Charles Walls Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Charles Walls Collection, Ms2011-001, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
1.5 Cubic Feet 3 boxes
Abstract:
Photocopies of magazine articles and other sources relating to the American Civil War, with particular emphases on Long Island, New York, during the war, African-American history, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Charles Walls Collection, Ms2011-001, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains photocopies and other reproductions of American Civil War-related magazine articles and other sources compiled by Charles Walls, a resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, and a Civil War enthusiast. The collection, which contains only a few original items, reveals a general interest in the Civil War and its various aspects. The collection's most significant contents, perhaps, are several files on the Ku Klux Klan and related organizations, with articles tracing the Klan's origin and history as well as its activities through the 1990s. The collection also includes a number of articles relating to African-American history and the Civil Rights movement. Other files relate to the preservation of Confederate heritage and include articles surrounding the Confederate battle flag and other controversial issues. Many of these items seem not to have been gathered firsthand by Walls but given to him by another party. The collection also emphasizes the Civil War as it related to Long Island, New York, with articles on military units, events, and individuals.

Biographical / historical:

Charles Sebastian Walls III, a resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, and an American Civil War enthusiast, was born in Oceanside, New York, on October 15, 1934. A master gardener and retired truck driver, Walls died on December 17, 2008.

Acquisition information:
The Charles Walls Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2006.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Charles Walls Collections was completed in January 2011.

Arrangement:

The collection essentially retains its original order and is arranged alphabetically by subject.