Collections : [Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library]

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Special Collections and Archives
James G. Leyburn Library
Washington and Lee University
204 W. Washington Street
Lexington, VA 24450
Primary Collecting Areas:
American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, theater, local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, late 19th-century travel
Description:

The Washington and Lee University Special Collections and Archives Department houses over 1,000 unique manuscript collections including those of the Rockbridge Historical Society, The American Shakespeare Center, and the Mountain Valley Preservation Association. These collections vary greatly in size, format, and scope. Subjects covered within the collections are diverse and include concentrations in American and Virginia history, regional genealogy, history of propaganda, Southern literature, and theater.

It also houses over 10,000 photographs and prints. Beyond our photograph and print collections, which include scrapbooks, images can also be found within the manuscript collections and University Archives described above. Our photographic holdings vary greatly in size and include numerous formats representative of the evolution of the photographic process. Strengths are local and regional portraiture, landscapes and architecture, W&L University history, including athletics, and late 19th-century travel.

POC: SCA Staff
Phone: (540) 458-8649
Phone: (540) 463-8109
Fax: (540) 463-8964
Start Over Repository Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library Date range 1776

Legal Documents, 1742/1895 39 Files

This collection consists of a variety of legal documents related to citizens of Rockbrige County. Includes indentures, bonds, materials related to wills, legal agreements, and insurance policies amongst other documents.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Liberty Hall Academy subscription list, 1776/1777 2.0 Linear Feet 1 oversize box

This collection consists of the subscription list presented to members of the House of Burgesses and other leading politicans and judicial officers of that time by the Presbytery of Hanover (Virginia) to raise funds to move Augusta Academy to a location in Timber Ridge. In addition to outlying the purpose of the funding request and naming who the academy's leadership would be, including Rev. William Graham, the document includes the signatures and financial pledges of the individuals who subscribed their support as well as noting if they paid. Of particular note, in addition to a "who's who" in the earliest days of the history of Virginia and the American Revolution, this list is signed by 5 future signers of the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson, George Wythe, Carter Braxton, Benjamin Harrison, and General [Thomas] Nelson [Jr.].

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Manuscript leaves from the Qur'an and Dala'il al-Khayrat, 1700/1900 4 Leaves

This collection contains two single leaves from early manuscript (calligraphic) copies of the Qur'an (Koran) and two leaves from a manuscript copy of Dala'il al-Khayrat, a book of prayers for the prophet Muhammad by Moroccan Sufi scholar Muhammad ibn Sulayman Jazuli. Each leaf is written in Arabic. One Qu'ran leaf is from the Ottoman Period (c. 1847 AD) and retains its gold and color illumination. Its text contains the first sixteen verses of the Surat Al - Bagarah (the Cow). The second leaf likely dates to the 19th century and is also illuminated and contains the first twelve verses of Surat Al - Ghafir (the Forgiver). The two manuscript leaves of the Dala'il Al - Khayrat both predate the 20th century and include text framed by colored borders of red and purple.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

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