Collections : [Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library]

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Special Collections and Archives
James G. Leyburn Library
Washington and Lee University
204 W. Washington Street
Lexington, VA 24450
Primary Collecting Areas:
American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, theater, local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, late 19th-century travel
Description:

The Washington and Lee University Special Collections and Archives Department houses over 1,000 unique manuscript collections including those of the Rockbridge Historical Society, The American Shakespeare Center, and the Mountain Valley Preservation Association. These collections vary greatly in size, format, and scope. Subjects covered within the collections are diverse and include concentrations in American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, and theater.

It also houses over 10,000 photographs and prints. Beyond our photograph and print collections, which include scrapbooks, images can also be found within the manuscript collections and University Archives described above. Our photographic holdings vary greatly in size and include numerous formats representative of the evolution of the photographic process. Strengths are local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, W&L University history, including athletics, and late 19th-century travel.

POC: Tom Camden
Phone: (540) 458-8649
Phone: (540) 463-8109
Fax: (540) 463-8964
Start Over Repository Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library Date range 1830

Matriculation Books, 1805/1971 7 Volumes

Washington College (Lexington, Va.)

Matriculation books document the enrollment of students at the university. The earliest matriculation signatures available for Washington and Lee University are from June 1805. From the 1805-1813, the pages include the student's signature and then a sequential number after each name documenting the order that they signed. Please note that there is at least one page missing from 1805 as the numbering of student signatures begins with 42. Starting in 1814, the matriculation pages include the names of the students, the sequential number that follows the order in which the students signed, the names of parents or guardians, and the place of residence of parents or guardians and later the post office location including city, town, county, and state.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

McCown Family Papers, 1811/1917 189 Item

McCown family

This collection consists primarily of business papers of the family including sale lists, indentures, land surveys, deeds, wills, promissory notes, and numerous receipts. It also includes 71 photographs from the collection of Samuel W. McCown, Jr. (WLU 1919).

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Mining Industry, 1000/2000 14 Files

This file includes a document of share in the Goodman Gold and Silver Mining Company, as well as the manuscript entitled "Rockbridge County Furnaces," which includes historical information and photographs concerning local furnaces.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

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