Manuscripts & Special Collections – Page 2

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Odd Couple Mapping the Commonwealth

The two cartographers responsible for the first official state map of Virginia were very different individuals. One was an older itinerant scholar who undertook many…

John DealNovember 18, 2024

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

Building Towards Victory: The WWII Population Boom of Norfolk

The population in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the greater Hampton Roads area greatly increased during World War II. Individuals and families moved to the area for…

Lauren CaravatiNovember 6, 2024

Archives Conservation Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

One Step Up and Two Steps Back: 25 Years of Addressing the Library of Virginia’s Archival Backlog

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Virginia state budget amendment that funded 17 new Library of Virginia positions “to eliminate the 54-year backlog…

Roger ChristmanOctober 23, 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

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Express Yourself: Virginia Archives Month 2024

October means Halloween, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly Archives Month! This Virginia Archives Month we are highlighting the relationship between self-expression and archives with…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemOctober 2, 2024

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Findability: The Role of Catalog Records and Finding Aids

The Library of Virginia has more than 50,000 collections and continues to grow. The Library’s archivists preserve those collections for future generations and then make…

Karen KingSeptember 16, 2024

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Transforming the Future of Libraries & Archives 2024

This summer the Library of Virginia was thrilled to welcome a cohort of six interns for the third year of our Transforming the Future of…

Library of VirginiaAugust 26, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

Ride the Waves! Fight Pirates! In the Oyster Navy!

Virginia’s Tidewater region has long been associated with the U.S. Navy, but did you know that the Commonwealth also had an Oyster Navy? Better yet,…

Vince BrooksAugust 5, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

“Every Other Interest was ‘Eclipsed'”: Norfolk’s Day in the Sun

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit family living in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8. The day…

Nathan VerillaJune 3, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

“We have everything to gain by working together”: Virginia – Korea Relations

In 1973, the Korea-U.S. Economic Council (KUSEC) formed “to boost mutual understanding and to strengthen economic ties between the US and Korea.” This private organization…

Cara GriggsMay 17, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

Gilbert Hunt, Richmond Hero: Part I

When I began processing a portion of the Richmond City Chancery Causes, I did not know the name “Gilbert Hunt.” I had not known about…

Jennifer TaylorMay 15, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Tracking the Sinews of America in 13 Languages

While researching for the Asian American Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) Resources web page in 2020, I came across a U.S. government publication called Sinews…

Cara GriggsMay 6, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Newly Available Archival Accessions, October 1-December 31, 2023

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 HizerMarch 13, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Great Escape

On February 9, 1864, Colonel Thomas E. Rose (1830-1907) led 108 other imprisoned Union officers in a daring escape from Libby Prison. Rose, colonel of…

Trenton HizerFebruary 9, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Easy to observe, difficult to explain and next to impossible to do”: The Locker Writing Method

On December 25, 1955, the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran an article titled “Decline of Penmanship.” An Associated Press piece by Arthur Edson, the article bemoaned “this…

Jessi BennettDecember 18, 2023