Posts – Page 6 – The UncommonWealth

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 Digital Projects

“The Coat and Breeches that I am now Wearing.”

Around the year 1826, the Virginia State Library and Archives (now Library of Virginia) began collecting transcriptions of original papers in the Public Records Office…

Amanda MorrellNovember 4, 2024

Archives Digital Projects

“Tenths of an Inch”: Examining a 19th-Century Object on the Eastern Shore

African American Genealogist Selma Stewart can remember the time she came to the Library of Virginia to view the “Free Negro Registers” in person in…

Lydia NeurothOctober 30, 2024

Virginia Authors

New Books – October 2024

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Donna PletcherOctober 28, 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

The Library Lost and Found

It isn’t every day that long-lost state government records make their way back the state archives - especially those dating from the 18th century -…

Paige NealOctober 16, 2024

Public Libraries

Collective Curiosity: Exploring Learning Circles for Teens

When I was assigned the task of starting a "Learning Circle" at my library, Prince William Public Libraries (PWPL), I was unsure what it entailed.…

Guest ContributorOctober 14, 2024

Digital Projects The Stacks

Happy Birthday UncommonWealth!

In September of 2019, the Library of Virginia combined two previous blogs to create The UncommonWealth. Over 1,400 posts and 780,000 views later we have…

Library of VirginiaOctober 11, 2024

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

Commonwealth v. Witch

I I stumbled across a newspaper article in the September 18th issue of the Virginian Herald, dated September 13, 1822. Its title?I was confused. The…

Courtney ThompsonOctober 7, 2024

Archives Digital Projects

Mother Knows Best: A Tale of 2 Brothers

Like Jonathan Ramey of Scott County, Virginia, whose story we previously explored on UncommonWealth, brothers James and William Temple of Bath County joined the trek…

Callie FreedOctober 4, 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

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – September 2024

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Donna PletcherSeptember 30, 2024

Archives The Stacks

Records Room Road Trips: June 2024

My previous Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Road Trip post covered locality travel for May, so this is June’s travelogue. Back in late April…

Tracy HarterSeptember 25, 2024