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 Names Rockbridge County News
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Washington and Lee University and Regional Virginia History Research Collection, 1609/2016

12 Linear Feet

Published lecture by retired professor John McKenzie Gunn, dated April 25, 1994; "Can Economics be Both Relevant and 'good'?"

Top 3 results view all 10
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Conrad M. Speece letter, 1791

1 Files

This collection contains a letter from Professor Conrad M. Speece to Polly Hanna, daughter of prominent Lexington citizen Matthew Hanna, dated 1791 and a transcription of an article in the Rockbridge County News in which the letter was printed. The letter addresses gender roles of the 1700s, specifically the perceived innate characteristics of women and their ability and desire to learn.

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Conrad M. Speece letter, 1791 1 Files

Speece, Conrad

This collection contains a letter from Professor Conrad M. Speece to Polly Hanna, daughter of prominent Lexington citizen Matthew Hanna, dated 1791 and a transcription of an article in the Rockbridge County News in which the letter was printed. The letter addresses gender roles of the 1700s, specifically the perceived innate characteristics of women and their ability and desire to learn.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Dunlap Family Papers, 1830/1878

17 Files

Papers contain information about Dunlap's family members, especially Madison Dunlap (1808-1883) of Kerr's Creek and his son, John Matthew Dunlap, a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1857 who was killed at at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The collection includes compositions that John Matthew Dunlap wrote for Professor J. J. White in 1856-1857, transcripts of letters he wrote while serving in the Confederate Army, and letters concerning his death. The collection also includes the manuscript of J. D. Morrison's Old Monmouth and Its Times.

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Dunlap Family Papers, 1830/1878 17 Files

Dunlap, John Matthew

Papers contain information about Dunlap's family members, especially Madison Dunlap (1808-1883) of Kerr's Creek and his son, John Matthew Dunlap, a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1857 who was killed at at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The collection includes compositions that John Matthew Dunlap wrote for Professor J. J. White in 1856-1857, transcripts of letters he wrote while serving in the Confederate Army, and letters concerning his death. The collection also includes the manuscript of J. D. Morrison's Old Monmouth and Its Times.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Rockbridge Historical Society files on Houses, 1800/1995

1 Linear Feet Two boxes each measuring 7inches.

This collection consists of essays, reports, financial documentation, and other historic records documenting the presence, arcitecture, development, or evolution of local houses in and around Rockbridge County and Lexington, Virginia.

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General, 1938/1939 Box 1, Folder 7

This file consists of three newspaper articles, two of which are from Rockbridge County News, which all provide general histories of a variety of historic homes in the Lexington and Rockbridge Area. The file also includes a typescript essay on old homes in and near Lexington, as well as a housing bond and appraisal letter from Gauranty Bond and Mortgage Company in Richmond, Virginia.

  1. General through Houston House

General, 1939 2 Item Box 1, Folder 4

This file consists of a Rockbridge County News article on historic houses and land donations given to the county, as well as a typescript essay entitled "Historic and Romantic Balcony Downs," which recounts early Rockbridge County conflict with Native Americans.

  1. General through Houston House

General, 1946 1 Item Box 1, Folder 6

This file consists of a newspaper article entitled "Preservation of Old Buildings Is Commended" by Ellen G. Anderson. The contents of the article are related to various Lexington and Rockbridge County Sites that had historic preservation efforts.

  1. General through Houston House
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Maps, 1890/1950

3 Files

This collection consists of historic maps of Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County.

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Lexington, 1959 RHS Collections #0083 - #0087, Folder 2

This file includes a map of Rockbridge County showing primary and secondary highways with a zoomed in scope on Lexington, as well as a map of Lexington from a Rockbridge County News article.

Maps, 1890/1950 3 Files

This collection consists of historic maps of Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County.

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.

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Lucy Selina - Iron Foundry, 1936 1 Item RHS Collection #0088 - #0093, Folder 9

This file contains two copies of the newspaper article "the Saga of Queen Lucy Selina Lives On" by Ruth B. Scott.

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.

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.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.