2026-05-10T23:40:52Z

Walker-Wood families papers

Creator

Wood, Alexander Barbour

Abstract Or Scope

This collection includes photographs, ephemera, clippings, correspondence, and printed material created and/or acquired by members of the Walker and Wood families, specifically Harry L. and Eliza Walker and their daughter Nannie and her husband Clarence. Subjects include the Walker-Wood Brothers meat and grocery business, the family home Blandome, properties owned by the families, First Baptist Church, and social organizations in Lexington and Roanoke such as the NAACP and the Virginia Federation of Colored Women. Several of the photographs date to the late 19th century and feature multiple generations of both families. Of particular note are photographs of Freedman's Hospital nurses and a unit of Buffalo soldiers. The families were very active in advocating for the education of African American children in Lexington, and this collection reflects that. The collection includes documents related to the advocacy for and development of Lylburn Downing School and the organization of the Home and School League.

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Collection Context

1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library