Posts – The UncommonWealth

The Stacks

Season’s Readings!

The Vaster Wilds Lauren Groff A harrowing and thrilling tale of a young servant girl who escapes the hardships, disease, and social caste system of…

Jessi BennettDecember 17, 2025

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

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Newly-Available Archival Accessions, July 1- September 30, 2025

The Library of Virginia maintains the most comprehensive collection of information about Virginia’s history, culture, and government. We hold more than 200 million manuscript items,…

Trenton HizerDecember 12, 2025

Newspapers

Breaking [Old] News!

With nearly fifty titles recently added to Virginia Chronicle, there is a wealth of new historical newspaper content to explore. Community weeklies and dailies; military,…

Kelley EwingDecember 10, 2025

Public Libraries

120 Years of the Virginia Library Association: Reflections from the New Executive Director

T he Virginia Library Association (VLA) began its long history on December 6, 1905, when librarians met in Richmond and formally established an association dedicated…

Guest ContributorDecember 8, 2025

Digital Projects Newspapers

“Radford is Boomingest Town in Virginia”

In 1940, the U.S. government contracted the Hercules Powder Company to build a massive manufacturing plant in the New River Valley, just outside Radford, Virginia.…

Lauren CaravatiDecember 3, 2025

The Kepone Disaster at 50: Lessons and Legacies

Fifty years ago, on December 17, 1975, Virginia governor Mills E. Godwin stepped to the microphone in front of reporters. He announced an authorization from…

Guest ContributorDecember 1, 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

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – November 2025

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Annie HattonNovember 24, 2025

Archives Conservation The Stacks

The Mystery of the Charlotte County Deteriorated Court Records

What’s the story behind the Charlotte County deteriorated loose court records housed in a miniature Plexiglas display case?The answer to this mystery begins (or ends)…

Eddie WoodwardNovember 19, 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

“Who is the mother of said Catherine”: Finding Families in Virginia Untold

This past summer, I was asked to present at the Lemon Project Summer Sankofa Genealogy Workshop held at William & Mary’s Swem Library. As I…

Lydia NeurothNovember 12, 2025

Public Libraries

Why Not a Public Wedding at the Library?

I didn’t need much convincing when Julia Berg, head of programs, partnerships and outreach for Arlington Public Library, first came to me with the idea…

Guest ContributorNovember 10, 2025

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

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