The Forest History Society Grand Opening

Date: May, 2019

After a multi-year capital campaign to build a new building, the Forest History Society (FHS) located at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has successfully completed a $7 million capital campaign and officially opened a new library, archives, and headquarters.

The grand opening, May 3, 2019, drew more than 160 supporters and donors from throughout the U.S. Atlanta Hardwood Corporation was among the in-kind donors, recognized at the event for contributing architectural mouldings for the new library and headquarters. Mouldings were milled in the AHC White County Mouldings facility in Cleveland, GA, which has been producing premium hardwood mouldings for more than 50 years.

The FHS is the world’s largest private library and archives of forest and conservation history. FHS is world-renowned for its unique holdings and for advancing scholarship in forest and conservation history through its publications, educational outreach efforts and research.

In addition to the expanded space for collections and archival materials, the new FHS headquarters has a state-of-the-art conference facility with live-streaming capabilities, a processing center that will enable more efficient digitization of historic photographs and records, and a soundproof oral history interview suite specifically designed for recording the lives and expertise of forest workers and leaders to capture information unavailable anywhere else in the historical record.

Since its establishment in 1946, FHS has published dozens of books and produced three award-winning films. Its most recent is the Emmy Award–winning America’s First Forest, a documentary about Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck and the Biltmore Forest School. Researchers all over the world can access FHS’s free research portal (at www.foresthistory.org), which contains more than 45,000 searchable topics and 22,000 photographs. Those needing further assistance may contact FHS library staff through the “Ask a Question” feature on the FHS website, or by phone at (919) 682-9319.

The FHS looks forward to growing its archival collections and offering new and engaging programs. Forest products organizations, family land owners, and others seeking a permanent home for their records, are welcome to contact Steven Anderson, president and CEO, by email at steven.anderson@foresthistory.org. The library is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for forest and conservation history research and exploration.