The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company

Soul & Service

The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company was founded in Durham, N.C. in 1898 and is the oldest currently active African American-owned insurance company in the United States.

"The Mutual" or "N.C. Mutual," as it is commonly called, was founded with the entrepreneurial vision of 7 African American men who desired to provide insurance to their Durham community when white owned companies denied them. Through difficult early years, the company was able to sustain and grow into the oldest African American owned insurance company in the country. Today, it remains a symbol of pride and progress for the generations of Mutual men and women.

Read more about the history of N.C. Mutual at the company's website here: http://www.ncmutuallife.com/newsite/pages/about.html

Mutual staff in Charlotte, 1909

Mutual Staff, 1909.

First NC Mutual home office, 1910

First N.C. Mutual home office in 1910.

Cover of the "Whetstone," the employee newsletter, 1924

Employee Newsletter, 1924.

The Mutual Newsletter, featuring John M. Avery, 1923

The Mutual Newsletter, 1923.

Ribbon cutting ceremony at Albany, Georgia satellite office, 1950s

Ribbon cutting ceremony in Albany, Georgia, 1950s.

Employee recruitment advertisements for college students and graduates, 1950s

Employee recruitment materials from the 1950s.

Enjoying new surroundings after opening of Mutual Plaza, 1966

Office space shortly after the opening of Mutual Plaza, 1966.

NC Mutual Charitable Giving Program pamphlet, 2000s

N.C. Mutual pamphlet, 2000s.

Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info