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Dan Brown collection

2 boxes (0.75 linear feet)

(1896 – 2007)

bulk 1908-1996

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier 2016.090
Creator(s) Brown, Danny
Acquisition

Donated by Margaret Bull Brown in 2016
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by Ian Post
Related Materials

George Chevallier Collection (1820 – 2010)

George White Collection (1730 – 2007)
Separated Materials See Nabb Center Staff
Abstract

The Danny Brown collection consists of ephemera and documents related to the history of Salisbury, Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula with items dating from 1896 to 2007 (the bulk of the materials range from 1908 to 1996). Included in the collection are two general or hardware store ledgers dating from 1908 to 1920, business and political advertisements, event programs, postcards, photo reproductions, newspaper clippings, and writings about Salisbury's history. Also included is a handwritten list of canneries along the Nanticoke River.

Biographical History

"

Dan Brown did not start carving decoys until he was in his early thirties.  Born in 1930, he worked as a salesman for a dairy company and a semi-professional baseball player prior to becoming a bird carver.

Brown met the Ward brothers in the 1950s while playing baseball in Crisfield.  He had always been artistically inclined and the Ward Brothers brought out these artistic abilities.  During visits to the Wards’ workshop, Brown was taught the art of decoy carving.  Over the years, they willingly critiqued bird carvings he brought to them.  The influence of the Wards ultimately led him to decorative bird carving and his mastery of the art form.

Since 1965, Brown has won hundreds of carving awards in just about every class of carving competitions.  His work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, the Smithsonian Institution, and numerous exhibitions, print articles, and videos.
Brown is a founding member of the Ward Foundation.  As Ward Museum curator, he played a major role in the planning and installation of the permanent galleries, as well as changing exhibits.  His passion for carving and preserving the legacy of Lem and Steve Ward has guided the Ward Foundation to what it is today.

Dan passed away in 2010."

  • From the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University (https://www.wardmuseum.org/artists/dan-brown/)
Arrangement Statement See Nabb Center Staff

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • Advertising
    • Business
    • Ledger
    • Postcards
    • Wicomico County (Md.)--History.
  • Location Terms
    • Salisbury (Md.)

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Box 1

  1. Ledgers, 1908-1920
  2. Event programs, 1896-circa 1996
  3. Business and political advertisements, 1901-1982
  4. Postcards, circa 1930s-1960s
  5. Writings about Salisbury's history, 1925-1954
  6. Writings about Salisbury's history, 1971-1986

Box 2

  1. Photo prints and reproductions, circa 1900s
  2. Newspaper clippings, 1954-2007
  3. Notes on Dorchester County canning and Whitehaven Hotel, 2003

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

None