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 1962

Walker-Wood families papers, 1798/2019, bulk 1900/1970 1.5 Linear Feet 3 document cases

Wood, Alexander Barbour

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.

  1. Washington and Lee University, Leyburn Library

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