depth, it will be\n         necessary to study the other. Some further correspondence\n         exists in Colson/Hill the sub-series of MS. Colson's personal\n         correspondence dating from 1905-79. This includes information\n         of the trip to Europe made by Colson and Meredith. Some\n         materials, however are restricted (Box 29)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e\n      "],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract label=\"Abstract\"\u003eThe Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture.\u003c/abstract\u003e\n    "],"abstract_tesim":["The Amaza Lee Meredith papers\n         contain personal and business documents generated by Ms.\n         Meredith which reflect the activities of her lifetime.\n         Included are materials related to her career at Virginia State\n         University, her participation in the V.S.U. Alumni Association\n         the official records of the Azurest North Syndicate, and\n         personal correspondence with several prominent blueprints,\n         line drawings, and sketches of Ms. Meredith's designs which\n         demonstrates her pursuits in architecture."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":369,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-08-14T22:39:41.910Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/vipets_vipets00005_c04_c01_c14"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Virginia State University","value":"Virginia State University","hits":370},"links":{"remove":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/repository_ssim.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"facet","id":"collection_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Collection","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","value":"Amaza Lee Meredith Papers, 1912, 1930-1938","hits":370},"links":{"remove":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/collection_ssim.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"facet","id":"level_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Level","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Collection","value":"Collection","hits":1},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Collection\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Item","value":"Item","hits":349},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Item\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Series","value":"Series","hits":10},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Series\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Sub-series","value":"Sub-series","hits":10},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Sub-series\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/level_ssim.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"all_fields","attributes":{"label":"All Fields"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=all_fields\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"keyword","attributes":{"label":"Keyword"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=keyword\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"name","attributes":{"label":"Name"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=name\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"place","attributes":{"label":"Place"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=place\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"subject","attributes":{"label":"Subject"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=subject\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"title","attributes":{"label":"Title"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=title\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"container","attributes":{"label":"Container"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=container\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"search_field","id":"identifier","attributes":{"label":"Identifier"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026search_field=identifier\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"score desc, title_sort asc","attributes":{"label":"relevance"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=score+desc%2C+title_sort+asc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"date_sort asc","attributes":{"label":"date (ascending)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=date_sort+asc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"date_sort desc","attributes":{"label":"date (descending)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=date_sort+desc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"creator_sort asc","attributes":{"label":"creator (A-Z)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=creator_sort+asc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"creator_sort desc","attributes":{"label":"creator (Z-A)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=creator_sort+desc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"title_sort asc","attributes":{"label":"title (A-Z)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=title_sort+asc\u0026view=compact"}},{"type":"sort","id":"title_sort desc","attributes":{"label":"title (Z-A)"},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Amaza+Lee+Meredith+Papers%2C+1912%2C+1930-1938\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+State+University\u0026sort=title_sort+desc\u0026view=compact"}}]}