Posts – Page 9 – The UncommonWealth

New Books – June 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…

Jessi BennettJune 30, 2025

Freed From the Archives: The Life of Emanuel Jones of Surry

In January 2025, Mr. Thomas Baxter reached out to Virginia Untold Project Manager Lydia Neuroth to share about research he had conducted on an enslaved…

Guest ContributorJune 25, 2025

Newspapers

Rolling into Richmond

When you work with old newspapers, to say you stumble across a lot of bizarre stories is an understatement. Headlines like “Dog Shoots Man,” and…

Kelley EwingJune 18, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Picturing Family

Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in Broadside, the magazine of the Library of Virginia, Issue No. 1, 2024. Whether displayed on household…

Dale NeighborsJune 11, 2025

Public Libraries

Until Freedom Comes: Newport News Public Library’s Black History Exhibit

On Juneteenth 2021, the Newport News Public Library unveiled a local history exhibit titled Until Freedom Comes: The African American Experience in Newport News, viewable…

Your Local Public LibrarianJune 9, 2025

Digital Projects

The Denim Decade

In early 1971 students in Nansemond County petitioned the school board to change the dress code, specifically that "the female students be allowed to wear…

Jessi BennettJune 4, 2025

Newspapers

From Richmond to São Paulo: International Art Collaboration on the Eve of World War II

On January 17, 1939, American businessman Donald McKenzie Blair arrived in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, on board the Normandie. His arrival…

Guest ContributorJune 2, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Newspapers

“One of the Most Unique Papers”: Documenting Chinese American Citizenship in Virginia

On a Monday morning in May of 1903, six men waited in the Richmond federal courthouse to learn whether they would remain in Virginia or…

Jessi BennettMay 28, 2025

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – May 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…

Jessi BennettMay 26, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Newly-Available Archival Accessions, January 1-March 31, 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 HizerMay 23, 2025

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A Very Excellent Trip” : Governor Linwood Holton’s Trade Mission to Japan and Australia

On April 12, 1972, at 11:00 a.m., Governor Linwood A. Holton and 24 representatives of Virginia’s state government and private businesses left from Richmond’s Byrd…

Cara GriggsMay 21, 2025

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“The best for military purposes of any map available”: The Ludwig von Buchholtz revisions to the Wood–Bőÿe map and the Civil War

Within a short time after it was published in 1826, John Wood’s and Herman Bőÿe’s map became outdated. The population growth of Virginia in the…

Peter NorthMay 19, 2025

Archives Education & Programming

Was the First Filipino American Citizen Naturalized in Norfolk County?

While working on records in the Naturalization Records Digital Collection, I came across one that made me stop and do a double-take. It was the…

McKenzie LongMay 14, 2025

Public Libraries The Stacks

IMLS, LSTA, and Public Libraries

In 1996, then-president Bill Clinton signed the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). This act provides federal funding for libraries through the Grants to States…

Barry TrottMay 12, 2025

Archives Digital Projects

“It’s Gonna Be A Gosh Darn Good Affair”: The Lackey USO Club

During World War II, various USOs were established across Virginia. The United Service Organizations is a nonprofit organization that provides military service members and their…

Lauren CaravatiMay 7, 2025