Collections : [Alexandria Library]

This collection contains the records of the Alexandria Library, documenting the administration and operation of the Library, dating from the founding of the public library in 1937 through the present. Included are administrative records, annual reports, financial records, circulation records, materials documenting the history of the Library, programming and outreach records, and records of the individual branches of the library system. Formats include textual documents, photographs, and ephemera.

These are the collected papers of Alexandria politician Armistead Lloyd Boothe (1907-1990). Papers created or collected by Boothe in the course of his career include campaign materials, correspondence with colleagues, and extensive newspaper clippings in addition to other research on political issues such as segregation, education, and transportation.

Newspaper clippings; Listings of officers for the Civitans and Civinettes; Membership lists for the Civinettes; Lists of naturalized citizens, mid-to-late 1950s; By-laws for both organizations; Camp Tapawingo; Jr. Civitans.

Records, correspondences, authorizations for expenditure (AFEs), notebooks, ephemera, and blueprints, all documenting the Potomac Yard rail yard in Alexandria, Virginia.

This collection covers the history of the Cazenove Family of Alexandria from the 1790s to the 1970s. The first part of the collection features records from James O'Hara Cazenove (1880-1971), consisting primarily of correspondence and records relating to his business interests and investments, as well as legal documents and business related litigation. Some of the correspondence and notebooks relate to his role as an inventor including a patent for an improved eggbeater from the 1920s. It also includes records from his brother, Louis A. deCazenove (1851-1925), primarily related to his education at Cornell University.

This collection documents the professional photography business of Elrich W. Murphy. Over 2,500 professional photographs taken by Murphy capture members of Alexandria's African American community and local events. Images of Murphy's family and friends were taken primarily by Murphy, but there are also family photographs taken by other people. Of interest is an oversized, hand-colored photographic print of the Tidal Basin and the Washington Monument. Included formats in this collection are film negatives, photographic prints, ephemera, and digital surrogates of receipt books and an accounting ledger.

The collection consists of financial records, such as account books from the 1800s; dividend payments; income tax returns from 1919-1928; company records and reports; an employee records book from the 1920s-1940; letters of correspondence; company histories; franchise map; and newsclippings from various newspapers in 1956-1957. Of particular interest are the 1867 property book and the book containing the "Copies of Deeds, Agreements, & Contracts" from 1853-1892. Both contain drawings and diagrams of where water pipes had been laid in Old Town.

The manuscripts vertical file is an artificial collection containing a wide variety of unique manuscript items relating to Alexandria, Virginia residents, businesses, organizations, and history.

This collection pertains mostly to Alexandria's 1974 celebration. Included are minutes and reports from the Alexandria Bicentennial Commission's meetings, and schedules of festivities. Also included are the Bicentennial editions of the Alexandria Gazette from both 1974 and 1976. The 1974 edition, however,is missing the first two sections. The collection also contains a bound collection of historical information on the history of the Alexandria Library Company and the Circulating library, presumably at the behest of the Bicentennial Commission.

This collection contains digital donations collected from members of the Alexandria African American community during the 2023 Alexandria Black Family Reunion event. This is a completely digital collection consisting of digital surrogates of the materials; the original items have been retained by their owners. Included are photographs, documents, and ephemera.