Archives – Page 2 – The UncommonWealth

“Getting no intelligence of them”: Stories of Fugitives from Slavery

In the summer of 1826, Nelly and her two daughters Harriet and Juno took advantage of a rare opportunity. While their enslavers, Notley Williams and…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 26, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A Handsome & Workmanlike Manner”: Engraving the Map of Virginia

How was Virginia’s nine-sheet map, drafted from manuscript surveys, transformed into this elegant engraving? It was a time-consuming process that involved oversight and coordination of…

Barbara BatsonFebruary 21, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

Denied Benefits, Forgotten Heroes: The Hidden Cost of WWII Blue Discharges

In previous blog posts and during events discussing the Virginia WWII Separation Notices collection, I've provided some background on the history of this collection and…

Lauren CaravatiFebruary 19, 2025

Archives Conservation The Stacks

Records Room Road Trips: 2024 Roundup

The previous installment of Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Road Trips pertained to my colleague Eddie Woodward’s autumn travel, so it’s fitting that this…

Tracy HarterFebruary 12, 2025

Archives Newspapers

“Ew James, Is That You?”: Water in the River City

In October 1981, many Virginian cities along the James River opened their taps to find water with a “rusty, swampy, generally unpleasant odor.”1 After closing…

Jessi BennettFebruary 3, 2025

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

“You Can Survive an Atomic Attack”: Artifacts of the Nuclear Arms Race

I am a child of the Cold War, and I grew up on TV episodes and movies inspired by the nuclear arms race, from On…

Kenneth ForestJanuary 29, 2025

Archives Conservation Digital Projects

Hittin’ the Road, Virginia Untold Style

In early December, I traveled to Southwest Virginia to continue our work digitizing “Free Negro Registers” for Virginia Untold. We’ve previously written about our digitization…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 22, 2025

Archives

A Richmond City Chancery Cause and 19th Century English Opera, Part 2

Editor's Note: This blog post is part two of two. You can read the first part here. Due to financial complications arising from their usurpation…

Caroline CollinsJanuary 15, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

Winter Magic: Snow Day Photos in Yearbooks

While yearbooks might conjure up thoughts of graduation, summer, and the end of the school year - snow days are a very common topic. The…

Jessi BennettJanuary 13, 2025

Archives

A Richmond City Chancery Cause and 19th Century English Opera

While processing Richmond City chancery causes that ended between 1879 and 1881, I stumbled across a suit involving several former members of an English opera…

Caroline CollinsJanuary 8, 2025

Archives

Norfolk Burning

By February of 1776, the once bustling Borough of Norfolk lay in ruins. After being routed at Great Bridge in early December of 1775, Royal…

Paige NealJanuary 3, 2025

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

A Shoeshine Box of Memories

Editor's Note: This blog came about as staff members explored some of the old gift catalogs in our collection. We know that during the holiday…

Cara GriggsDecember 23, 2024

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

Archives

Newly-Available Archival Accessions, July 1-September 30, 2024

The Library of Virginia maintains the most comprehensive collection of information about Virginia’s history, culture, and government. We hold more than 200 million manuscript items,…

Trenton HizerDecember 6, 2024

Archives Conservation The Stacks

Records Room Road Trips: Fall 2024

Have I mentioned that this was going to be an unusually slow travel season for me? Yes, I have.Prior to the opening of the annual…

Eddie WoodwardDecember 4, 2024