Renee Savits – The UncommonWealth

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How to Become a Lawyer in Virginia

Practicing law in Virginia has not always been a straightforward process. The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners was established by an act of the General…

Renee SavitsJuly 23, 2025

Archives

Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority

Recently I processed the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority Records, 1954-1983 , documenting the building of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike from 1955 to 1958. The collection is arranged…

Renee SavitsOctober 9, 2024

Archives

Distributing the Law

Recently I came across a collection from the Secretary of the Commonwealth that was still folded and in its original boxes. It seems that no…

Renee SavitsJuly 24, 2024

Archives

Records of the Revolution: John Todd and the George Rogers Clark Illinois Expedition

As I was creating a finding aid for the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts - George Rogers Clark Papers, Western Expedition Quartermaster Records, 1778-1784 (LVA…

Renee SavitsJanuary 6, 2021

Governor E. Lee Trinkle Executive Papers, 1923.

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Pardon Me

Within the records of Governor E. Lee Trinkle (1922-1926) are several boxes relating to extraditions and pardons of prisoners. I came across one letter from Leroy…

Renee SavitsApril 26, 2017

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

‘It’s a Southern Sun That Shines Down on This Yankee Boy’: The E. L. Molineux Collection

The Edward L. Molineux collection, 1861-1915, was scanned as part of the CW150 Legacy Project and recently added to the Library of Virginia’s Transcribe web site.…

Renee SavitsSeptember 28, 2016

Archives

Bring On Your Wrecking Ball: The Battle of Hampton Roads

The Battle of Hampton Roads was one of the most important naval battles in the American Civil War. It was fought over two days, 8-9…

Renee SavitsSeptember 7, 2016

Archives

Miami Beach Florida is Calling You

In November 1924, Governor E. Lee Trinkle traveled to Florida to attend the annual Governors’ Conference. The Governors’ Conference was held in Jacksonville, Florida, on…

Renee SavitsJuly 20, 2016

Archives Digital Projects

Howdy!: The Letters of John R. Morris

Recently I was approving some transcriptions done by our virtual Library volunteers on the Making History: Transcribe website and came across a collection of letters written by…

Renee SavitsAugust 12, 2015

Digital Projects

"Oh Abraham Abraham!! Why hast thou forgotten me!"

The Civil War 150 Legacy Project has been travelling around Virginia and scanning privately held Civil War-related manuscript documents for the past four years. Recently, as I…

Renee SavitsMay 21, 2014

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

My dear and most affectionate lover

Laura Drake Davis and I spent most of 2010-2012 on the road scanning and collecting images for the CW150 Legacy Project. It was not until recently…

Renee SavitsMarch 15, 2013

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

150 years later, nearly 400 letters reveal one couple’s Civil War story

The CW 150 Legacy Project was recently in Fairfax for a scanning event at the City of Fairfax Regional Library. The event was a great…

Renee SavitsJuly 6, 2011

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Ensuring quality education for all

Editors Note: This post is a modified version of an article that originally appeared in the former “Virginiana” section of Virginia Memory. The Watkins Family Papers (Accession…

Renee SavitsFebruary 16, 2011

Archives Digital Projects

Spreading the word

Staff from the Library of Virginia (LVA), including Laura Drake Davis of the CW150 Legacy Project — Western Region, Senior Finding Aids Archivist Trenton Hizer,…

Renee SavitsJuly 21, 2010

Archives

Blame It On Rio

As I was inventorying a collection of federal records housed at the Library, I stumbled upon a box of papers that did not seem to…

Renee SavitsJune 30, 2010