Education & Programming – The UncommonWealth

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Never Built: Virginia’s Unrealized Architectural Legacy

In 2008, the Library of Virginia presented an exhibition titled Never Built Virginia to highlight examples of structures that never were and pose the question,…

Vince BrooksMarch 2, 2026

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming

A Moment of Reflection for Black History Month

One hundred years ago this month, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week which, decades later, became Black History Month. Since 1968, February has…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 25, 2026

Archives Education & Programming Newspapers

Looking Back to Move Forward: Dr. Carter Woodson and the Commemoration of Black History

February 2026 marks the centennial of the first Negro History Week, established by Carter Godwin Woodson. The son of formerly enslaved parents, Woodson was born…

Library of VirginiaFebruary 11, 2026

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Taking Office: Gubernatorial Inaugurations in Virginia

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from the Library of Virginia's 2001–2002 exhibition, "Taking Office: Inaugurations of Virginia's Governors," curated by Barbara Batson and…

Library of VirginiaJanuary 14, 2026

Education & Programming

“To Take Our Place in the Business World”: Jackson Ward’s Segregated Economy

House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History (July 17, 2025 – February 28, 2026) highlights the history of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood and explores the…

Library of VirginiaDecember 15, 2025

Education & Programming Newspapers

The Legend of Chessie

While the Loch Ness Monster lives in Scotland, the Chesapeake Bay has its own legendary creature: Chessie. The story can be followed through the Rappahannock…

Casey ClaubergNovember 26, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

A Brief History of Public Housing in the City of Richmond

House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History (July 17, 2025 – February 28, 2026) highlights the history of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood and explores the historic…

Ashley CraigNovember 17, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Political Life in Virginia

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from a previous Library of Virginia exhibition, "A full vote, a fair ballot, and a free count": Political Life…

Library of VirginiaNovember 3, 2025

Archives Digital Projects Education & Programming

Grappling With Your Digital Records: How To Preserve Them

When you have digital records, it’s important to carefully consider where and how to store them. Celebrate Electronic Records Day by using this article as…

Emily JohnsonOctober 10, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers The Stacks

Happy Virginia Archives Month 2025!

Everyone knows that October is spooky season– a time for campfires, warm cider donuts, and Archives Month! This year, archives and special collections from around…

Vince BrooksOctober 1, 2025

Archives Education & Programming

“From Whence They Came:” The Richard Forrester Family of Jackson Ward

In 1823, a mixed-race child named Richard Gustavus Forrester was born in Richmond to nineteen-year-old Gustavus Adolphus Myers, a member of one of the wealthiest…

Lee Ann TimreckSeptember 26, 2025

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Richmond: The Cosmopolitan Sensibility of the 1890 Lee Monument

Confederate monuments are often defended on the grounds that they provide an educational function. Both enthusiasts and critics of the Confederacy who take this position…

Donovan SchaeferSeptember 24, 2025

Digital Projects Education & Programming

Fugitive Data Portraits: Self-Emancipation in Virginia

Richard Slaughter was born on January 9, 1849, on Eppes Island in City Point, Virginia. He and his family were enslaved by Richard Eppes until…

Tev'n PowersAugust 20, 2025

Education & Programming

House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History

House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History (July 17, 2025 – February 28, 2026) highlights the history of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood and explores the…

Ashley CraigAugust 18, 2025

Education & Programming

“A Fashionable Suit of Tar and Feathers”

One August day in 1775, Anthony Warwick found himself surrounded by a group of patriots angered by his refusal to stop importing and selling British…

Mari JulienneAugust 13, 2025