Collections : [Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library]

This collection includes photographs, ephemera, clippings, correspondence, and printed material created and/or acquired by members of the Walker and Wood families, specifically Harry L. and Eliza Walker and their daughter Nannie and her husband Clarence. Subjects include the Walker-Wood Brothers meat and grocery business, the family home Blandome, properties owned by the families, First Baptist Church, and social organizations in Lexington and Roanoke such as the NAACP and the Virginia Federation of Colored Women. Several of the photographs date to the late 19th century and feature multiple generations of both families. Of particular note are photographs of Freedman's Hospital nurses and a unit of Buffalo soldiers. The families were very active in advocating for the education of African American children in Lexington, and this collection reflects that. The collection includes documents related to the advocacy for and development of Lylburn Downing School and the organization of the Home and School League.

This collection contains his student notebooks for courses in civil engineering (applied mathematics) taught by an unknown professor (possibly Willam Allan). Also contains an account book with records of his expenditures as a student from 1872-1876.

This collection contains certificates and diplomas received by Walter Russell Bowie, primarily from Washington and Lee University. The certificates of distinction range in date from 1873-1876 and were for demonstrating proficiency in the following subjects: Latin, mathematics, French, Greek, rhetoric, natural philosophy, moral philosophy, German, chemistry, modern history, and literature. The diplomas in the collection are his B.A., M.A., and B.L. dating in range from 1875-1877. The Masters and Law diplomas include the original ribbon. All three include a seal. Also included is a certificate issued by the Alumni Association to Bowie in 1877. On the reverse is a handwritten certificate authorizing Bowie to practice law in the Suprioer and Inferior Courts of Virginia dated August 27, 1877. There are original signatures associated with it of William McLaughlin and Francis T. Anderson. In the lower left corner is presumably the date of January 1, 1880. Accompanying that is a handwritten document the certificate may refer to which is certifies that Bowie lived in Rockbridge County for the preceding 12 months. Lastly, the collection includes a certificate issued by the Circuit Court of the United States dated December 20, 1880 that states Bowie was admitted and qualified as an attorney.

This collection contains certificates issued to donors who financially sponsored scholarships to aid students attending Washington and Lee University post-Civil War. The donors were from various states, including Louisiana, Missouri, and Florida. Two of the donors were women. Several certificates still have coupons that were associated with their gift of supporting students. All of the certificates have been cancelled, which presumably means the funding ended. Some certificates have a red seal that includes the date 1782.