Collections

The papers of Anna Maria (Campbell Hickman) Otis Mead Chalmers (1809-1891) and her family offer a deep look into a 19th century American family with a sharp focus on enslaved and formerly enslaved persons. The collection documents the life of a young, widowed woman, Anna Maria Mead Chalmers, who was the granddaughter of General William Hull (1753-1825). She was a mother of four children and became a businesswoman in Richmond, Virginia. She was a writer, an editor of the Southern Churchmen, an educator and founder of Mrs. Mead's School for Young Ladies, and a director of The Southern Churchmen Cot ("Retreat for the Sick"), a hospital for children. Anna Maria's family enslaved people who are represented in the papers including Othello "Tillo" Freeman (1790's-1860's?). It includes a letter from William written in [1875], who was their carriage driver, and letters about Sam the fiddler, who settled on the farm after escaping harsher enslavement in Louisianna, and Jordan who was described as being hired out in a letter dated September 8, 1841 from Thomas R. Blair.

Aubrey E. Strode (1861-1969,88 cubic feet) was a Virginia lawyer, state senator and eugenics advocate who drafted the Virginia sterilization law and brought Buck vs. Bell to the Supreme Court. This collection consists of his personal and professional papers concerning his family, law practice, army service, political and legislative activities as a member of the Virginia Senate, the Virginia Democratic Party and the Progressive movement, and as a co-owner of the newspaper, The Amherst Progress. The bulk of the papers consists of the files of the law firms of Strode and Tucker and Strode and Edwards, containing correspondence, court records, trial transcripts, exhibits, estate settlements, debt collections, and various legal documents.

The Dale Hill Papers contain recordings, notes, research material, forms, consent waivers, articles, and photographs all relating to the beginning of co-education at the University of Virginia. The bulk of the materials are the audiovisual content, which were maintained previously on and digitized or transferred from audio cassette, DVD, CD, and flash drive carriers at the time the collection was donated to the Library.

This collection contains the four documetnary style episodes of the Gritty Women podcast series, by Giovana Benatto de Oliveira, and one audio file of an interview used to create the episodes. Each episode includes segments of interviews conducted by the podcast's creator. The podcast explores the history, and legal, political, and social context of UVA's coeducation, and balances both scholarly and personal perspectives through interviews with both scholars and first women admits.

This collection contains the papers of Julia duVal, dating from 1890 to 1930. Contents include a program to the Lynchburg High School 1910 graduation; an invitation to the Randolph-Macon Women's College 1914 graduation ceremony; a typescript copy of duVal's 1924 University of Virginia Master's thesis on Jane Austen titled "Jane Austen: the determining influences of her life on her works;" a handwritten eulogy for duVal; a photograph of duVal in her academic regalia; the 1912/1913 issue of the Randolph-Macon catalog; an issue of "The Campus Quill" from Bessie Tift College, in which duVal's death is announced; five photographs of Julia at Randolph-Macon; a Randolph-Macon postcard addressed to her father, R.A. duVal. This collection also contains three letters from duVal to her parents, dated 1916, describing Columbia University, St. John the Divine cathedral, sightseeing, and mentioning the infantile paralysis epidemic in New York City and her fears of carrying the contagion if she comes home. There are also two letters to her brother, Gabriel duVal, dated May 6 and May 8, 1916, and an undated letter to Julia from an aunt. Also included is a scripture book dated 1890 and several blank undated postcards.

This collection consists of one postcard sent to Louise Davis from a new student (Margaret?) living in McKim Hall at the University of Virginia, dated September 19, 1934. Margaret was possibly a student in the Nursing program as the address on the program notes " McKim Hall, University Hospt." Women were only able to attend the University of Virginia in one of the professional schools or graduate programs at that time. The postcard is a winter scene of the Rotunda.

This collection contains photographs, personal letters, coursework, notebook, forms and surveys for new students, directory and schedule, and other university specific items of Lu Ann Cates, a 1978 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia.

This collection contains a letter from a young woman, either Lucy or Ella Winston, to her mother, Martha A. Winston. The letter, unsigned, describes her travel to and her experience of the Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute. The Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute, chartered in 1837, was the first college for women in Virginia and was attended by both Winston sisters. In the letter, the writer describes the sisters' trip to the institute, shares her first impressions, comments on changes at the school, and discusses various teachers, messages, financial matters, and course study.

This material contains images of racist imagery. The purpose of this note is to allow users to decide whether they need or want to view these materials. This collection includes a photograph album compiled from 1910 to 1913 documenting the Randolph-Macon Woman's College, now called Randolph College, in Lynchburg, Virginia. It contains approximately 274 photos, mainly measuring 3 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches and smaller, with some small panoramas. All photographs have numbers written in silver ink, and many are captioned. The creator of the album is unknown. This album features pasted, dated, and captioned photographs documenting student life. The pictures include images of sports events, Greek life, many themed parties, including Dutch, Spanish, and Chinese parties -- the latter with a photo of Sieu-tsung Lok, the first Asian student from China. There are photos of organized events like May Day, Field Day, and graduation celebrations. Also captured are a variety of plays put on by the students. There are also two photographs of an unidentified Black man who may have been a porter at the college. There are also landscapes around Virginia and exterior shots of the campus buildings. One page of photographs titled "Milestones, 1913" contains two photos of students in blackface.

This collection consists of a scrapbook containing invitations, newspaper clippings, club by-laws, correspondence, photographs, and dinner menus. Also included are loose materials such as newsletters, schedules of club programs, a list of benefit contributors, and a card.