Papers such as letters and personal documents from the life of Manassa Pope were donated to the Southern History Collection in Wilson Library, said history Professor James Leloudis.
"There are other collections and other sources, but there are very few collections in the South as rich and extensive as these," he said.
Leloudis said records exist of the Civil War and the civil rights movement, but that there is a void of records from the time in between. He said these papers will help to fill that hole.
"I think that (Pope) is an extraordinary figure in history," Leloudis said. "He has some importance in Raleigh, but he is most important in how he opens up a chapter (of time) not normally talked about.
"Pope is important because he opens a window for us in the darkest days of segregation."
Laura Brown, head of public services in Wilson Library's manuscript department, said Pope's accomplishments cannot be found in history books because those accounts were lost until the papers were discovered after the death of his daughters.
The papers follow Pope's career as a practicing physician in Raleigh from 1901-34, as well as his involvement in the Spanish-American War.
Leloudis said the diversity of the papers is also significant. "The papers extend from his voter registration card, from the early 1920s, to his freedom papers," he said.
The registration card found with the papers shows that Pope was one of a few blacks able to vote at the time because of a minor loophole in voting laws.
