Collections : [Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library]

Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

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

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

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

POC: Tom Camden
Phone: (540) 458-8649
Phone: (540) 463-8109
Fax: (540) 463-8964
Start Over Repository Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library Date range 1820

Baer Family Papers, 1744/1929 .25 Linear Feet

Baer, Joseph

This collection in comprised principally business and family correspondence and general papers of the Baer family of the Panther Gap vicinity of Rockbridge County, Va. with a concentration of papers relative to the family's land holdings such as maps, indentures, and wills. Other highlights are a group of twenty-one manuscript weaving drafts for making household textiles, a family Bible in German(l744), local militia fines, genealogical materials, some relating to the Decker and Hite (Heyt) families, and two farming account books of Joseph Baer, 1853-1859.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Bank of Rockbridge Currency and Lexington Lottery Ticket collection, 1803/1862 0.01 Linear Feet 1 folder

This collection consists of ten pieces of Bank of Rockbridge currency dated 1857-1862 and one Lexington lottery ticket dated 1803. The currency includes bills in the amount of five, ten, and twenty dollars between 1857-1859. The 1861 bill is for two dollars, and the 1862 bill is for one dollar and twenty-five cents.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

Ben Benson Collection, 1789/2015 2 Linear Feet

Benson, Ralph Ben

The Ben Benson Collection includes original portrait art of presidents and first ladies by Ben Benson, various formats of printed presidential iconography and related presidential and U.S. political memorabilia from George Washington to Barack Obama.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

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Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

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