Kenneth Forest – The UncommonWealth

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

Governor, Gunrunner?: “Honest John” Letcher and the Secession Crisis

During the Secession Crisis of 1860-1861, members of President James Buchanan’s cabinet distributed arms to secessionists. According to General and future President Ulysses S. Grant,…

Kenneth ForestNovember 5, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

“Combustible Rubbish:” Colonel Blanton Duncan and Confederate Currency

The more history I do, the more amused I am by Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary. Originally published as The Cynic’s Word Book in 1906,…

Kenneth ForestMay 5, 2025

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

“You Can Survive an Atomic Attack”: Artifacts of the Nuclear Arms Race

I am a child of the Cold War, and I grew up on TV episodes and movies inspired by the nuclear arms race, from On…

Kenneth ForestJanuary 29, 2025

Side view, M2A2 Light Tank, Danville, VA, circa 1937

An M2A2 of the 29th Tank Company: An Interwar Period Multi-Turreted Tank of the Virginia National Guard

I am not only a reference archivist, but also a U.S. Army veteran. I served as an M1A1 Abrams and M551 Sheridan armor crewman in…

Kenneth ForestDecember 2, 2024

Identifying a Ledger: A Noteworthy Business Record at the Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia started accessioning business records in 1911. State Librarian Henry Read McIlwaine recognized the importance of such records. “From this source by…

Kenneth ForestJanuary 22, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

Revolutionary Provenance: Washington’s Letter and Cornwallis’ Cup at the Library of Virginia

Every record and artifact at the Library of Virginia not only tells a story, but also has a story. The latter is referred to as…

Kenneth ForestJune 5, 2023

Dear Jonnie: The Correspondence of a Gay Couple in Virginia in the Roaring 20s.

The archives of the Library of Virginia contain a noteworthy collection of letters offering a rare glimpse into the lives of LGBTQ people a century…

Kenneth ForestAugust 1, 2022