Collections : [Virginia Military Institute Archives]

Virginia Military Institute Archives

Preston Library
Virginia Military Institute
345 Letcher Ave.
Lexington, VA 24450-0304
Primary Collecting Areas:
Military history, Civil War, Shenandoah Valley history, Stonewall Jackson Papers, genealogy
Description:
The VMI Archives include significant manuscript and Institute records holdings, with a focus on military history and the Civil War. Our extensive digital archives allow for easy online access to many of our collections.
POC: Jeffrey S. Kozak
Phone: (540) 464-7516
Phone: (540) 464-7566
Fax: (540) 464-7089
Start Over Repository Virginia Military Institute Archives Places Lexington (Va.) -- Newspapers
Virginia Military Institute Archives

Lexington and Rockbridge County Newspapers Collection, 1835/1927

30 cubic feet

Physical copies of local Lexington and Rockbridge County, Virginia newspapers. Physical holdings dates are in parentheses following title. Lexington Gazette (currently News-Gazette; 1835; 1837-1927; on microfilm, including later years); Buena Vista Advocate (1889-1895, available on microfilm), Valley Star (1840-1861, available on microfilm); Rockbridge County News (available on microfilm), Goshen Blade (1891-1892); Rockbridge Citizen (1871-1874, available on microfilm); Rockbridge Enterprise (1879-1884); Glasgow Herald (1890-1891).

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Lexington and Rockbridge County Newspapers Collection, 1835/1927 30 cubic feet

Physical copies of local Lexington and Rockbridge County, Virginia newspapers. Physical holdings dates are in parentheses following title. Lexington Gazette (currently News-Gazette; 1835; 1837-1927; on microfilm, including later years); Buena Vista Advocate (1889-1895, available on microfilm), Valley Star (1840-1861, available on microfilm); Rockbridge County News (available on microfilm), Goshen Blade (1891-1892); Rockbridge Citizen (1871-1874, available on microfilm); Rockbridge Enterprise (1879-1884); Glasgow Herald (1890-1891).

Virginia Military Institute Archives

John T. L. Preston papers, 1806/1889

0.69 cubic feet 1 2.5-inch legal document box and 1 5-inch legal document box

The John T. L. Preston papers consist of the personal papers of Preston, including:

  • A farm account book (1834-1887)
  • Bills
  • Deeds
  • Memoranda
  • Receipts
  • Correspondence
  • A photocopy and transcription of Preston's Civil War journal ("Jottings"), which dates from his military service at Craney Island, Virginia from late July to October 1861. The original journal is held by the Library of Congress.
  • Preston's United States passport (May 1851)
  • Franklin Society membership certificate (1851)
  • A typescript "brief historical sketch" of VMI written as a speech for the Institute's semi-centennial celebration in 1889 (the typescript contains handwritten corrections in ink; Preston's son delivered the address on behalf of his father).
The majority of the papers relate to Preston's personal, financial, and property (land) transactions and do not involve his work at VMI.

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Pamphlet of Cives letters to the Lexington Gazette, 1835/1889

Reprint in pamphlet form of letters written by John T. L. Preston to the Lexington (Virginia) Gazette in 1835, discussing the desirability of turning the local arsenal into a military college. Preston wrote these letters under the pen name "Cives" and these are often referred to as the "Cives letters." This pamphlet was issued in 1889 to mark VMI's semicentennial.

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