The UncommonWealth – Voices from The Library of Virginia

By Mari Julienne In Education & Programming

“A Fashionable Suit of Tar and Feathers”

One August day in 1775, Anthony Warwick found himself surrounded by a group of patriots angered by his refusal to…

Public Libraries

Samuels Public Library’s Party of the Year

What can I say about A Taste for Books? At Samuels Public Library in Warren County, Virginia, it's more than a fundraiser — it’s the…

Guest ContributorAugust 11, 2025

Archives Newspapers

Banditti of Brothers: Irregulars and Plunderers During the Revolution

During armed conflicts, there are some participants who recognize the opportunities for ill-gotten gains. In the upheaval of the American Revolution, combatants from both sides…

Vince BrooksAugust 6, 2025

Newspapers

The Ginter Park Citizen: Community-Building at the Community Building

Every word committed to stone or paper is temporary. A small newspaper printed by and for a neighborhood community association in 1923 has a bleak…

Billy BeardenAugust 4, 2025

The Legality Around a Remarkably Painful Societal Issue

On November 21, 1910, Roxie Annie Bauers (née Bumgarner) lost her life in a tragic murder-suicide at the Lewis Hotel in Detroit (now known as…

Callie FreedJuly 30, 2025

Virginia Authors

New Books – July 2025

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Jessi BennettJuly 28, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

Of ‘Maters and Mayo: Hot Tomato Summer and the History of Duke’s

It’s that special time of year, when it’s too dang hot to do anything but sit back and enjoy a tomato sandwich. And what’s a…

Sonya ColemanJuly 25, 2025

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