Cassandra Farrell – The UncommonWealth

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Bibliography of a Map

"You will moreover as to be so good to see Mr. Patterson from August and inform him that I have not yet received the plat…

Cassandra FarrellMarch 17, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Those Who Surveyed the Commonwealth

"He lacked the polish and dazzle in some degree that is so captivating to mankind, and which is often mistaken for merit itself,” wrote one…

Cassandra FarrellDecember 18, 2024

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Mapping the Commonwealth

In the years following the War of 1812, Virginians enacted legislation to develop the Commonwealth’s “internal improvements”: its canals, turnpikes, and roads. Virginians were very…

Cassandra FarrellOctober 21, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Using georectification to reveal history’s layers

As part of my training in spatial history at George Mason University, I have had a chance to become acquainted with open-source programs like QGIS,…

Cassandra FarrellJanuary 18, 2023

Manuscripts & Special Collections

No Retreat No Surrender? Not so Much: Yorktown Day

Yorktown Day marks the anniversary of the 19 October 1781 surrender of British forces to General George Washington ending the Revolutionary War. To celebrate, the…

Cassandra FarrellOctober 19, 2016

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Never Built Winchester

The Library of Virginia’s collections include maps of developments that were never constructed, many of which were conceived prior to the Panic of 1893. In…

Cassandra FarrellAugust 10, 2016

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Sneak Peek: April 16 Voorhees Lecture

The 2016 Alan M. and Nathalie Voorhees Lecture on the History of Cartography will be held at the Library of Virginia on Saturday, 16 April…

Cassandra FarrellApril 6, 2016

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Sneak Peek: April 18 Voorhees Lecture

The 2015 Alan M. and Nathalie Voorhees Lecture on the History of Cartography will be held at the Library of Virginia on Saturday, 18 April. …

Cassandra FarrellApril 8, 2015

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Name that town

The Library of Virginia began accessioning maps in 1911. Today its collection has grown to encompass several types of maps, including town plans. One of…

Cassandra FarrellFebruary 20, 2015

Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Island Formerly Known as 314

This summer’s announcement that Mayo’s Island is again for sale prompted a look back at the history of of the most well-known of the James River islands.…

Cassandra FarrellNovember 14, 2014

Education & Programming

The 2014 Alan M. and Nathalie Voorhees Lecture on the History of Cartography

The 2014 Alan M. and Nathalie Voorhees Lecture on the History of Cartography will be held at the Library of Virginia on Saturday, 12 April.…

Cassandra FarrellApril 4, 2014