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 Places Virginia -- Lynchburg
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Stuart Sanders Correspondence

1.2 Linear Feet

This collection consists of Sanders' correspondence to his parents regarding life at Washington and Lee University, including his participation in the Arcades Club fraternity (now Delta Upsilon), sports, classes, jobs, and the Lexington Presbyterian Church as well as comments on campus drinking and mention of his brother Irwin Sanders and friend Richard Gooch. Includes his correspondence during his job with his uncle, Stuart Sanders, in Richmond at Sanders Brothers from 1931-1934 with significant comments about the Depression years. Includes 16 photographs of family and friends.

Top 3 results view all 4

Correspondence 28 Item Box 3, Folder 17

Correspondence during the beginning of Stuart's junior year at Washington and Lee. Stuart is living in the fraternity house at this time.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Shields Family Papers

1 Box

This collection contains the papers of the Shields family from 1832-1990 including business documents, family genealogy notes, correspondence, photographs, and William R. Shields poetry.

2 results

Correspondences Box 1, Folder 2

This folder contains letters written by and to members of the Shields family.

Correspondences Box 1, Folder 4

This folder contains letters written by and to members of the Shields family.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Douglas MacLeod Virginia Canal History Research Collection

1 Box

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.

1 result

Douglas MacLeod Virginia Canal History Research Collection 1 Box

MacLeod, Douglas

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.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Frank Smith Reader diary and transcription

0.02 Linear Feet 2 folders

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.

1 result

Frank Smith Reader diary and transcription 0.02 Linear Feet 2 folders

Reader, F. S. (Francis Smith)

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.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

General John Pope letter to General G. B. McClellan

0.01 Linear Feet 1 folder

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.

1 result

General John Pope letter to General G. B. McClellan 0.01 Linear Feet 1 folder

Pope, John

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.

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Lynchburg

1 Files One folder in RHS Misc. Coll 0079 - 0082

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

1 result

Lynchburg 1 Files One folder in RHS Misc. Coll 0079 - 0082

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

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Rockbridge Historical Society files on Houses

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.

1 result

Point of Honor Box 2, Folder 73

This folder contains a booklet entitled, "Point of Honor: Its Past and Its Potential" by S. Allen Chambers, Jr. The booklet discusses the history of ownership, including the Lynch family, Dr. George Cabell and his son William Lewis Cabell, Col. Maurice Langhorne, Judge William Daniel, and James R. Gilliam; the architectural significance of the house, and the reasoning behind and suggestions for its preservation.

  1. Hull Farm through Walkerlands Farm
Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Postcard of the Lynchburg, Virginia YMCA Playground

1 Item

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

1 result

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.