A Guide to Resources for the History of Blacksburg, Virginia
Dorothy H. Bodell and Catherine Wingfield-Yeatts
University Libraries, 1991
Last update: December 10, 2014 (kad)
Table of Contents
Books and Articles
- Colonial to 1798
- Telephone Directories And City Directories
- Town of Blacksburg Publications
Photographs in Special Collections
Vertical Files in Special Collections Department
Blacksburg, Virginia, was founded in 1798 on a thirty-eight acre tract laid out and deeded by William Black, for whom the town was named. The original town was limited to a sixteen-block area bounded by present-day Draper Road, Jackson Street, Wharton Street, and Clay Street. Blacksburg's town limits were slightly northeast of an earlier frontier settlement dating from 1748 called Draper' s Meadow, near the Duck Pond on the Virginia Tech campus. Smithfield, built in 1773 by William Preston, sits on the original Draper's Meadow site.
In 1851 a Methodist seminary, the Olin and Preston Institute, was founded in Blacksburg; its sole building was finished in 1855, located on a hillside on present-day Main Street between College Avenue and the Mall. The Olin and Preston Institute, always struggling economically, was closed during the Civil War, and after the war it was reopened as the Preston and Olin Institute. Several years later the trustees of the Methodist school entered the competition for the Morrill land grant funds and--against sizeable odds--won. The new Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was founded in 1872.
Blacksburg and Virginia Tech have grown together. Now celebrating the town's Bicentennial (as well as the 250th anniversary of the Draper's Meadow settlement), interest in the town's history and development continue's to grow. Researchers and those who simply want to know more about Blacksburg's history alike can find a wealth of information on the history of the town in the Virginia Tech Libraries.
This guide to resources on Blacksburg's history in the University Libraries was compiled in 1991 by Dorothy H. Bodell of the Cataloging Department and Catherine Wingfield-Yeatts of the Special Collections Department, who gathered, examined, described, and sometimes organized the materials it includes. The guide covers the following areas: books and articles; county and federal records relating to Blacksburg on microfilm; manuscript collections; maps; newspapers; photographs; and vertical files.
Some of the materials described below can be found in several sections of the Virginia Tech Libraries. Books on Blacksburg's history, for example, can be found in the circulating collection, in the reference collection, in the Art and Architecture Library, and in the Special Collections. Other materials can be found in specific sections of Newman Library. For example, microfilmed census records, county records, and newspapers can be found in the Microforms Area.
Several types of materials covered, such as manuscript diaries, letters, and business ledgers, original photographs, rare books, and rare maps can be found in the Special Collections. Such primary sources, many of them unique, are among the building blocks that historians will consult to chronicle Blacksburg's history and culture as it approaches its bicentennial. Many of these materials have been donated to the University Libraries by local residents. By placing them in the University Libraries, these donors ensure that the materials researchers need to write the history of Blacksburg will survive--and that the part their forbears played in that history will be told. We acknowledge the important role that local residents play in preserving local history, and we also welcome the use of these materials by local residents who wish to learn more about that history.
While describing the variety of materials available to research or read about local history, this guide does not deal with the process of doing local history or the more generalized materials that local historians often use. For these sources, see LOCAL HISTORY AND GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, compiled by Dorothy McCombs and revised by John Stemmer (Blacksburg: University Libraries, 1997), copies of which are available in the Reference Room on the second floor of Newman Library and in the Special Collections Department.
BOOKS AND ARTICLES
The books and articles listed below are classified by period and subject. This classification is designed to aid researchers who want to focus on specific areas of Blacksburg history-the Civil War, for example, or the history of the town's architecture. Because many of the items listed cover more than one such area, they may be listed under different headings, with their descriptive summaries geared to the specific headings under which they may be found.
The materials listed here can be found in various sections and branches of the University Libraries system. Abbreviations after the call numbers designate the following locations:
- Art & Arch--the Art and Architecture Library in Cowgill Hall
- Newman--the main collection in Newman Library
- Ref Room--the Reference Room collection on the second floor of Newman Library
- Spec--Special Collections, on the first floor of Newman Library
- Spec/Genealogy--an open-shelved local history and genealogy collection in the Special Collections reading room
Brown, Ralph M. V.P.I. HISTORICAL INDEX, OCTOBER 1, 1872 TO DECEMBER 31, 1941. Bulletin of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Vol. XXXV, No. 12). Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1942. [T171.V89 B7 1942 Spec ] A copy of this publication is also available at the Special Collections reference desk. More an encyclopedia than an index, this work presents facts on Virginia Tech and Blacksburg history in a compact format. The following headings contain information of interest to researchers of Blacksburg history:
Airport; Alumni Gate; Armory; Barger's Field; Barger's Fort; Black, Dr. Harvey; Black Field; Black property; Blacksburg history; Blacksburg-Christiansburg Road; Blacksburg-Coal Bank Hollow Road; Blacksburg Gap Mt. Road; Blacksburg High School; Blacksburg Inn; Blacksburg Post Office; Blacksburg Water & Sewerage; Coal Famine; Electric Light & Service Dept.; Faculty Row & Houses; Grissom, M. S.; Hacks; Heat and Power Dept.; Hoge House; Huckleberry; Incinerator; Lakes (Duck ponds); Lybrook Row (see also Barracks- -History); Lyric Theatre; "Mose" (Moses Lucinian); "Old Brick House"; "Colonial Inn"; Painter's Spring; Roads; Smithfield; Snow Storm; Telegraph Line; Telephone Service; Water Tower; Water Works; Western Union Office; "Whitethorn."
Dunay, Donna. TOWN ARCHITECTURE. N.p., 1986. [LD5655A542 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Art & Arch, Newman, and Ref Room]. This study was published as a result of a concern that Blacksburg's rapid growth would continue "without regard for its physical particulars." The publication contains many maps, charts and pictures of Blacksburg locations and buildings using old and present-day photographs. Section 3,titled " A History of Blacksburg" (pp. 92-158) is a study of the history of the town starting from the 18th century, emphasizing architecture and population. The years 1840, 1870 and 1921 are singled out by pictures, maps, and commentary as periods of unusual growth and prosperity.
Worsham, Gibson. MONTGOMERY COUNTY HISTORIC SITES SURVEY. Christiansburg, VA: Montgomery County, 1986. [F232 M7 M74 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and Newman]. A two-volume publication resulting from the Montgomery County Planning Commission's charge for a "tool to help plan growth and still preserve the county's historical and architectural resources." Topics covered are: urban and rural development, transportation, industry, agriculture, commerce, religion, education, government, and domestic life for the years 1745-1950. Blacksburg information is included on each topic and is easily located. Includes maps, charts, statistics, survey forms, and a table of contents. Copies of the original survey forms and photographs are in the Montgomery County Historic Sites Survey manuscript collection.
COLONIAL TO 1798
Benthall, Joseph. ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE SHANNON SITE. Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1968. [F232 M7 B45 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. An account of the excavation and investigation of an Indian village and burial ground located 5 miles east of Blacksburg in Ellett Valley. Includes pictures and maps.
Crush, Charles W. THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY STORY, 1776-1957. N.p., 1957. [F232 M7 C7 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A short history of Montgomery County compiled from articles, family reminiscences, and court records by the judge of the county court. Not indexed. Topics related to Blacksburg: Information on the Draper's Meadow settlement and massacre (p. 4). Forts named at Blacksburg, Smithfield, and nearby areas of Torns Creek, McDonald's Mill and Price's Fork (p. 6). An account of the land surveys of Patton's Grant, which includes the area that became Draper's Meadow (p. 17). Reference made to letters written by Mrs. Letitia Preston Floyd in 1843 telling of the interwoven history of the Preston family and the Virginia frontier (pp. 45- 46).
Douthat, James L. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA WILL BOOK 1, 1786-1809. [F232 M7 D68 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. Abstracts of wills in the Montgomery County Court House. The index shows many Blacksburg families such as Price, Preston, and Draper.
Givens, Lula Porterfielc. HIGHLIGHTS IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. [F232 M7 G58 Spec/Genealog;y, also Newman and Ref Room]. Christiansburg, VA: By the author, 1975. Includes an account of the settlement of Draper's Meadow, the massacre, the capture, escape, and return of Mrs. Ingles (pp. 15-26).
HARDESTY'S HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA... SPECIAL VIRGINIA EDITION. Written by R.A. Brock. N.Y., Richmond: H.H. Hardesty, 1884. [F226 H25 Spec/Folio; excerpts F232 S75 E9 Spec/Genealogy, also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes a history of the Preston Family (pp. 361-62) and a history of Montgomery County (pp. 393-404).
Ingles, John. THE STORY OF MARY DRAPER INGLES. Radford, VA: Commonwealth Press, 1969. [E87 I53 1969 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. An account of the Draper's Meadow massacre and the part played by Mary Draper Ingles, as told by her to her son, John Ingles, Sr.
Johnston, David E. A HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE NEW RIVER SETTLEMENTS. Huntington, WV: Standard, 1906. [F232 NSM 1906 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec/Brittle, Newman, and Ref Room]. Johnston began this work as a history of Mercer County (now in West Virginia), but decided that the Middle New River Settlements of the counties of Augusta, Botetourt, Fincastle, Montgomery, Greenbrier, Wythe, Monroe, Tazewell, and Giles needed to be included. Includes information on the families of Ingles, Drapers, and others who settled the area which ~ ecame Draper's Meadow, then Smithfield and eventually Blacksburg (p. 9). Draper's Meadow Massacre events and related information (pp. 18-22). A short sketch of the Black family who gave the land for the town of Blacksburg (p. 380).
Johnson, Patricia Givens. WILLIAM PRESTON AND THE ALLEGHENY PATRIOTS. Pulaski, VA: B.D. Smith, 1976. [F229P7Spec/Genealogy, also Newman, and Ref Room]. A biography of William Preston (an early settler of Draper's Meadow), and an account of taxes in New River Valley. Includes pictures, notes, and an index. Tells of Preston's decision to make his home at Draper's Meadow and the construction of Smithfield (p. 108). A short account of Preston's health while building Smithfield (p. 111). Pictures of Smithfield (pp. 115-117). Information about the life of the Prestons at Smithfield (pp. 117-118), and a short account of Smithfield's products (p. 120). An account of sickness and disease at Smithfield (pp. 130-131). The sickness and death of William Preston at Smithfield, and the continuation of life there for his family (pp. 303-312).
Kegley, Mary B., and F. B. Kegley. EARLY ADVENTURES ON THE WESTERN WATERS. Orange, VA: Green Pub., 1980-1982. [F232 NSK36 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Ref Room]. 2 volumes. A work on the history of the New River Valley for the years 1745-1800. Biographical sketch of Black family, map of Blacksburg (1798), Lewis Miller sketch of Blacksburg (1853). Contains a history of Blacksburg, giving early residents, churches, land owners, and genealogical information. Includes pictures, maps, and lists of people (I, pp. 194-98). Draper's Meadow massacre (I, p. 55). The beginnings of the Blacksburg neighborhood, including creeks, roads, settlements, churches, towns, and biographical sketches of many settlers, including the Blacks, Prestons, Prices, and other early families (I, pp. 173-280). Marriages in Montgomery County, 1777-1830, giving marriages of early settlers, their parents, and sureties (II, pp. 120-213).
Kegley, Mary B. TAX LIST OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1782. Roanoke, VA: n.p., 1974. [F232 M7-4 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. An alphabetical list of property owners tor the year 1782. Includes area property owners such as Prestons, Prices, and Walls.
Lutheran Church in America. MARRIAGES, BIRTHS AND DEATHS FROM VIRGINIA AND EAST TENNESSEE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA RECORDS. Roanoke, VA: Daughters of the American Revolution, 1969. [F225 M3 Newman]. A translation of the records of the official church book of St. Michael's Lutheran Church (Price's Fork), 1793-1839 (pp. 79-105). Includes birth, church rolls, regulations, communicants, and baptisms. Included are Blacksburg names such as Preish(Price), Zerfass (Surface), Berger, Wall, Harless, Keister, Linkous, Olinger, Kipps, and others.
Pendleton, Lee. INDIAN MASSACRES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, 1755- 1756 . Christiansburg, VA: n.p., 1968. [F232 M7 P4 Spec/Genealogy]. Includes an account of the Draper's Meadow massacre (pp. 11-24).
Preston. Wisconsin State Historical Society, Library. THE PRESTON AND VIRGINIA PAPERS OF THE DRAPER COLLECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS. [also includes the index under the same call number]. Madison: By the society, 1915. [F221 W5 Spec, also Ref Room]. A list of the manuscripts in the Draper collection pertaining to the Preston family in Virginia.
Tuttle, Bruce D. COLONEL WILLIAM PRESTON, 1729-1783. M.A. thesis.V.P.I., 1971. [LD5655 V855 1971 T87Spec, also Newman]. A biography of Colonel William Preston of Smithfield Plantation.
Yantis, Nettie Schreimer. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA-CIRCA 1790. Springfield, VA: By the author, 1972. [F232 M7 Y37 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. Tax lists, abstracts of land surveys and immigration data of Montgomery County circa 1790. Blacksburg names are not specifically listed, but the list includes families such as the Prestons, Pattons, Prices, and Walls.
Allen, Emily, and Devota P. Pack. DEATHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1853-1871. N.p., 1977. [F232 M7 A4 Spec/Folio, also Ref Room]. A compilation of deaths in Montgomery County, between 1853 and 1871. Few Blacksburg people are listed specifically, but are included in the Montgomery County listings. Indexed.
Crush, Charles W. THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY STORY, 1776-1957. N.p.,1957. [F232 M7 C7 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A short history of Montgomery County compiled from articles, family reminiscences, and court records by the judge of the county court. Not indexed. Reference made to letters written by Mrs. Letitia Preston Floyd in 1843 telling of the interwoven history of the Preston family and the Virginia frontier (pp. 45-46). A list of Blacksburg residents from a ledger dated 1830 (pp. 65-67). A list of Montgomery county people serving in the Mexican War., not specifically listing Blacksburg people (p. 68). Includes Thomas N. Conrad's "Early Blacksburg History," originally published in 1881 (pp.111-113).
Dickenson, R. Boulton. "ENTITLED:" FREE PAPERS IN APPALACHIA, ANTEBELLUM FREEBORN NEGROES AND MANCIPATED BLACKS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. N.p., 1980. [F232 M7D5 1981 Spec, also Ref Room]. A study of the black population in Montgomery county using the Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes kept by the clerk of the Circuit Court for the years 18231863. Page numbers are listed in the index under Blacksburg for persons found in the Blacksburg area.
Douthat, James L. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA EARLY SETTLERS: 1810-1850 CENSUS. Signal Mt. TN: Mountain Press, 1985. [F232 M7 D6 1985 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. An index of families for 1810-1840,with Blacksburg residents not specifically indicated. Blacksburg residents named for 1850 census (pp. 64-65).
Douthat, James L. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA WILL BOOK 1, 178-1809. [F232 M7 D68 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. Abstracts of wills in the Montgomery County Court House. The index shows many Blacksburg families such as Price, Preston, and Draper.
Grant, Charles. AN APPALACHIAN PORTRAIT: BLACK AND WHITE IN MONTGOMERY CO., VIRGINIA BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. [LD5655 V855 1987 G736 Spec, and Newman] A study of the slave, free black, and white populations of Montgomery County. James P. Preston, Michael Price, and other Blacksburg slaveowners are included.
HARDESTY'S HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA ...SPECIAL VIRGINIA EDITION. Written by R.A. Brock. N.Y., Richmond: H.H. Hardesty, 1884. [F226 H25 Spec/Folio; excerpts F232 S75 E9 Spec/Genealogy, also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes a history of Montgomery County (pp. 393-404). Also includes biographies of some Blacksburg residents-Black, Conrad, Evans, Grissom, Kinzer, Lybrook, Ronald, Price, and many others (pp. 405-14).
Jost, Shelli. BUILDERS, CRAFTSMEN AND TRADESMEN IN MONTGOMERY CO., VIRGINIA BETWEEN 1850 AND 1900. [LD5655 V855 1986 J677 Spec, also Newman]. Appendix B-K are lists of names and occupations. Names are grouped by occupation, and within an occupation, by locality.
Kegley, Mary B., and F. B. Kegley. EARLY ADVENTURES ON THE WESTERN WATERS. Orange, VA: Green Pub., 1980-1982. [F232 N5 B6 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Ref Room] 2 volumes. Covers the years 17451800. Biographical sketch of Black family, map of Blacksburg (1798), and Lewis Miller sketch of Blacksburg (1853). Also includes history of Blacksburg, giving early residents, churches, land owners, and genealogical information. Includes pictures, maps, and lists of people (I, pp. 194-98). The beginnings of the town of Blacksburg including creeks, roads, settlements, churches, towns, and biographical sketches of many settlers, including the Prestons, Prices, and other early families (I, pp. 173-280). Marriages in Montgomery County, 1777-1830, including marriages of early settlers, their parents, and sureties. Blacksburg residents are not specifically indicated (II, pp. 120-213).
Lucas, Wavie Harman, and Pack, Devota. BIRTHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA: 1853-1871. N.p., 1972. [F232 M7B53 Spec, also Ref Room] A transcription of births from court records in Montgomery County for the years 1853-1871. Listed are the child's name, birthdate, parents, residence, and father's occupation. Blacksburg residents are located easily. Indexed.
Lutheran Church in America. MARRIAGES, BIRTHS AND DEATHS FROM VIRGINIA AND EAST TENNESSEE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA RECORDS. Roanoke, VA: Daughters of the American Revolution, 1969. [F225 M3 Newman]. A translation of the records of the official church book of St. Michael's Lutheran Church (Price's Fork) 1793-1839 (pp. 79-105). Includes births, church rolls, regulations, communicants, and baptisms. Included are Blacksburg names such as Preish (Price), Zerfass (Surface), Berger, Wall, Harless, Keister, Linkous, Olinger, Kipps, and others.
Allen, Emily and Devota P. Pack. DEATHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1853-1871. N.p., 1977. [F232 M7 A4 Spec/Folio, also Ref Rcom]. A compilation of the deaths in Montgomery County between 1853 and 1871. Includes deaths of Civil War soldiers between 1861 and 1865 reported to Montgomery County Court. Few Blacksburg people are listed specifically, but are in the Montgomery County listings. Indexed.
Crush, Charles W. THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY STORY, 1776-1957. N.p., 1957. [F232 M7 C7 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes an account of Montgomery County's participation in the Civil War; lists of soldiers, including a partial list of Co. L., 4th Virginia Infantry which was recruited from the Blacksburg area (pp. 72109). Account of the ride of Avrell's Brigade through Blacksburg (pp. 106-107). marriages of early settlers, their parents, an
Dawson, Rosanna. 1889 DIARY OF ROSANNA CROY DAWSON/1860 LIST OF PUPILS OF WILLIAM DAWSON. [F234 B5 D25 1972 Spec/Genealogy]. Includes a list of "scholars" of William Dawson for the 1860 session. Indexed.
Dickenson, R. Boulton. "ENTITLED:" FREE PAPERS IN APPALACHIA, ANTEBELLUM FREEBORN NEGROES AND MANCIPATED BLACKS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. N.p., 1980. [F232 M7D5 1981 Spec, also Ref Room]. A study of the black population in Montgomery county using the Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes kept by the clerk of the Circuit Court for the years 18231863. Page numbers are listed in the index under Blacksburg for persons found in the Blacksburg area.
Givens, Lula Porterfield. HIGHLIGHTS IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Christiansburg, Va: By the author, 1975. [F232 M7 G58 Spec/Genealogy, also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes a letter from Lizzie B. Apperson and a commentary by Mrs. Reagan S. Wyatt telling of General Averell's encampment in Blacksburg during the Civil War (pp. 122-24).
Howe, Daniel. LISTEN TO THE MOCKINGBIRD. Boyce, VA: Carr Publishing Co., 1961. [CS71 H855 1961 Spec, also Newman]. Includes a history of the Howe family who lived in the Blacksburg area. Pictures, maps and index. Account of John T. Howe and other Blacksburg men leaving for the Civil War (pp. 43-44).
Johnson, Patricia G. THE UNITED STATES ARMY INVADES THE NEW RIVER VALLEY, MAY 1864. By the author, 1986. [E476.5 J64 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Ref Room]. An account of General Crook's invasion of the New River Valley during the Civil War. Tells of Crook's men stopping at Kentland (a large plantation near Blacksburg), the Price's Forks area, and then into Blacksburg (pp. 55- 62). Letters and family traditions are cited which pertain to this raid. Pictures, maps, and index. Tells of General Averell's encampment at Woodbine two miles north of Blacksburg on May 12, 1864 (pp. 73-75). Picture of Main Street Blacksburg [1864?] (p. 72).
Lucas, Wavie Harman, and Pack, Devota. BIRTHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA: 1853-1871 . N.p., 1972. [F232 M7B53 Spec, also Ref Room]. A transcription of the births taken from court records in Montgomery County for the years 1853-1871. Listed are the child's name, birthdate, parents, residence, and father's occupation. Blacksburg residents are located easily. Indexed.
McMullen, Glenn. "Tending the Wounded: Two Virginians in the Confederate Medical Corps. " VIRGINIA CAVALCADE, v.40, no.4 (Spring 1991), pp. 172-183. [Black, Harvey, Vertical File, Spec, also F221 V74 Newman]. The story of Dr. Harvey Black and John S. Apperson in the Civil War, based on their letters and diaries. Includes a section on Civil War Blacksburg.
Robertson, James I. 4TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Lynchburg: H. E. Howard, Inc., 1982 [E581.5 4th R63 1982 Spec and Spec/Genealogy and E581.5 4th R63 1982b Newman]. A history of the 4th Virginia Regiment, which was part of the Stonewall Brigade. Many of the regiment's members were recruited from Blacksburg. A lengthy descriptive muster roll giving brief biographical sketches of soldiers is included.
Allen, Emily and Devota P. Pack. DEATHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1853-1871. N.p., 1977. [F232 M7A4 Spec/Folio, also Ref Room]. A compilation of the deaths in Montgomery County between 1853 and 1871. Few Blacksburg people are listed specifically, but can be found in Montgomery County listings. Indexed.
Crush, Charles W. THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY STORY, 1776-1957. N.p., 1957. [F232 M7 C7 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes a picture of Blacksburg in 1900 (p. 70).
Dawson, Roseanna Croy. BLACKSBURG IN 1898. N.p., 1978. [F234BSD3 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec]. Transcription of Roseanna Dawson's diary for 1898. Included are family reminiscences, genealogy of the Croy family, special events during the year, and Mrs. Dawson's special pages in the diary for "axidents and curious things," church events, marriages, births, and deaths. Some Blacksburg names mentioned are Camper, Gray, Keister, Kinzer, Price, and many others. Includes index and family pictures.
Dawson, Rosanna Croy. 1890 DIARY; ALSO SOME EXTRACTS...1891, 1895, 1897, and 1899. [F234 B5 D26 1979 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and Newman]. Transcription of Mrs. Dawson's diaries with some entries from the years 1891-92, 1895, 1897, and 1899. Mrs. Dawson, a seamstress located in downtown Blacksburg, describes the happenings of Blacksburg, her friends, neighbors, and customers with insight. Her "sheats" for special people, events, and purchases are informative. Index.
Dawson, Rosanna. THE YEAR OF 1893 IN THE LIFE OF ROSANNA CROY DAWSON OF BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA; 1889 DIARY OF ROSANNA CROY DAWSON. Transcriptions of two diaries by Rosanna Dawson for the years 1893 and 1889. [F234 B5 D25 1972 Spec/Genealogy, and F234 B5 D28 1980 Spec/Genealogy]. Indexed.
HARDESTY'S HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA ...SPECIAL VIRGINIA EDITION. Written by R.A. Brock. N.Y., Richmond: H.H. Hardesty, 1884. [F226 H25 Spec/Folio; excerpts F232 575 E9 Spec/Genealogy also Newman and Ref Room]. Includes biographies of Blacksburg persons-Black, Conrad, Evans, Grissom, Kinzer, Lybrook, Ronald, Price, and many others (pp. 405-14).
Howe, Daniel. LISTEN TO THE MOCKINGBIRD. Boyce, VA: Carr Publishing Co., 1961. [CS71 H855 1961 Spec, also Newman]. Includes a history of the Howe family who lived in the Blacksburg area. Pictures, maps and index. The John T. Howe family settling near Blacksburg (1875) and a description of Blacksburg and people (pp. 118-21). Picture of King's Spring, near Blacksburg (p. 120). The Hov.e family's life in Blacksburg while in the Amiss house during 1881, relating social life there (p. 126). Also includes genealogies of Howe and related families of Hoge and Patton.
Johnson, Patricia G. THE JAMES BANE PRICE COUNTRY STORE AT PRICE'S FORK, VIRGINIA. [F232 M7 J35 1983 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Ref Room]. A short history of the store built about 1871-72 at Price's Fork, followed by a transcription of the accounts from only one of eight ledgers found in the attic of the store. It shows the buying habits and needs of Blacksburg area people such as the Prices, Keisters, Linkouses, Sniders, Olingers, and others. Not indexed.
Jost, Shelli. BUILDERS, CRAFTSMEN AND TRADESMEN IN MONTGOMERY CO., VIRGINIA BETWEEN 1850 AND 1900. [LD5655 V855 1986 J677 Spec, also Newman]. Appendix B-K lists names and occupations. Names are grouped by occupation, and within an occupation, by locality.
Lucas, Wavie Harman, and Pack, Devota. BIRTHS IN COURT RECORDS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA: 1853-1871. N.p., 1972. [F232 M7B53 Spec, also Ref Room]. A transcription of the births taken from court records in Montgomery County for the years 1853-1871. Listed are the child's name, birthdate, parents, residence, and father's occupation. Blacksburg residents are located easily. Indexed.
A TRIP TO THE SPRINGS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MAY 20, 1978. [F232 M7 175 1978 Spec]. A short booklet with maps and illustrations, listing springs, farms, and other points of interest near Blacksburg and in the county. Included are Yellow Sulphur Springs and the Montgomery White Sulphur Springs, popular resorts during the period after the Civil War.
Winston, R.A. SOIL SURVEY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. [5599 V8 C73 1985 Spec, also Newman, and Ref Room. RefJ. A 1908 publication to determine and map soil types. Includes temperature and precipitation figures taken at the Blacksburg weather station during 1898-1906 (pp. 7-8).
Brown, Ralph. FLOWERS AND TREES IN AND AROUND BLACKSBURG, 1938-1945. [QK484 V8 B7 Newman]. A listing of flora and fauna with blooming dates. Many local place names are mentioned, including Brush Mountain, Otey Mines, and Warbler Hill.
Darcy, C. L. "A Famous Man Comes to Call." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.l, no.3 (1981), pp. 8-10. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. An account of the visits made by George Washington Carver to Blacksburg in the early 1920s and in 1928.
Darcy, C. L. "Recollections of Another Age." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.l, no.l (winter, 1980), pp. 10-12. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. Remembrances of Irene Slusser Grice's (b. 1894) growing up in the Blacksburg area at the turn of the century. Her memories include the school which was located in a building behind the present day Armory on Draper Road, and snow falls.
Eberhard, Lloyd C. A STUDY AND REPORT COVERING THE LOCAL CULM COAL AVAILABLE FOR FUEL AND THE VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE CENTRAL HEATING AND POWER PLANT. M.S. thesis, V.P.I., 1942. [LD5655 V855 1942 E23 Spec, also Newman]. A study of culm coal mined from Blacksburg area mines on Price and Brush Mountains. Area coal mines named and located (Pp. 5-8).
Garnett, William E. A SOCIAL STUDY OF THE BLACKSBURG COMMUNITY. Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 299 (1935). [S123 E2 Spec, also Newman and Film]. A sociological study published in 1935 of the Blacksburg community including history, population foundation, economic base, standards of living, health, education, recreation, organizations, and governmental activities. Includes statistics, maps, and pictures.
Montgomery County [Virginia]. Commission, Jamestown Exposition. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA, JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION SOUVENIR. N.p., 1907. [F232 M7 M6 Spec]. A pamphlet which gives an overall view of the county. Includes a bird's eye view picture of Blacksburg (p. 3). Coal mining in the vicinity of Blacksburg (pp. 4-5, 10). Picture of Yellow Sulphur Springs (p. 5). Mineral mining of barite near Blacksburg and Trinity (p. 5). Limestone and sandstone quarries at Blacksburg (p. 5). Two pictures of buildings at the Merrimac Mines (p. 9). Mentions a roller mill, ice and cold storage, and lighting plants in Blacksburg (p. 10). Pictures of "Solitude" and "Smithfield" (p. 13). Picture of the high school at Blacksburg (p. 15).
Price, Jimmie L. MALISSIA SAID... [F232 M 7 P74 1988 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and Newman]. The life story of Malissia Surface who was a resident of the area around Blacksburg throughout her life. She died in 1988 at the age of 98 years. Her experiences and "sayings" describe life in the late 19th and 20th century.
Tucker, Mattie Lamb. MEMORIES. N.p., 1980. [F232 M7 T93 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec]. Using written reminiscences, newspaper articles, letters, and pictures, the author tells of her birth, marriage, motherhood, and life in Blacksburg (including such activities as being a Gray Lady, home demonstration member, Rebecca, and Methodist church member). A section with pictures entitled "Some things about Blacksburg" includes, for example, "Mr. Tip Evan's Undertaker Shop was on the corner of Church Street and on another corner was the jail." No index.
VIRGINIA BUSINESS DIRECTORY AND GAZETEER. [F224 V5 Spec, 1906 ea., 1911 ea., 1917 ea.] Directory is divided by county. 1906 edition includes lists of Montgomery County businesses, churches, hotels, and professional persons. Blacksburg names are easily located (pp. 743-755). 1911 edition: same types of lists as above. Farmers are listed by area within county, such as Blacksburg, Blacksburg RFD 1 and 2, Long's Shop, McCoy, McDonald's Mill, Merrimac Mines (pp. 681-689). Montgomery County. 1917 edition: same types of lists as above. Farmers still separated by area (pp. 639 648).
Winston, R.A. SOIL SURVEY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. [5599 V8 C73 1985 Spec, also Newman, and Ref Room. Includes temperature and precipitation figures taken at the Blacksburg weather station during 1898-1906 (pp. 7-8).
Bodell, Dorothy H. "Walking Water Street." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.2, no.1 (1982), p. 13. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A memory of Water Street, now Draper Road, during the 1940s from the viewpoint of a school girl as she walked to the elementary school.
Caruvana, Susan. ANALYSIS OF THE WONG PROPERTY. LOCATED AT 303 VVILSON AVE. BLACKSBURG, VA. [LD5655 V851 1988 C378 Spec, also Newman and Art & Arch]. Description of an area of Blacksburg once owned by Alexander Black. This thesis evaluates the property at 303 Wilson Street for multi-family housing. Contains pictures, maps and charts of the property, and historical information on the area.
Darcy, C. L. "Nelson Price-Iris Man." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.1, no.1 (winter, 1980), pp. 38-39. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. An account of Nelson Price who lived at the corner of Lee and Wharton Streets and his iris gardens. His house has become a local museum and is pictured in OLD VIRGINIA HOUSES.
Montgomery County Planning Commission. MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 1983. Christiansburg, VA: The Commission, 1983. [HT393 V82 M6 1983 Spec, also Newmar, Ref Room, and Art & Arch]. A comprehensive plan published in 1983 as "a guide for the future growth and development of the county." A discussion of the growth in the Mt. Tabor planning area which includes areas south of Rt. 785, Luster's Gate, Ellett, Coal Bank Hollow Road, Happy Hollow Road, Nellie's Cave Road, and the Blacksburg Golf Club area (pp. 12-14). Discusses growth in the Price's Fork planning area, including Long Shop, McCoy, and the Whitethorn site (pp. 2425). This work contains statistical charts for the entire county and Blacksburg, and several maps, including a map of historic sites.
A NEW WATER SYSTEM. [TD224 V8 B5 1957 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec]. A bulletin which describes the history, planning, construction, and personnel involved in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-VPI Water Authority system.
ORIGINAL GOOD LIFE LOCATOR; WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO, HOW TO FIND IT IN BLACKSBURG, CHRISTIANSBURG AND RADFORD. Blacksburg, VA: University Pub., 1977. [F234B5 075pec, also Newman]. A 1977 publication for newcomers of all ages. Used to find crafts, places to visit, and community services in the area. Indexed with illustrations.
Price, Jimmie L. MALISSIA SAID... [F232 M7 P74 1988 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and Newman]. The life story of Malissia Surface who was a resident of the area around Blacksburg throughout her life. She died in 1988 at the age of 98 years. Her experiences and "sayings" describe life in the late 19th and 20th century.
Smith, David STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS OF BLACKSBURG, VA. [LD5655 V855 1982 5617 Spec, also Newman and Art & Arch/Theses]. A study of the drainage problems confronting Blacksburg and descriptions of the creeks and water branches located in and around the town. Contains maps and charts.
"Town Revitalization: A Panel Discussion." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.1, no.4 fl981), p. 4-6, 40-41. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A panel discussion held by the Chamber of Commerce in 1981 on the subject of revitalization and growth of downtown Blacksburg. The participants were the town manager, director of planning, a banker, and a director of promotions at University Mall.
Tucker, Mattie Lamb. MEMORIES. N.p., 1980. [F232M7T93 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec]. Using written reminiscences, newspaper articles, letters, and pictures, the author tells of her birth, marriage, motherhood, and life in Blacksburg (including such activities as being a Gray Lady, home demonstration member, Rebecca, and Methodist church member). A section with pictures entitled "Some things about Blacksburg" includes, for example, "Mr. Tip Evan's Undertake; Shop was on the corner of Church Street and on another corner was the jail." No index.
Bodell, Dorothy H. "My Memories of the Palmer Place." MOUNTAINSIDE, v. 1, no.2 fl981), pp. 39-41. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. Memories of the Palmer home, "Mountain View," which was built in the early 1850s by the Amiss family, who were early Blacksburg residents.
Cripps, James. TRANSFORMATION ON COLLEGE AVENUE. [LD5655 V855 1981 C756 Spec, also Newman and Art & Arch/lheses]. A study of College Avenue from an architectural point of view and contains mostly drawings of buildings, sites, and plans of that area.
Dunay, Donna. TOWN ARCHITECTURE. N.p., 1986. [LD5655A542 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Art & Arch/Reserve, and Ref Room]. As a result of a citizens' group called the Townscape Committee who were concerned that Blacksburg's rapid growth would continue "without regard for its physical particulars," this study of the town's identity and actions to be taken was published. The publication contains many maps, charts and pictures of Blacksburg locations and buildings using old and present- day photographs. Section 3, titled "A History of Blacksburg" (pp. 92-158) is a study of the history of the town starting from the 18th century, with emphasis on architecture and population. The years 1840, 1870 and 1921 are singled out by pictures, maps, and commentary as periods of unusual growth and prosperity.
Farrar, Ernrnie Ferguson. OLD VIRGINIA HOUSES: THE MOUNTAIN EMPIRE. [OLD VIRGINIA HOUSES, V.8] Charlotte, NC: DelmarPub., 1978. [F227 F3 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Art & lt;- Arch]. Pictures and description of Smithfield (pp. 39-41). Picture and description of Spout Spring, one of the oldest houses in the town of Blacksburg (pp. 42-43). History and picture of Solitude, an early Preston home (pp. 4243). History of the Price house, another early Blacksburg home (p. 42). History and picture of the Montgomery house, a 1790 log home now restored and modernized (p. W). Picture and description of the Michael Kinzer house on the outskirts of Blacksburg, built ca.1780 (p. 45). Picture and description of the Kipps house, built in 1799, now restored and modernized (p. 46).
Forren, Richard. INTEGRATING A COMMERCIAL RETAIL AND OFFICE COMPLEX WITHIN DOWNTOWN BLACKSBURG. [LD5655 V855 1983 F677 Spec, also Newman/Folio and Arch & Arch/7heses]. A proposal for an office building complex to be built on the present town parking lot. Contains pictures of downtown locations.
Hoge, J. "The Hoge-Otey House." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.1, no.3 (1981), pp. 2830. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A history of the Hoge-Otey house, Walnut Spring, built in the 1850s by Major James Randal Kent for his daughter. This house is in the Blacksburg area of Glade Road and is still occupied by direct descendants.
Markham, Philip. PROPOSED LANDSCAPE PLAN FOR SMITHFIELD PLANTATION. [LD5655 V855 1967 M36 Spec, also Newman]. This thesis contains history of Smithfield, its owners, Blacksburg, and the county. It is a study of the gardens around Smithfield, and a proposed "landscape plan similiar to the one which might have existed during the residency of its first master, Colonel William Preston." Contains illustrations of the proposed gardens and enclosures.
Pezzoni, Dan. FIVE CHIMNEYS: A DOCUMENTATION AND PROPOSAL. [F234 B5 P4 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Art & Arch]. A history of an old (1851 or 1852) Blacksburg house, and proposals for its use after its purchase in 1986 by the town of Blacksburg.
Pezzoni, Dan. TOWN FORM. [LD5655 V855 1987 P499 Spec, also Newman and Art & Arch/lheses]. Information describes the Croy and Thomas family building lots (pp. 18-19). Location and identification of early store buildings in Blacksburg (pp. 27- 29).
Worsham, Gibson. MONTGOMERY COUNTY HISTORIC SITES SURVEY. Christiansburg, VA: Montgomery County, 1986. [F232 M7M74 1986 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and RefRoom]. A two-volume publication resulting from the Montgomery County Planning Commission's charge for a "tool to help plan growth and still preserve the county's historical and architectural resources." Topics covered are: urban and rural development, transportation, industry, agriculture, commerce, religion, education, government, and domestic life for the years 1745-1950. Blacksburg information is included on each topic and is easily located. Includes maps, charts, statistics, survey forms, and a table of contents. Original survey forms and photographs are in the Montgomery County Historic Sites Survey manuscript collection.
Cemetery lists in VIRGINIA APPALACHIAN NOTES. May and August 1984. [CS42 VS Newman]. Transcriptions of tombstones in Blacksburg area cemeteries. Kinzer Cemetery located one mile west of Blacksburg (May 1984, p. 62). Robinson Cemetery located one mile north-west of Blacksburg (May 1984, p. 63). McDonald Cemetery located 2 miles west of Blacksburg (August 1984, p. 85). Price Cemetery, west of Price's Fork, off Route 659 (August 1984, p. 86). Bishop Cemetery located 1.5 miles north-east of Blacksburg off Route 460 (August 1984, p. 87).
Kenney, Anna Whitehead. THE PRESTON CEMETERY AT SMITHIFlELD PLANTATION, 1782-1980. Christiansburg, VA: Montgomery Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 1984. [CS71 P94 1984 Spec]. Inscriptions from the tombstones in the Preston Cemetery at Smithfield plantation, 17821980, with explanatory notes about the people buried there. Includes index.
Jones-Chad, Carmen. GUIDE TO WAKE FOREST COMMUNITY CEMETERY, 2001. Montgomery County Vertical File. .1 cu. ft. Ms2002-033.
BLACKSBURG UNITED METHCDIST CHURCH. [BX8481 B55 B58 1976 1980 Spec/Genealogy]. Directories for years 1976 and 1980 which give some history of the church, lists of members, committees, women's circles, and other church related activities.
Fishwick, Marshall. HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY PARISH FROM 1856- 1956. N.p., n.d. [BX5918 M6 F5 Spec, also Newman/Folio]. A short history of the Episcopal Church in Blacksburg, from 1856-1956. Also mentions many prominent members, and its mission church at "High Top."
Kinnear, Duncan Lyle. PRICE'S FORK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 1878-1978: A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH. Price's Fork, VA, 1978. [BX8382.2 A44 P7 Spec]. A history of the United Methodist church and some history of Price's Fork from 1741 to 1978. Price's Fork is a very early community near Blacksburg and the people of both communities are interrelated. Includes accounts of community feelings about the Civil War, and the building of a non-Lutheran church. No Blacksburg people are specifically named. Not indexed.
Lucas, Frangie (Davis). EARLY HISTORY OF WHISNER MEMORIAL CHURCH. Blacksburg, VA, 1930. [BX8481 B55 W4 Spec, also Newman]. A history of Methodism in the Blacksburg area, beginning with the church group formed at McDonald's home on Tom's Creek in the late 1700s. It includes the history of the town church with information on the Sunday School and women's groups.
Smyth, Ellison. A HISTORY OF THE BLACKSBURG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: ITS FIRST 150 YEARS. Blacksburg, VA, 1982. [BX9211 B55 B43 1982 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. A history of the church from 1832 to 1982. Includes lists of ministers, members, elders, pictures, and a map.
Turner, C. A. METHODISM IN BLACKSBURG, 1798-1948. [BX8249 B55 B4 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec and Ref Room]. A history of the church written for its sesquicentennial celebration in 1948. Illustrations.
Lucas, Frangie. "SCHOOLS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA." Typescript, 1935. [LA379 L8 Spec]. Reference made to early home schools at Preston home and Smithfield (p. 2). Includes an early account (1839) of schools in Blacksburg.
Poteet, G. F. SECONDARY EDUCATION IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, 1776- 1936. M.A. thesis, University of Virginia, 1937. [LA380 M6 P6 1937a Spec]. A study of secondary education in Montgomery County. Mention of early school masters in Blacksburg and at Smithfield (pp. 88-89). A lottery attempted to build a school in Blacksburg between 1819 and 1820 (pp. 101-102). A history of the Blacksburg Female Academy, 1840-1872, including a list of the trustees, including Black, Wall, Peck, Peterman, Preston, Amiss, and others (pp. 103-109). Mention of a private school in Blacksburg known as Locksley Hall and operated from 1869 to 1871 with Lawson, Black, Palmer, and Lybrook students (p. 178). Mention of a private school for boys in Blacksburg in 1850 taught by Rev. Charles Martin (p. t79). A history of Blacksburg High School, beginning with the 1906/1907 school session (pp. 284-288).
Bodell, Dorothy H. THE HEAVENER FAMILY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, 1797-1982. Blacksburg, VA: By the author, 1983. [CS71 H42 1983 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. The history of a Blacksburg family which has been in the area since the middle of the 1830s. In the index are Blacksburg names such as Price, Long, Harless, and Keister.
Goodrich, Percy E. and Calvin. A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER AND HER PEOPLE. Winchester, IN: By the author, 1950. [CS71 G655 1950 Spec]. A history of the John Baldwin Goodrich family who were residents of Blacksburg from about 1815 to 1831, and who lived in Christiansburg before 1815. Included are land transactions with prominent citizens of that time, such as Black, Linkous, Hoge, and Argabright. Also included are four early and rare pictures of Blacksburg properties owned by Goodrich.
Keister, 1.T. and Nannie Sibold. KEISTER GENEALOGY. Blacksburg, VA: By the authors, 1948. [CS71 K277 1946 Spec, also Ref Room]. Genealogy of a Blacksburg area family starting with the year 1799, and includes much data from Professor H. L. Price's "FAMILY LINES." No index.
Keister, J. T. PRICE GENEALOGY. Blacksburg, VA: By the author, 1946. [CS71 P946 1948 Spec, also Ref Room]. A compilation of the descendants of Michael Price of Price's Fork, and the linkage of the Keister and Sibold families.
Linkous, Clovis. THE LINKOUS FAMILY HISTORY. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1982. [CS71 L75634 Spec, also Ref Room]. A history and genealogy of the Linkous family which settled in the Blacksburg area in 1780. A genealogical index of family members; maps, newspaper articles, and pictures are included.
Nicolay, John. "The Broce Family." MOUNTAINSIDE, v.l, no.2, pp. 14-17. [F232 N5 M68 Spec, also Newman and Ref Room]. History of the Broce family who were early residents of the Blacksburg area (1785).
Porter, Nannie F. BLACKS AND OTHER FAMILIES. Richmond, VA: By the author, 1954. [CS71 B636 1954 Spec, also Ref Room]. History and genealogy of the Black family for whom Blacksburg is named (pp. 1-24).
Price, Harvie Lee. OUTLINES OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY FAMILIES. Typescript, 1940. 4 volumes in 5. [CS69 P75 Spec/Genealogy, also Ref Room]. This five-volume work is an outline of many Montgomery County families, and an extensive study of the Price family. Even though there are many errors and omissions, any study of Blacksburg families can start here. Names included are Long, Barger, Grissom, Keister, Kinzer, Kipps, Linkous, Shell, Surface, Wall, Argabrite, Black, Calloway, Crumpacker, Lybrook, and many others.
Pritchard, Jacob. HAPLESS GENEALOGY. Los Altos, CA, 1963. [CS71 H3 Newman]. A history and genealogy of John Philip Harless and Margaretha Preiss (Price) Harless. The Harless family has been in the Blacksburg area since the 1750s. Indexed.
Tribble, Anna Laura H. THE FAMILY TREE OF HENDERSON. [F232 M7 T74 1981 Spec]. A genealogy and history of the Henderson family who have been in the Blacksburg area since 1813. Included are birth, death, and marriage announcements; newspaper articles about family members and photographs.
Weiland, Florence B. FIFTY NEW ENGLAND COLONISTS AND FIVE VIRGINIA FAMILIES. Boothbay Harbor, ME: Boothbay Register. [CS71 B58 W4x Spec]. A history and genealogy of the Black family. William Black, who gave the land for the creation of the town, is mentioned (pp. 9-10). A special section outlines the lives of John and William Black of Blacksburg (pp. 22-26). Includes index, genealogical charts, and coats of arms.
Yates, Anne Hayden (Price). THE BROTHERS CONWAY OF MADISON COUNTY, VIRGINIA: AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF CATLETT CONWAY AND WILLIAM BUCHANAN CONWAY. Ridgecrest, CA: By the author, 1998. [CT275 C767 A3 1998 Spec/Large]. Contains an autobiography of Dr. W. B. Conway, who was a significant early settler of Blacksburg, a physician and founder of the Bank of Blacksburg.
Yates, Anne Hayden (Price). INCREASES IN PRICES: SOME DESCENDENTS OF DAVID AND AGNES (HOFFMAN) PRICE OF 17TH CENTURY GERMANY. Ridgecrest, CA: By the author, 1985. [CS71 P9461985 Spec/Genealogy, also Spec, Newman, and Ref Room]. An extensive reorganization of the author's grandfather's (H. L. Price, OUTLINES OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY FAMILlES) work on the Price family, including updates, corrections, and additions. Ms. Yates has carried the family lines to the present generation and has documentation in her work. An extensive index, genealogical numbering system, and maps are included.
TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES AND CITY DIRECTORIES
Telephone directories for Montgomery County (listing Blacksburg separately) from 1933 to the present are available in the Special Collections Department [F232 M7 M77 Spec]. City directories for Blacksburg, dating from 1961 to the present, are available in the Newman stacks [F234 B5 H51, with the latest copy being kept in the Reference Room.
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG PUBLICATIONS
Publications of the Town of Blacksburg can be found in many parts of the University Libraries system--mainly in the Newman stacks, the Reference Room, the Art and Architecture Library, and Special Collections. One way to access Blacksburg publications is through VTLS, using "Blacksburg (Va.)" as an author, as in: a/Blacksburg (Va.). Subdivided headings of potential interest include: Blacksburg (Va.)-Planning Commission; Blacksburg (Va.)--Planning Department; and Blacksburg (Va.)-Town Council. Researchers looking for older Blacksburg publications should also search the card catalog under "Blacksburg, Va." as an author.
COUNTY AND FEDERAL RECORDS ON MICROFILM
Information on Blacksburg can be found in federal census records and in county records that are available on film in the Microforms Area of Newman Library. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY ON MICROFILM
- 1810 [Film HA682A45 1810, roll 70]
- 1820 [Film HA682A45 1820,roll130]
- 1830 [Film HA682A45 1830,Roll198]
- 1840 [Film HA682A45 1840,rollS67J
- 1850, free [Film HA682A45 1850,roll962]
- 1850, slave [Film HA682A45 1850, roll 990]
- 1860, free [Film HA682A45 1860, roll 1363]
- 1860, slave [Film HA682A45 1860, roll 1394]
- 1870 [Film HA682A45 1870, roll 1664]
- 1880 [Film HA682A45 1880, roll 1378]
- 1900 [Film 682 A45 1900, roll 1718]
- 1910 [Film 681.51910 T4, roll 1636]
For indexes to these censuses, see the list in LOCAL HISTORY AND GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, compiled by Dorothy McCombs and revised by Roger Stelk (1990), pp. 10-11, available at the Reference Desk and in Special Collections; see also the census indexes listed above under "BOOKS AND ARTICLES."
MONTGOMERY COUNTY RECORDS ON MICROFILM
Fifty-two rolls of Montgomery County Circuit Court records are available on microfilm [KFV2916 M6A71773]. These include deed books, 1773-1868 (reels 1-9); general index to deeds, 1773-1933 (reels 10-13); will books, 1796-1874 (reels 14-17); circuit court will book, 1821- 1899 (reel 18); general index to wills, 1773-1933 (reel 19); order books, 1773-1868 (reels 20-27); general index to order books, 1773-1855 (reel 28); chancery order book, 1831-1866 (reel 29); index to marriage registers, 1777-1853 and marriage registers, 1777-1853 (reel 30); marriage register, 1854- 1902 (reel 31); register of births, 1853-1868 (reel 32); record of plotts, A-F, 1773-1890 (reels 33-35); general index to plotts, 1773-1890 (reel 36); soldiers' records, 1818-1839 (reel 37); marriage bonds, 1789-1865 (reels 38-49); minister returns, 1780-1856 (reels 50-52); marriage record, 18501861, general index (reel 52).
Tax records up to 1850 can be located in: Montgomery County Commissioner of Revenue, LAND TAX BOOKS, 1782-1850 [Film HJ9012 V8 M7J, 4 reels.
MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Manuscript collections can include the personal papers of individuals and families, the records of organizations, and the research files of historians and other researchers. They may include ephemeral publications such as programs, pamphlets, and brochures as well. For further information on any of the collections listed below, please ask at the Special Collections reference desk.
ACKLER, BRYAN. PAPERS, 1968-71. 1.0 cu. ft. Graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1971), and one of the founders and editors of [lice, a Blacksburg, Virginia, underground newspaper. Collection consists of issues of Alice (1968-71); a tape recording of a student reply to a University radio program about student unrest; and a paper written by Ackler, "Alice: the Study of a Free Press." Ms90-047.
ADAMS, ELIZABETH KENT (1908-1994). PAPERS, 1922-1987. 0.2 cu. ft. Resident of Radford, Virginia and local historian. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, genealogical charts, essays, and other materials related to the history of Southwest Virginia and of Adams' ancestral lines, especially the Cloyd, Kent, McGavock and Putnam families. Includes photocopy of the autobiography of A. W. Putnam, photocopies of James Randall Kent's will and inventory of debts, and photocopies and originals of other family papers. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms90-045.
ALLEN, BEULAH O. (1905-1992). COLLECTION, 1905-1992. 2.1 cu. ft. Librarian at Virginia Tech (1929-1957); long-time Blacksburg resident. Collection includes personal and professional correspondence; library, university, and Blacksburg memorabilia; photographs and negatives; and a scrapbook. Finding aid available online. Ms2014-002.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN (AAUW), 2001. Meeting programs and master video for 75th Anniversary Luncheon. Ms2001-067.
ASSOCIATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF VIRGINIA ANTIQUITIES, MONTGOMERY COUNTY BRANCH. RECORDS, 1958-83. 3.8 cu. ft. Founded in 1889, the APVA has twenty branches which own and maintain historic properties. The Montgomery County branch maintains the Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg. Records largely document the recent history of Smithfield, ancestral home of the Preston family, especially its restoration beginning in 1962. Includes correspondence of George Green Shackelford (then director of the Montgomery County APVA), minutes, reports, clippings, programs, photographs, and architectural drawings. Also includes an APVA annual report (1985), newsletters (1982-88), and issues of Discovery (1977-89). Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1962-001.
[ATTORNEY'S SUIT AND COLLECTION RECORD], 1896-1929. 0.1 cu. ft. Author unknown. Attorney records covering litigation in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2008-052.
BANK OF BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA]. MINUTE BOOK, 1892-1903. 0.1 cu. ft. Photocopy of the minutes of stockholders' and directors' meetings. Finding aid available online. Ms1983-004.
BLACK APPALACHIANS ORAL HISTORY PROJECT. CASSETTE TAPES, 1991. 0.4 cu. ft. Oral history interviews (22 on 25 tapes) conducted by Dr. Michael Cooke of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University of and about blacks in Appalachia, predominantly in Montgomery County, Virginia. Interviewees include Frank T. Bannister, Leola Burns, Alexandra Burford, Roxie Ida Byson, Rice Dobbins, James E. Dow, Rosa Thomas Holmes, Charles A. Johnson, Thompson V. Lester, Elizabeth Lester, Walter H. Lewis, William Burrell Morgan, W. Waymon Pack (transcript available), Cora Pack, J. Homer Pack, Christine P. Price (transcript available), Valerie Scott, Mason Scott, Homer C. Sherman, James E. Sherman, Ellison A. Smyth (transcript available), James C. Wade (transcript available), and Sarah J. Wade (transcript available). Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms91-019.
BLACK, KENT, AND APPERSON FAMILIES, PAPERS OF, 1779-1984 (Bulk 1821-1948). 7 l.f. Papers and artifacts of an interrelated family prominent in Blacksburg's history. Dr. Harvey Black (1827-88) served in the Civil War as a surgeon for the Fourth Virginia Infantry Regiment and as surgeon in charge of the field hospital of the 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. Black assisted in the operation on General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson after he had been wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville. He was a founder and was on the first Board of Visitors of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Virginia Tech. Papers include the Civil War correspondence of Confederate surgeon Dr. Harvey Black to his wife, the Civil War diary of hospital steward John S. Apperson, cotton books and correspondence of Germanicus Kent, nineteenth-century account books of Blacksburg mercantile establishments, a 1912 European travel diary, the political scrapbooks of State Senator and Attorney General Harvey B. Apperson, and genealogy research on the Black, Kent, and Apperson and related families. Also includes a manuscript notebook with a history of Blacksburg, as told to Mary E. Apperson by her mother Lizzie Black Apperson. The Blacks were connected by marriage to the Apperson and Kent families. Ms74-003. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms74-003.
BLACKBSBURG [VIRGINIA], TOWN OF. MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, 1885- 1968. 0.3 cu. ft. Collection consists of a variety of Blacksburg town documents and reports collected by Virginia Polytechnic Institute librarians. Includes financial statements (1927-51); a typescript annual report (1954); a population study (1944); Chamber of Commerce brochures; and information on elections (1936-68). Ms87-003.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION. RECORDS, 1936-1969. 2.0 cu. ft. Organized to invite outside classical music and dance artists to perform on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute campus. Membership ledgers, programs, circular letters, and newspaper clippings. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1976-002.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] COMMUNITY FEDERATION. RECORDS, 1926-57. 0.2 cu. ft. Formed in 1928 to unite community organizations toward common goals in matters dealing with public health, education, and community beau/ification. Originally called the Blacksburg Federated Council and was the direct outgrowth of a community study by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Department of Rural Sociology in cooperation with various town organizations. Collection includes Community Days Programs (1926-29), Community Chest letters (193445), a Directory of Blacksburg Service Agencies (1942), and miscellaneous documents. Ms87-002.
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA, EMBEZZLEMENT. COLLECTION, c.1865. 0.1 cu. ft. Collection includes eight documents (c.1865) within the collection detail a bank embezzlement case from the Blacksburg Branch of the Farmers Bank in Virginia. Nicholas M. Ronald supposedly swindled patrons into writing him checks that would pay off their account deficits. Much of the collection consists of testimonials attesting to that suspicion. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2011-080.
BLACKSBURG ELECTRONIC VILLAGE. COLLECTION, 1992-2006. 0.7 cu. ft. Experimental online community network in Blacksburg, Virginia, launched as a Virginia Tech outreach project in 1993. In-house publications, presentations, press clippings, and external reports. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms2006-018.
[BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA GENERAL STORE]. DAY BOOK, 1894-1895. 0.1 cu. ft. Unidentified Blacksburg general store, possibly that of James P. Harvey. Ledger recording daily transactions, including customer names, goods purchased, and prices. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1968-010.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] MUSIC CLUB. RECORDS, 1907-1971. 2.5 cu. ft. Founded to promote the study of music among its members and to stimulate local interest through regularly scheduled musical programs. Affiliated with the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs. Correspondence, minutes, programs, financial records, scrapbooks, rosters, and bylaws. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1979-008.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] ODD FELLOWS LODGE. RECORDS, 1910- 30. 3.8 cu. ft. Black fraternal and religious organization. Records include papers of the Independent Order of St. Luke, souvenir programs, annual reports, calendars, financial reports, proceedings from meetings, circulars, membership books, ritual books, and correspondence. Collection includes black wool uniform coatee with brass buttons with insignia BOOF. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms88-009.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] ORAL HISTORY PROJECT. RECORDS, 1984- 85. 0.2 cu. ft. Project of the University Libraries of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to collect information on the history of Blacksburg, Virginia. Collection contains taped interviews, most with transcripts, of the following Blacksburg residents: Cliff Busby, Georgia Croy, S.H. Kessinger, Lucy Lee Lancaster, George Litton, Howard Price, Carrie T. Sibold, and Ellison A. Smyth. Unprocessed. Ms85-005.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] POST OFFICE. RECORDS, 1914-1922. 0.5 cu. ft. Collection consists of Postmaster's Account and Record Book (1914-1917) and cash books of the International Money Order Office (1915-1922, 4 vols.). Finding aid available online. Ms1973-009.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] REGIONAL ART ASSOCIATION. RECORDS, 1960-1971. 0.1 cu. ft. Community art club formed in 1950 as a chapter of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Sponsored monthly exhibits at the Virginia Tech Library and brought Virginia Museum Artmobiles to Blacksburg. Materials include programs and letters to members. Finding aid available online. Ms1987-045.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] STUDY GROUP. RECORDS, 1984-85. 0.5 cu. ft. Study group funded by the Blacksburg town council under the aegis of the Townscape Committee to study the town's architecture and landscape, inform town officials about present conditions, and make recommendations for changes. Results were accumulated for a book, Blacksburg - Understanding a Virginia Town: Town Architecture (1986) by Donna Dunay. Records include architectural drawings, maps, diagrams, and photographs used in the book. Unprocessed. Ms87-008.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] - VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE CIVILIAN DEFENSE COUNCIL. RECORDS, 1942-1945. 0.4 cu. ft. Town-college council organized to administer and promote local civilian responses and efforts during World War II. Correspondence, reports, and printed materials relating to salvage drives and other activities. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1979-005.
BLACKSBURG [VIRGINIA] WOMAN'S CLUB. RECORDS 1907-72. 7.0 cu. ft. Founded as the Women's Civic Betterment Club in 1907; disbanded in 1970. Involved in civic improvement projects including community beautification, public health, civil defense, charity and cultural programs. Records include correspondence, minutes, financial records, scrapbooks and printed material. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms1963-002.
BLECHER, MARVIN. AUDIOCASSETTE TAPE, 1998. 1 item. Oral history interview conducted by Virginia Tech student Christina Roemer with Marvin and Freda Blecher of Blacksburg, Virginia, about their involvement in the Jewish community in the town and the Hillel student organization at Virginia Tech. Dr. Marvin Blecher served as faculty advisor for Hillel from 1973 to 1983. Also includes information about the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center and other Jewish communities in the region. Ms98-017.
BLIZNAKOV, MILKA T. (1927- ). ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, 1978- 79. 0.5 cu. ft. Born in Bulgaria; architect of Blacksburg, Virginia, and professor of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech. Chair of the Board of Advisors for the IAWA. Papers consists of forty-three architectural drawings drawn by her of her residence in Blacksburg. International Archive of Women in Architecture. Ms91-025.
BROWN FAMILY. PAPERS, 1825-1965. 0.5 cu. ft. Montgomery County, Virginia, family; owners of a farm on the north fork of the Roanoke River. Collection consists of receipts, bills, correspondence, tax notes and other papers created between 1825 and 1912, with the bulk of the collection from 1850 to 1894, by members of the Brown family, particularly James Cartmill Brown (1828-1913), as they purchased services and goods from business people in the community. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1990-011.
BROWN, RALPH MINTHORNE (1878-1958). PAPERS, 1925-44. 2.3 cu. ft. Virginia Tech head librarian, amateur historian and naturalist; compiler of the V.P.I. Historical Index, 1872-1941. Historical sources relating to Virginia Tech, Blacksburg and the New River Valley; notes on local ornithological and weather observations. For Brown's official files as head librarian, see Record Group 23/1. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms70-002.
CHRISTIANSBURG-BLACKSBURG CHAPTER, ROTARY CLUB. RECORDS, 1965-1998. 0.3 cu. ft. Local Rotary International chapter started in 1923. Collection contains newspaper articles, brochures, handouts, pamphlets and flyers pertaining to the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Rotary Club from 1965 to 1998. Finding aid available online. Ms2012-076.
DRINKARD, ALFRED WASHINGTON, JR. (1883-1962). DIARY, 1947. 0.1 cu. ft. Director of Agricultural Experiment Station, 1917-1945; assistant director of Agricultural Experiment Station, 1945 until his retirement in 1948. Collection consists of a Daily Desk Diary, which mentions persons and events in Blacksburg and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Ms96-019.
ELLETT, ANNA BURTON (1886-1974). PAPERS, 1751-1932. 0.3 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia, resident, active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Correspondence, accounts, and military documents of early Southwest Virginia residents James Patton, William Preston, and John Preston. Also includes printed materials commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1974-010.
FESSLER, MARY (1912-2000). PAPERS, ca. 1940-2001 (bulk 1967-1984). 5.5 cu. ft. and three oversize folders. The Fessler Papers are comprised primarily of records that doucment Fessler's work as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors from 1977 to 1986. They include Fessler's copies of Board meeting minutes, correspondence, studies, reports, financial records, and clippings pertaining to issues before the Board. Subjects include contruction of the Roanoke River dam, planning for landfills, wastewater, water, and sewage services, organization of the Montgomery County Public Service Authority, and county finances. The collection also contains records documenting Fessler's work with the Montgomery County League of Women Voters in the 1970s,the Montgomery County Democratic Committee (1967-1993), the Ninth-District Democratic Committee (1979-1981), and the Blacksburg Library Building Committee (1994-1999); a geological map of the Blacksburg Quadrangle, and campaign posters from state Democratic candidates from the early 1980s. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms2001-012.
HALE, RUTH G. PAPERS, ca.1984-87. 0.1 cu. ft. Roanoke, Virginia, resident. Papers consist of a copy of "Montgomery County Cemeteries" by Hale, listing markings on gravestones in cemeteries in Montgomery County, Virginia. Ms89-037.
HICKMAN FAMILY. NEWSLETTERS and PAPERS, 1995-98. 0.1 cu. ft. Family newsletters written by H. William Gabriel of Florence, Montana, about his research into the history of the Hickman family of Back Creek, Bath County, Virginia. Includes extensive information about William P. Hickman (1810-64), a Presbyterian preacher who ministered to congregations in Wythe, Pulaski, and Montgomery counties, Virginia, until his death in May 1864, fighting with the Confederate forces at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain during the Civil War. Ms98-007.
HILL, HENRY HARRIS (1880-1954). PAPERS, 1908-51, n.d.. 0.4 cu. ft. Born in Scottsville, Virginia. Received B.S. (1907) and M.S. (1909) in chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Became chemist in 1907 for the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and eventually head of the Agricultural Chemistry department at VPI before retiring in 1950. Hill was an elder of the Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Virginia, and executive secretary of the VPI Alumni Association. Papers include personal, biographical, and genealogical materials, papers about the Civil War and VPI, and material on Blacksburg and Montgomery County. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms80-003.
HOG ORDINANCE. BROADSIDE, undated. 0.1 cu. ft. Collection consists of a broadside containing suggested town regulations for the housing of hogs or pigs within town limits. Finding aid available online. Ms2012-078.
HOGE, WILLIAM EDWARD. FAMILY PAPERS, 1810-1933. 1.2 cu. ft. Letters and deeds from the Hoge family describing life in southwest Virginia in the 1800s. Includes descriptions of their daily life, experiences with family sickness and death, and the Civil War. Also includes financial papers and genealogical research of the early settlers of southwest Virginia. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms2003-019.
HUMMEL, VIRGINIA HOLDEN (1916-98). PAPERS, 1830-1998. 3.0 cu. ft. Resident of and teacher in Blacksburg, Virginia, and amateur historian of Blacksburg and Appalachian history. Collection consists of newspaper clippings, research notes, photographs, maps, and genealogical information concerning the history of Blacksburg and its founders and notable residents. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms98-014.
JOHNSON, PATRICIA GIVENS (1932-1996). PAPERS, 1920-1986. 2.0 cu. ft. New River Valley local historian and author. Correspondence, subject files, printed materials and photographs accumulated during Johnson's research on local history, particularly for her books on Andrew Lewis, James Patton and William Preston. Also includes a scrapbook, files on Christiansburg and Montgomery County history, and a few other materials which had belonged to Johnson's mother, Lula Porterfield Givens, also a local historian. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms88-007.
JONES, J.T. LEDGER, 1925-26. 1 vol. Blacksburg, Virginia, merchant, possibly owner of a meat market. Lists accounts by customer, including C.W. Black, H.L. Price, and Y.B. Keister. Ms90-018.
KENNEY, ANNA WHITEHEAD. PAPERS, 1965-1972. 0.6 cu. ft. Resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, and curator of Smithfield Plantation from 1965 to 1972. Papers consist of the files she created while she worked at Smithfield, with historical and biographical information about the Preston family and other pioneer families of Blacksburg. Finding aid available online. Ms1991-022.
KENT FAMILY. PAPERS, ca. 1818-1979; see BLACK, KENT AND APPERSON FAMILIES, PAPERS OF. Germanicus Kent (1791-1862) was a founder of Rockford, Illinois. Born in Connecticut, he lived in Huntsville, Alabama (ca. 1822-34); Rockford, Illinois (1834-44); and Blacksburg, Virginia (1844-62). Papers include a cotton book and letter book of Germanicus Kent (2 vols., 1821-1823); correspondence of Germanicus Kent (1834-60); miscellaneous correspondence and business papers of Germanicus, Aratus, and John E. Kent (ca.1834-60); correspondence with the Rockford, Illinois, Historical Society (ca.1966-77); and biographical and genealogical information. The Kents were connected to the Black and Apperson families by marriage. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms74-003.
KENT, JAMES RANDALL (?-1867). PAPERS, 1856-86, n.d. 0.4 cu. ft. Wealthy land and slave-holder in Montgomery and Pulaski counties, Virginia. Collection includes court records, correspondence, titheables to the Sheriffs of Montgomery and Pulaski counties, photographs, court summons, and other notes concerning Kent's property-Ken/land--and his business affairs. Also includes a letter from Kent at Bank of Blacksburg to William H. Macfarland of Richmond, Virginia. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. MS87-031.
KINZIE, SAMUEL W. (1817-1898). SURVEY, 1899. 0.1 cu. ft. Montgomery County, Virginia, resident. Survey of Kinzie properties in Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia, by C. S. Charlton. Finding aid available online. Ms1987-044.
LANCASTER, LUCY LEE (1905-89). PAPERS, ca.1835-1980. 60.0 cu. ft. One of the first female graduates (class of 1925) and later librarian (1925-75) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Collection consists of personal correspondence, travel diaries, memoranda and correspondence concerning Library and University matters, Blacksburg [Virginia] Consumer Club minutes and correspondence (1937 -49), American Association of University Women material, class notes (1921-25), United Daughters of the Confederacy material, American Association of Retired Persons items, Blacksburg Civilian Defense Council minutes and correspondence (1941-45), and Phi Kappa Phi material. Materials include a typescript of the Tuesday Afternoon Book Club of Blacksburg minutes (1933-80); a radio script of "Three Heroes of Virginia" (Matthew F. Maury, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson) written by M.C. Harrison of VPI; and a manuscript copy of portions of the Montgomery County, Virginia, deed book. Also includes correspondence and papers of her father William Lancaster; plus family bibles with genealogical information; an account book (1835-38) from a general store in Lynchburg, Virginia; and a book of handwritten poetry and prose, some dedicating the Confederate dead, from an unknown ancestor of Lancaster's. Finding aid available online. Ms82-019.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY [VIRGINIA]. RECORDS, 1961-2001. 21 cu. ft. Montgomery County chapter established in March 1974 to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government, and to promote discussion of government policies. Records consist of chapter and national league literature and publications, bulletins, candidate questionnaires, meeting minutes and agendas, budget and financial information, and treasurer's reports. Topics covered include the Equal Rights Amendment, natural resources, poverty in Montgomery County, and education. Finding aid available online. Ms1997-016.
LUSTER, A. W. RECEIPT, 1906. 0.1 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia, farmer and store owner. Collection consists of a receipt for purchases by Luster from J. A. McConkey in February 1906. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2011-093.
LUTHER MEMORIAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH. RECORDS, 1944-1974. 0.8 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia church, established in 1883. Collection includes church bulletins (1944-1974), pastor newsletters, and ephemera. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2011-014.
MAGILL, ORRIN RANKIN (1887-1976). PAPERS, 1945-1972. 2.5 cu. ft. Graduate of VPI class of 1913, VPI professor of philosophy and religion, and active member of Montgomery County community. Papers documenting community activities, particularly on the County Board of Supervisors and the New River Valley Planning Commission. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1975-010.
MANNING, WARREN H. PAPERS, 1925-1928. 0.1 cu. ft. Landscape architect in Massachusetts. Papers include Manning's reports and blueprint drawings on historic sites of Blacksburg, Virginia, including the Black homestead, Smithfield, and Preston Cemetery. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1962-007.
MICHAEL, RUDOLPH DIXON. PAPERS, 1921-60. 0.2 cu. ft. Agricultural editor (1928-65) at the Agricultural Experiment Station of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Head of the Agricultural Information Department (1964-65). Papers include Michael's correspondence, notes, and papers on Blacksburg, Virginia, history and two Preston family homes, Smithfield and Whitethorn. Also includes a framed seal of VPI (1926?); a copy of a Phi Kappa Phi certificate (1921) with the names of several prominent VPI men, including Harvey Lee Price, James Bolton McBryde, Julian Ashby Burruss, and John Reed Hutcheson; a "McCormick Day" program from 1931; and other items relating to VPI. Ms1960-005.
MCBRYDE, J. BOLTON (1866-1925). COLLECTION, n.d. 0.2 cu. ft. Collection consists of approximately photographs, negatives, and glass plate negatives depicting Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Montgomery County, and the New River area. Finding aid available online. Ms1992-059.
MCCOMBS, DOROTHY. COLLECTION, 1970-1989. 8.6 cu. ft. Appalachian history bibliographer and reference librarian at Virginia Tech. Collection includes personal research notes, subject files, and writings; materials relating to the Virginia Tech University Libraries; course notes; dissertation research; work on textiles and arts & crafts history; genealogy notes; brochures on historic sites around Virginia; maps; and a copy of her unpublished manuscript, "Virginia Cloth: Early Textiles in Montgomery County, 1776-1830." Finding aid available online. Ms1995-006.
MILES, CLARENCE PAUL (1879-1966). PAPERS, 1902-1960. 0.2 cu. ft. Virginia Tech graduate (1901), professor of modern languages (1902-1920, 1935-1951), and director of athletics (1920-1935). Grade books (1904-1913), together with personal memorabilia and photographs. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1961-003. (For his official files as Dean of the College, see RG 11/3.)
MONTGOMERY COUNTY [VIRGINIA] HISTORIC SITES SURVEY. RECORDS, 1985-86. 1.3 cu. ft. In 1985, Montgomery County received a matching grant from the Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks to perform a survey of the county's architecturally significant buildings. This survey, completed in 1986, included an overview of the county's history and a comprehensive inventory of significant structures and sites. The historical overview is contained in the Montgomery County Histonc Sites Survey (1986, 2 volumes). Headed by Gibson Worsham. Collection consists of photocopies of the book, maps, and selected survey forms. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms86-006.
MONTGOMERY SAVINGS BANK. ACCOUNT BOOK, 1873-1878. 0.3 cu. ft. Bank operating in Montgomery County, Virginia during the latter 19th century. Ledger detailing customer accounts. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1975-009.
NEWLEE FAMILY. PAPERS, 1916,1980, n.d. 0.1 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia, family. Colonel Robert G. Newlee was a sergeant in the 1st Virginia Regiment in the Mexican War, and raised a company in Blacksburg known as the Montgomery Mountain Boys in the Civil War. Papers include a history (1980) of Smithfield Plantation, the Preston Family, and Virginia Newlee (Robert's daughter) written by George Shackleford; an obituary of Colonel Newlee, and a newspaper clipping (1916) with the muster roll of the Company of Virginia Volunteers in the Mexican War. Also includes a muster roll of Company L, Fourth Virginia Regiment, in the Civil War, of which Newlee was captain. Ms82-021.
PANDAPAS, JAMES J. (1915- ). AUDIOTAPE and PAPERS, 1966-88, 1997. 0.2 cu. ft. Resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, born in Peabody, Massachusetts. Played a large role in the development of business and residential housing in Blacksburg by establishing Blacksburg's first industry, Electro-Tec, in 1947, and Poly-Scientific Corporation, in 1953, both manufacturers of electroplated slip-rings for radar antannae. Also developed various neighborhoods in Blacksburg, including Airport Acres (established in 1942) and Highland Park (1945). In 1948 Pandapas purchased a 500 acre track of land on Poverty Creek in Montgomery County, Virginia, as a recreational area for the employees of Electro-Tec. By the time he sold this land to the National Park Service in 1987 it was called Pandapas Pond. Collection consists of audio-tapes of an interview conducted on July 16, 1997, in which Pandapas talks about his life and career as a businessman in Blacksburg. The collection also includes a transcription of the interview with corrections and additons done by Pandapas, newspaper clippings (1966-88) of editorials written by Pandapas and interviews conducted with him, and a self-published book entitled "Early History of Poly-Scientific by its Founder James J. Pandapas." Transcript of interview available. Ms97-011.
PRESTON FAMILY. CORRESPONDENCE, 1861, 1872. 0.1 cu. ft. This collection contains two letters. The first is written by James Preston to his wife, Sarah Caperton Preston; he describes his involvement in the First Battle of Bull Run. The second letter is written by Sarah to Colonel Grabowski; she addresses Hugh's (her son) failure to follow an order at VMI. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2010-070.
PRESTON AND OLIN INSTITUTE. RECORDS, 1852-1871, n.d. 0.1 cu. ft. Academic institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, that opened in 1854 under the name of Olin and Preston Institute. Closed during the Civil War, and then reopened as the Preston and Olin Institute. Was given to the state of Virginia in 1872 and its buildings were used for a new land-grant college, the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, (now Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). Records consist of a book (1853-1857) with lists of trustees of the Institute and subscribers, a program (1871) of the anniversary celebration of the Preston Literary Society, and reports of the Committee on Seminaries (1852-1854, n.d.). Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1964-001.
PRESTON, ROBERT TAYLOR (1809-80). PAPERS, 1829-71, n.d. 0.2 cu. ft. Born at Smithfield in Blacksburg, Virginia; built Solitude, his home near Smithfield, now part of Virginia Tech. Prior to the Civil War Preston served as a member of militia and justic of the peace. At the start of the Civil War he was appointed colonel of volunteers in the the Provisional Army of Virginia, and in July 1861 was appointed colonel of the 28th Virginia Infantry, Confederate States of America, where he served until the infantry's reorganization in April 1862. Beginning in August 1864 he served as lieutenant colonel and then colonel of the 4th Virginia Reserves, and surrendered with the troops of General J.E. Johnston in North Carolina in April 1865. The collection consists of 218 letters, military orders, notes, certificates of military appointments, and other items, the majority collected or created by Preston during the period of May 1861 and December 1862. Includes several military orders signed by such members of the Confederate Army as Jubal Early, John B. Floyd, and George E. Pickett, as well as orders signed by Preston himself. Also includes a draft of a broadside written by Preston from Solitude on May 13, 1863, as a call to arms to the men of Roanoke and Montgomery County to repel the Union Army which was in the immediate vicinity. Selected transcripts available. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1992-003.
PRESTON FAMILY (ALICE PRESTON MOORE COLLECTION). PAPERS, 1749- 1882, n.d. cu. ft. Pioneer Montgomery, Botetourt, and Washington County, Virginia, family. Papers include business transactions, land surveys, and general store accounts (1745-1789) relating to William and Susannah Smith Preston; correspondence, business transactions, and notes on farm affairs (1782-1828) relating to their son, John Preston; correspondence and land surveys (1840-82) relating to John, William A., and Alfred G. Preston; correspondence (1848-61) relating to William Ballard Preston; and a day book (1789-1820) of the Prestons of Washington County. Finding aid available online. Ms1962-004.
PRESTON FAMILY (CHARLES PEALE DIDIER COLLECTION). PAPERS, 1747-1897. 282 items. Separate collection from the Preston family collection listed above. Papers include surveys, promissory notes, and land indentures (1747-70) relating to James Patton; list of quit rents in the Middle District of Augusta (1759-60); promissory notes and correspondence (1755-1806) relating to William Preston; and correspondence, surveys, and business papers (1780-1830) relating to John Preston. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1985-020.
PRICE, EMMETT RUSSELL (1874-1944). SCRAPBOOKS, 1910-1943. 1.5 cu. ft. Instructor and then professor of Agricultural Journalism and editor of the Agricultural Extension Division at VPI from 1920 to 1944. Collection consists of several scrapbooks of clippings about Blacksburg and VPI. Ms87-011.
PRICE FAMILY. COLLECTION, 1840-1905. 1.6 cu. ft. Southwest Virginia family; Montgomery County residents; owner's of Prices Fork General Store. Collection includes correspondence (mostly to Samuel Winston Price from his wife, Della Hickman Price), photograph albums of friends and family, receipts, and ephemera. Finding aid available online. Ms2012-047.
PRICE, HARVEY LEE (1874-1951). PAPERS, 1853, 1927-49. 1.67 cu. ft. Descendant of early Montgomery County, Virginia, setters. Price obtained his B.S. in 1898 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and became a & amp;culty member in the Horticulture Department (1900-50) and a School of Agriculture administrator (1908-48). Price had a strong avocational interest in genealogy and local history, and wrote Outlines of Montgomery County Families (1940) which, though never published, has proved a valuable source for genealogists and historians. Collection includes Price's extensive notes and correspondence which provided much of the information for his book. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms75-001.
PRICE, JIMMIE L. VIDEOTAPE, 1986. 1 item. Blacksburg, Virginia, resident and local historian. Videotape of Kentland property in Montgomery County, Virginia, filmed by Price, with Elizabeth Kent Adams. Unprocessed. Ms87-048.
SANDERS, HARRY W. (1895-1984). PAPERS, 1913-1981. 1.2 cu. ft. Graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (BS, 1916); Professor of agricultural education and vocational education (1925-1963) and professor emeritus of vocational education (1963-1985) at Virginia Tech; vocational teacher-trainer in Puerto Rico (1932-1933); co-founder of Future Farmers of Virginia, basis of Future Farmers of America. Correspondence, articles, printed materials, awards, scrapbooks, and photographs relating to Sanders' personal life and professional career (including his year in Puerto Rico, developing a vocational agricultural education program), as well as the histories of Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, Virginia. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1975-002.
SARVEY, RUFUS. PAPERS, 1845-83. 0.1 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia, general store owner. Two account books (1845-46, 1872-74), a partnership agreement (1879) between Sarvey and Thomas N. Conrad, and an agreement (1883) of sale for goods sold to Charles Lyle. Ms1962-003.
SHACKELFORD, GEORGE GREEN (1921-2010). PAPERS, 1899-1990 (bulk 1955-1989). 16.8 cu. ft. Professor of History (1954-1986) and later Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech. Served on the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and on the board of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Collection includes clippings, correspondence, memoranda, bulletins, scrapbooks, and other materials relating to the APVA; the National Trust; the New River Historical Association; the Virginia Landmark Commission the Democratic Committee of Montgomery County (Virginia); the Visiting Scholar Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences for VPI&SU; Blacksburg, Virginia, and Southwest Virginia history; historic properties in Blacksburg and Southwest Virginia, particularly Smithfield Plantation; and of Virginia and VPI&SU related topics. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1983-008.
SHACKELFORD, GRACE. PAPERS, 1962-65, n.d. 0.2 cu. ft. Architect of Blacksburg, Virginia. Collection consists of architectural drawings for three residences, each in Blacksburg. International Archive of Women in Architecture. Ms90-046.
SHELL FAMILY. GENEALOGICAL SKETCH, 1871. 1 item. Typescript copy of a sketch of the Shell or "Schull" family, early settlers of Montgomery County, Virginia. Originally dictated by John H. Shell in 1871. Centers around Jacob Shell (1720-1803), who came to the Price's Fork section of Montgomery County in the mideighteenth century. Mentions other early settlers, Indian raids, and the Indian captivity of "Mrs. English" and "Mrs. Bingamen." The two-page transcript was made in 1959 by Vernon McT. Shell of Arden, North Carolina. Ms1959-001.
SIBOLD, CARRIE T. (1904-1990). FAMILY PAPERS, 1912-1990. 14.8 cu. ft. Blacksburg resident;among the first women graduates of Virginia Tech (Class of 1925); worked for VPI Alumni Office until 1966. Collection includes scrapbooks, journals, V.P.I. reunion materials, photograph albums, family diplomas, and the diary of Nannie V. Sibold (sister). Finding aid available online. Ms1990-043.
"SMART" ROAD CITIZEN'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE. RECORDS, 1993-97. 0.6 cu. ft. The "Smart" Road is a project designed by the Virginia Department of Transportation to build a roadway as a direct link between Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia. Its construction is meant to alleviate congestion on Route 460 in Christiansburg and Blacksburg, Virginia, and to serve as a testsite for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS), or "smart highway" technology. A citizen's advisory committee was formed in 1994 to advise VDOT about the environmental and social ramifications of building the new roadway, as well as its overal design. The records were collected by Dorothy Bodell, a member of the committee from January 1995 to July 1997. Finding aid available online. Ms97-025.
SMITHEY & BOYNTON. ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS. RECORDS, 1922-1985. 92.0 cu. ft. and 1500 rolls of architectural drawings. Architecture firm in Roanoke, Virginia, established in 1935 by Louis Phillipe Smithey and Henry B. Boynton. Records consist of about 1500 designs of residences, churches, businesses, schools, and community buildings predominantly in the Roanoke and Southwest Virginia area, designed mostly between 1935 and 1957. Materials consist of project files, specifications, framed drawings and photographs, and architectural drawings. Includes designs done by Smithey before he collaborated with Boynton, as well as designs done by other firms of projects later redesigned by Smithey & Boynton. Also includes architectural drawings of Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg, VA. Finding aid (excluding rolled drawings) available online. Ms1992-027.
SMITHFIELD PRESTON FOUNDATION. PAPERS, 1784-1881, n.d. 1.0 cu. ft. Collection consists of letters written by two generations of members of the Preston family of southwest Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina, to James and Sarah Preston McDowell in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Most of the correspondents are the children and grandchildren of William and Susanna Smith Preston, settlers of Montgomery County, Virginia, who built their home, "Smithfield," in 1772. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1997-002.
[SOLITUDE LETTER, 1860.] 0.1 cu. ft. Letter written December 27, 1860, from an unidentified man at Solitude, the Preston home in Blacksburg, Virginia, to "Miss Martha." Ms90-138.
SPAHR FAMILY. COLLECTION, 1959-1991. 0.3 cu. ft. Records of rent payments at the Hilltop Gardens Trailer Park and clippings about Joel Bush Spahr's landscaping hobby. Hilltop Gardens Trailer Park, run by the Spahrs, operated from 1959 to 1999 on property to the northwest of Blacksburg, Virginia. Finding aid available online. Ms2005-005.
STERN OLD BACHELOR'S CLUB [BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA]. MINUTE BOOK, 1928-32. 0.1 cu. ft. Men's social club in Blacksburg, Virginia,whose motto was "Millions for defense, but not one cent for matrimony." Photocopy of a minute book listing officers and members, including Gordon Bennett, Mason Heavener, Baxter Johnston, Champ Lester, Harvey Lee Price, and David Slusser; and the club's constitution.Ms90-017.
SULLIVAN FAMILY. PAPERS, 1869-1902. 0.8 cu. ft. Early Christiansburg, Virginia, family. Collection includes correspondence (1883-89); ledger books for Blacksburg, Virginia, district taxes (1885), Virginia House of Delegates (1891-92), and Lorentz and Sullivan's mill (1882-1884); and photographs, brochures (1884), news clippings (n.d.), and receipts (1881-84). Ms1956-001.
THOMAS, WILLIAM. ACCOUNT BOOK, 1845-1852. 0.3 cu. ft. Blacksburg (Montgomery County), Virginia, general store merchant. Ledger providing customer names and transaction descriptions. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1940-031.
TATE, LELAND B. (1905-1999). PAPERS, 1940-[1955?]. 0.2 cu. ft. Professor of rural sociology at Virginia Tech. Newspaper clippings relating to industrial and economic development in the New River Valley, with an emphasis on the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, together with studies titled "Facts About the Blacksburg Community" and "Some Facts About Virginia's People." Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1956-004.
TUCKER, MATTIE LAMB (1893-1985). PAPERS, 1945-1984. 0.2 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia Red Cross nurse and social worker. Certificates, newspaper clippings (mostly recognizing Tucker for volunteer efforts); photographs; correspondence and other printed material relating to her and her family's activities--particularly her son, Henry Tucker, a marine killed on Iwo Jima during World War II. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms84-176.
TUESDAY AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB. RECORDS, 1933-1989. 0.5 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia club, which met to discuss books and current affairs. Programs, minutes books, a club history, and a list of checked out books. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms89-052.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY. RECORDS, 1958-1987. 0.2 cu. ft. Founded as the Blacksburg Unitarian Fellowship in 1956; changed name in 1986. Notebook assembled for prospective ministers, including essays about the history and membership of the fellowship; newspaper clippings; reports; and newsletters. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms1988-001.
VIRGINIA BALL INVITATIONS, 1870-1871. 0.1 cu. ft. The three invitations to events at the Montgomery White Sulphur Springs, Yellow Sulphur Springs, and the Hancock House resorts. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2009-103.
VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOL REGISTER - BLACKSBURG SCHOOL NO. 14, 1896-1900. 0.2 cu. ft. The Virginia Public School Register contains the names, ages, and attendance records of students attending Blacksburg White School No. 14. Entries date from October 1896 through March 1900. Finding aid available on the Virginia Heritage database. Ms2011-076.
UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY, DR. HARVY BLACK CHAPTER. RECORDS, 1866-1986. 1.1 cu. ft. Organization of female descendants of Confederate soldiers. The Dr. Harvy Black chapter was formed in Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1896, in honor of Black (1827-88), a Montgomery County, Virginia, resident and a surgeon for the Fourth Virginia Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Records include chapter charter certificates, meeting minutes, photographs, writings about Black and Confederate monuments, and rosters of Confederate soldiers. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms90-050.
WARM HEARTH VILLAGE. RECORDS, 1974-1982. 0.7 cu. ft. Blacksburg, Virginia, retirement community completed in the 1970s. Collection includes communication with V.P.I., designs and plans for the community, the projects HUD proposal, among other documents relating to Warm Hearth Village's establishment. Finding aid available online. Ms2007-002.
WEST, LINDSAY B. PAPERS 1975-1996. 1.5 cu. ft. and 2 oversize folders. The Lindsay West Papers span the years 1975-1996. The bulk of the collection is comprised of subject files West kept while she was serving on the Board of Supervisors. These files contain inter- and intra- office county government correspondence and memos, legal opinions, government documents, reports and studies, many of which include maps; and clippings. Most of these materials are photocopies of county government documents that were distributed by the county staff to each member of the Board. The papers document Montgomery County government during a period of rapid growth. Subjects include: annexation actions, the proposed Ingles Mountain Landfill in Radford, a proposed alternate for Route 460, and a proposal to develop a shopping mall along Route 460. The collection also contains records documenting other organizations West served: New River Community Action, the New River Valley Workshop, and the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library Board Blacksburg Library Building Committee. The collection includes a poster announcing the dedication of the new Blacksburg branch library building in 1996. Finding aid available in EAD on the Virginia Heritage Project database. Ms2001-013.
WHISNER MEMORIAL METHODIST CHURCH. RECORDS, 1857-1960. 4.0 cu. ft. Church in Blacksburg, Virginia; founded 1798. Records include recording steward's book (1859-60); quarterly conference minutes (1880-1950); church registers (1857-1938); Sunday school records (1879-1911); rolls of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society; Blacksburg Auxiliary (1905-10); Women's Society of Christian Service record and report books (1941-60); and various publications dealing with the history of the church. Finding aid available online. Ms1964-003.
MAPS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
BLACKSBURG. MAP OF HOUSTON FARM OF 177.28 ACRES, SHOWING 4EQUAL DIVISIONS OF 44.32 ACRES EACH. A. Murrill, Surveyor, 1910. 31 x 38in. [Folder D-3]
BLACKSBURG. PRELIMINARY AND LOCATION OF PROPOSED RAILROAD LINE. W. Dickenson, Senior Civil Engineering Class, 1911. 11 x 33 in. [Folder D-3]
BLACKSBURG. MAP OF THE MARY HENDERSON LOTS. A. Murrill, 1915. 25 x 29 in. [Folder D-3]
SUBDIVISION MAP OF THE JOHN L. EAKIN FARM, BLACKSBURG, VA. A. Murrill, 1919. 17 x20 in. [Folder D-3]
MAP OF PORTION OF WEST BLACKSBURG. W. Dickinson, ca.1920. 23 x 36 in.[Folder D-3]
MAP OF BLACKSBURG, VA. Drawn by Lucy Lee Lancaster with the assistance of W.L. Lancaster, 1927. 18 x 24 in. [Folder D-3]
MIDHURST. J.M. MCBRYDE ESTATE, BLACKSBURG, VA. W.F. Wall, 1932. Original, 30 x 18 in; blueprint, 29 x 17 in. [Folder D-3]
MAP OF THE TOWN OF BLACKSBURG. Traced by L. R. Hoilman, 1935. Retraced 1946. 18 x 21 in. [Folder D-3]
BLACKSBURG. U.S. Geological Survey, 1932. Reproduction; 9 x 14 in. [Folder D-3]
PROPERTIES OF THE BLACKSBURG REALTY CORPORATION & RELIANCE MILLS. BLACKSBURG, VA. Childress Hall, 1939. [Folder D-3]
MOSAIC OF TOWN AND ENVIRONS, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA. William M. Sterrett, 1954. 11 x 17 in. [Folder D-4]
STREET MAP AND GUIDE TO BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA. 1956. 9 x 14 in.[Folder D4]
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA. Tom J. Pierce, Realtor, 1959. 10 x 14 in. [Folder D 4]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG ZONING MAP. May 11, 1965. 18 x 24 in. [Folder D-4]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, VA. Blacksburg Sun, 1965. 11 x 16 in. [Folder D-4]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG OFFICIAL STREET MAP January 1965. 18 x 23 in.[Folder D-4]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG ZONING MAP. Reproduced by courtesy of the National Bank of Blacksburg, 1966. 9 x 12 in. [Folder D-5]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA AND VICINITY. EXISTING LAND USE OF AREA PROPOSED FOR ANNEXATION. Wiley and Wilson, Consulting Engineers, 1968 16 x 23 in [Folder D-5]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA, AND VICINITY. Wiley & Wilson, Consulting Engineers, 1970. 42 x 74 in. [Folder D-5]
BLACKSBURG, VA. ZONING MAP. Virginia Tech Alumni Association, 1970. 20 x 26 in [Folder D-6]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA. Blacksburg Engineering Dept., September 1973. 25 x 35 in. [Folder D-6]
TOPO OF SMITHFIELD PLANTATION. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Physical Plant, 1974. 80 x 36 in. Rolled map
GEOLOGY OF THE BLACKSBURG QUADRANGLE, VIRGINIA. M. J. Bartholomew andW. D. Lowry, 1979. 29 x 42 in. [Folder D-]
MAP OF TOWN OF BLACKSBURG AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY. Noonkester Real Estate, ca.1980. 2 sides. 18 x 22 in. [Folder D-6]
TOWN OF BLACKSBURG, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. M. Swanson, 1981. 22 x 18 in. [Folder D-6J
MONTGOMERY COUNTY MAPS FEATURING BLACKSBURG
HISTORICAL MAP OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA, GIVING THE NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF MANY OF THE EARLY ADVENTURERS IN THE TERRITORY FROM 1750 TO 1865. Roanoke Historical Society, 1970. 2 copies. 23 x 29 in. [Folder D-l]
MAP OF THE BLACKSBURG RAILROAD. Ca. 1880. Map of Montgomery County area. 9 x 12 in. [Folder D-l ]
MAP OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, SHOWING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HIGHWAYS. Virginia Dept. of Highways, 1933. l9 x 21 in. [Folder D-l]
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL FEATURES OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY. Montgomery County Planning Department, 1982. 19 x 24 in. [Folder D-1]
BLACKSBURG, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map (1928, updated in 1954). [G1294 B53 B5 1928 SpecFolio]
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. (1915, 1921, 1944). [Film G3881 G475 S35 Reel 2]
Bartholomew, Mervin J. GEOLOGY OF BLACKSBURG QUADRANGLE, VIRGINIA (1979). Blacksburg topographical map. [QE173 V554a no. 14, Newman/4th floor]
MAPS IN THE GENERAL MAP COLLECTION
The general map collection on the first floor of Newman Library contains maps of Blacksburg. These include: street numbering maps (1947 and pre- 1979); quad map, 15 min. 1/62500 (1932); maps with proposed street right of way for Pepper St. (1958 ?); VPI and surrounding area, topographical map showing location of buildings (1935); Blacksburg park/playground center (1960's); and plan for future land use with recommendations of Blacksburg, Ellett area (pre-1977).
Several newspapers published in Blacksburg or Christiansburg are available on microfilm in the Microforms Area. The News Messenger (called at various times the Montgomery News Messenger and the Blacksburg-Christiansburg News Messenger) has been published since 1869, and is available beginning in 1870 on film [Film AN N5]. Current copies are available on the third floor of Newman Library. The Blacksburg Sun, published from 1962 to 1980, is available on microfilm [Film AN B49], as is the Blacksburg Virginian [Film AN B5], dating from 1960 to 1961.
In addition to the coverage of these two newspapers on microfilm, the Special Collections has scattered original issues of the Montgomery News Messenger dating from 1870 to 1918, as well as scattered issues of such Blacksburg newspapers as the Banner, the Chronicle, the Citizen, the Home News, the Little Citizen, the Moon, the News, the Plain Dealer, the Tattle Tale, and the Virginian. Ask at the Special Collections reference desk for help with these. The Reference Department maintains a computer index to newspaper articles of local interest, including those on Blacksburg topics. The index covers the period 1985 to the present. Four newspapers are indexed: the Roanoke Times and World-News (including its New River Valley Current section); the News Messenger, the Collegiate Times, and Spectrum, Virginia Tech's faculty-staff newspaper. Printouts of relevant articles can be obtained by asking at the Reference Desk. For newspaper articles on Blacksburg that have been clipped out and classified by subject, see VERTICAL FILES IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, below.
PHOTOGRAPHS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
The Special Collections contains a collection of historical photographs of Blacksburg. The earliest of these photographs date from the 1860's and 1870's; most are from the first four decades of the twentieth century. The subject headings used for the collection are listed below. For help with the photograph collection, ask at the Special Collections reference desk.
- Alumni Gateway
- Armistice Day
- Blacksburg-Businesses and Industry- Pre- l900
- Blacksburg-Businesses and Industry 1900-19
- Blacksburg-Businesses and Industry 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Businesses and Industry 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Businesses and Industry 1960
- Blacksburg-Churches Pre-1900
- Blacksburg-Churches 1900-19
- Blacksburg-Churches 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Churches 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Churches 1960
- Blacksburg-Downtown Pre-1900
- Blacksburg-Downtown 1900-19
- Blacksburg-Downtown 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Downtown 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Downtown 1960
- Blacksburg-Houses Pre-1900
- Blacksburg-Houses 1900-19
- Blacksburg- Houses 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Houses 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Houses 1960
- Blacksburg-People Pre-l9OO
- Blacksburg-People 1900-19
- Blacksburg-People 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Schools 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Schools 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Views Pre-l9OO
- Blacksburg-Views 1900-19
- Blacksburg-Views 1920-39
- Blacksburg-Views 1940-59
- Blacksburg-Pictorial Brochures
- Lovers' Leap
- Lyric Theatre
- Water Tower
- Winter Scenes
- Blacksburg Oversize (a collection of matted sepia- tone photographs; photos also included in other folders)
VERTICAL FILES IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Vertical files include newspaper clippings, magazine articles, brochures and other ephemeral publications, and sometimes typescript bibliographies and other documents. The headings and summaries listed below indicate the types of materials each folder contains as well as the period from which the materials date. For help with the vertical files, ask at the Special Collections reference desk.
A guide the Blacksburg Vertical Files is available online.