Collections

Aubrey E. Strode (1861-1969,88 cubic feet) was a Virginia lawyer, state senator and eugenics advocate who drafted the Virginia sterilization law and brought Buck vs. Bell to the Supreme Court. This collection consists of his personal and professional papers concerning his family, law practice, army service, political and legislative activities as a member of the Virginia Senate, the Virginia Democratic Party and the Progressive movement, and as a co-owner of the newspaper, The Amherst Progress. The bulk of the papers consists of the files of the law firms of Strode and Tucker and Strode and Edwards, containing correspondence, court records, trial transcripts, exhibits, estate settlements, debt collections, and various legal documents.

This collection contains a "The Forget Me Not Album" belonging to Bettie A. Ford, of Lynchburg, Virginia. The album contains a mix of hand-written sentiments, poems, and remembrances written to Ford. The entries are mostly signed by initial or first name and many are dated. A few of the entries have annotations with additional information about the creator. In addition to these entries, there appear to be journal type jottings, possibly written by Ford. Also included are printed poems, newspaper clippings, pressed flowers and at least one illustration that has been pasted in and hand colored. Some pages appear to have been torn out.

Secondary sources compiled by historian Doug Macleod on the history of Virginia canals and river navigation with a focus on the James River from Lynchburg, Va. and west. The collection includes three binders compiled of early newspaper article scans mentioning canal development. Also included are eight 20th century magazines related to or including information on canal history.

This collection consists of a diary kept by Frank Smith Reader between March-June 1864. In it, he describes the march up the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the burning of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), the pillaging that took plage in Lexington, and the march to Lynchburg. Reader also documented the weather, his daily duties, the conduct of officers, the 9th West Virginia Cavalry, the 5th West Virginia Cavalry, Ringgold Battallion, and Averell's Division. He also compares the appearance of the Shenandoah Valley, its homes and people with conditions existing at the time of his march through the same territory in 1862. Additional topics include the following: capture of Piedmont by McNeill, "Porte Crayon," skirmishes with McNeill and Imboden, enemy engagement, desperate fighting and the retreat from Mt. Jackson, General Hunter replacing General Sigel, the military capabilities of Hunter and Sigel, Crook's victories in the Kanawah Valley, Hunter's campaign, burning houses, subsisting off the country, engagement at Staunton, the death of Confederate General W. E. Jones, Governor Letcher's home, the destruction of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, the start to White Sulphur, being taken prisoner and marched under guard to Calihan's Station, being in jail in Covington, and the possibility of being sent south.

This collection contains an autographed letter signed from General John Pope to General George B. McClellan at the headmaster's Army of Virginia, Washington, D.C. July 4, 1862. Pope writes that he will be able to offer military help against the confederate forces and sights specific numbers for General Irvin McDowell's troops, one division of which he says are at Fredericksburg. He also writes that his troops have broken up the depots on the Ohio River and he hopes to destroy the railroad between Lynchburg and Charlottesvile as well as the railroad between Lynchburg and Richmond in order aid in the capture of Richmond. There is a transcription of the letter.

This collection contains the papers of Julia duVal, dating from 1890 to 1930. Contents include a program to the Lynchburg High School 1910 graduation; an invitation to the Randolph-Macon Women's College 1914 graduation ceremony; a typescript copy of duVal's 1924 University of Virginia Master's thesis on Jane Austen titled "Jane Austen: the determining influences of her life on her works;" a handwritten eulogy for duVal; a photograph of duVal in her academic regalia; the 1912/1913 issue of the Randolph-Macon catalog; an issue of "The Campus Quill" from Bessie Tift College, in which duVal's death is announced; five photographs of Julia at Randolph-Macon; a Randolph-Macon postcard addressed to her father, R.A. duVal. This collection also contains three letters from duVal to her parents, dated 1916, describing Columbia University, St. John the Divine cathedral, sightseeing, and mentioning the infantile paralysis epidemic in New York City and her fears of carrying the contagion if she comes home. There are also two letters to her brother, Gabriel duVal, dated May 6 and May 8, 1916, and an undated letter to Julia from an aunt. Also included is a scripture book dated 1890 and several blank undated postcards.

This collection consists of records related to the history of Lynchburg, including Lynchburg Historical Society - Museum Papers.

This collection consists of a color postcard of the YMCA island playgrounds in Lynchburg, Virginia.

This material contains images of racist imagery. The purpose of this note is to allow users to decide whether they need or want to view these materials. This collection includes a photograph album compiled from 1910 to 1913 documenting the Randolph-Macon Woman's College, now called Randolph College, in Lynchburg, Virginia. It contains approximately 274 photos, mainly measuring 3 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches and smaller, with some small panoramas. All photographs have numbers written in silver ink, and many are captioned. The creator of the album is unknown. This album features pasted, dated, and captioned photographs documenting student life. The pictures include images of sports events, Greek life, many themed parties, including Dutch, Spanish, and Chinese parties -- the latter with a photo of Sieu-tsung Lok, the first Asian student from China. There are photos of organized events like May Day, Field Day, and graduation celebrations. Also captured are a variety of plays put on by the students. There are also two photographs of an unidentified Black man who may have been a porter at the college. There are also landscapes around Virginia and exterior shots of the campus buildings. One page of photographs titled "Milestones, 1913" contains two photos of students in blackface.