It was November 1932 and Richmond resident John O’Flaherty had a complaint. It was not an earth-shattering complaint, nor an urgent one, not big enough…
Jessi BennettJuly 17, 2023
In 2018, we shared a blog post detailing the World War I experience of James P. Spencer, a Black soldier in the 370th Infantry of…
Jessi BennettJuly 6, 2022
We cover a lot of serious and heavy topics on the UncommonWealth blog but every once in a while we like to present something just…
Jessi BennettJune 1, 2022
In 1823, Jacques Arago’s Voyage autour du Monde was published. After describing a line-crossing ceremony he had witnessed, he waxed philosophical, noting, “I have no…
Jessi BennettSeptember 1, 2021
Last Friday we took a look at some of the ways that Virginia high school yearbooks have celebrated their graduates in the past, but there…
Jessi BennettJune 4, 2021
The high school classes of 2020 and 2021 will always stand out for their unique senior year experience. We’ve had to invent new ways to…
Jessi BennettMay 28, 2021
Sometimes after a long day of looking at archival documents on my computer screen, I go home and relax by looking at archival documents on…
Jessi BennettMarch 24, 2021
On 13 September 1886, an ill W. W. Colley returned to Richmond, Virginia, from Liberia, trying once again to outrun scandal. However, the month-long boat…
Jessi BennettFebruary 17, 2021
CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia's collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…
Jessi BennettSeptember 11, 2020
The history of African American disenfranchisement and exclusion in Virginia is a lengthy one. This blog post is meant to serve as an introduction and…
Jessi BennettSeptember 9, 2020
In mid-October of 1899, Richmond's Black Community prepared to have a three day celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation complete with a large downtown parade. The Richmond…
Jessi BennettJune 19, 2020
Recent global circumstances have forced us all to change and adapt quickly. It is hard to adapt to a new situation without information, but libraries…
Jessi BennettJune 8, 2020
Cristina Ramirez is the Assistant Library Manager at the Varina Area Library in Henrico County. She was due to receive Virginia Commonwealth University’s Unsung Heroes…
Jessi BennettMay 11, 2020
This is a post in our new series highlighting the people and programs of the public libraries of Virginia. To view more posts about our…
Jessi BennettApril 13, 2020
