Virginia Room Digital Collection

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The Virginia Room Digital Collection includes photographs, oral histories, books, pamphlets and finding aids to items in the Virginia Room. Continue to check back for new additions.

Browse Items (68 total)

CS 118.jpg
Unknown portrait of two working females, possibly waitresses

Davis 44.223 Auto Spring & Bearing.jpg
Auto Spring & Bearing Co. Inc. Shipping & Receiving Dept.

Davis 44.3211 Kress Employees.jpg
Employees pose at the lunch counter at Kress on Campbell Avenue.

Davis 44.341b Fisher's Supply Employees.jpg
Unidentified employees of Fisher's Supply Company, formerly located at 411 1st Street.

Davis 44.621a Graybar Electric Employees.jpg
Employees of Graybar Electric Company, located at 1125 Salem Avenue.

Davis 44.81 Nelson Harware Employees.jpg
Employees of Nelson Hardware Co. on 17 Campbell Ave. SE. 1948

Davis 46.414a Boyle-Swecker Tire Company.jpg
Boyle-Swecker Tire Company on Church Avenue and 3rd Street SW.

Davis 46.414b Boyle-Swecker Tire Company.jpg
Boyle-Swecker Tire Company on Church Avenue and 3rd Street SW.

Davis 46.414h Boyle-Swecker Tire Company.jpg
Boyle-Swecker Tire Company on Church Avenue and 3rd Street SW.

Davis 47.232b Southern States.jpg
Unidentified employee stocks inventory at Southern States Cooperative, formerly located at 907 4th Street SE.

Davis 47.232c Southern States.jpg
Unidentified employee stocks inventory at Southern States Cooperative, formerly located at 907 4th Street SE.

Davis 48.41 Holyfield-Mann Food.jpg
Holyfield-Mann Food Company, formerly located at 2923 Brambleton Avenue.

Davis 48.42 Katz Food Co.jpg
Employees stand in front of Katz Food Company, formerly located at 1623 Shenandoah Avenue.

Davis 48d Kroger Office.jpg
Kroger employees at the Kroger offices, formerly located at 2240 Shenandoah Avenue.

Davis 48e Kroger Office.jpg
Kroger employees at the Kroger offices, formerly located at 2240 Shenandoah Avenue.

Davis 55.33 N&W Freight Station Employees.jpg
Norfolk & Western Freight Station Employees. 1st row, L to R: Charles Cecil, Luke Garrett, D.L. Armistead, H.D. Guy, B.D. Mayo, Harry Groves, Ray Jones and Stephen Chafin. 2nd row L to R: P. Stuart, O.W. Stover, Benjamin G. Jones, J.P. Flippo, G.J.…

Davis 55.61 Stone Printing Employees.jpg
Unidentified female employees of Stone Printing Company.

Davis 55.62 Norfolk & Western Employees.jpg
Unidentified office employees of Norfolk & Western

Davis 55.62a Norfolk & Western Employees.jpg
Unidentified Norfolk and Western employees during office Christmas party.

Davis 55.62b Norfolk & Western Play.jpg
Unidentified Norfolk and Western employees during office Christmas party.

Davis 55.62f Norfolk & Western Play.jpg
Employee-actors of Norfolk and Western

Davis 63.22 Streetcar.jpg
Two unidentified employees of Roanoke Railway and Electric stand atop a streetcar at terminal.

PS 275 USPS Employees.jpg
Composite photograph of personnel of the Roanoke United States Post Office. Pictured are: E.M. Wright, B.S. Sisson, C.D. Spangler, I.C. Barnhart, J.P. Broughman, O.E. Hammer, C.H. Owen, John Robertson, R.W. Adams, R.P. Grogan, D.T. Alley, W.A. Clark,…

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PS 272 RRE Employees.jpg
Composite photograph of Roanoke Railway & Electric Company/Safety Motor Transit Corporation employees. Pictured are: R.M. Pendleton, L.O. Kesler, R.C. Richards, R.B. Crider, B.F. Spencer, E.R. Mitchell, J.W. Hale, E.H. Hammersley, R.C. Nimmo, T.H.…

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HNWR006.jpg
Employees at the N&W roundhouse in Lynchburg. While Lynchburg served as the divisional point for the N&W during its first few years, increased coal and ore traffic caused the N&W to move its divisional points farther west in 1888.

HNWR011.jpg
This photograph of the crew of Engine No. 82 was taken when Goodwin, West Virginia was a western terminus. The engine was standing on the Wye track. Crew members are S.D. Clowers, engineer; R.S. Brown, engineer; James Emmons, fireman; George…

HNWR014.jpg
The crew of Engine No. 102, shortly after the engine was taken over by the N&W, included Conductor Lawrence Boyles, Engineer George Agee, Fireman Harley Pugh, and Brakeman Jesse Honaker and R.C. Warden.

HNWR019.jpg
This photograph was taken at east Radford coal wharf. It depicts Engine No. 138 and crew. Mr. Akers, engineer; Charlie Roby, fireman; Mr. Allen and Mr. Adkins.

HNWR020.jpg
Rail workers watch a safety film inside the N&W's motion picture car.

HNWR023.jpg
A foreman gauges track to make certain the distance between the rails is exactly 4 feet, 8 inches. In 1883, the N&W operated primarily on a 5-foot gauge; however, on June 1, 1886, the N&W and other southern railroads adopted the now-standard gauge…

HNWR034.jpg
Engine No. 1 was the switching locomotive used at the Roanoke Machine Works (later Roanoke Shops) in 1886. Standing in the cab of the engine is H.S. German. Others, from left, are Brakemen W.H. Hall and W.W. Rule, Engineer Paul DeArmond, and…

HNWR035.jpg
Engine No. 345 was the first compound engine owned by N&W. This photograph was taken at Crewe, Virginia. Crew members include A.D. Lane, engineer, and Julian Hark, fireman.

HNWR037.jpg
The railroad employed a number of young boys to serve as apprentices during the advent of child labor laws. This photograph shows the Roanoke Shops machinist apprentices. A young apprentice would work a 10 hour day and often overtime on weekends. …

HNWR038.jpg
This photograph shows track crews at work along the N&W line. Track laying and maintenance was an awesome undertaking, given the thousands of miles of track owned and operated by N&W. Only in the middle part of the 20th Century did track work…

HNWR039.jpg
Unidentified employees at the Roanoke roundhouse pose with locomotive wheels. Notice the various tools each is holding, which suggest the different types of work done at the roundhouse.

HNWR040.jpg
N&W employed a wide variety of skilled laborers. In this photograph, upholsterers in the Roanoke Shops prepare seats for passenger coaches. In addition to outfitting trains, the upholstery shop also fitted office furniture and some items for the…

HNWR041.jpg
Roanoke Boiler Shop employees at the corner of Salem Avenue and Commerce Street. Pictured from left to right (front row): Frank Bianchi, T.D Equi, John Griffin, P.E. Lawhorn, F.H. Wigmore, George Leisinger, T.J. Murray, James Conway, Edward Irvin,…

HNWR042.jpg
Carpenter Force No. 1, Pocahontas Division at Richlands, Virginia. From left are R.L. Sorah, J.A. Dye, Dayton Henderson, O.J. Lawson, R.L. Maxwell, J.D. Farmer, T.R. Stinson, S.T. Sparks, G.W. Petts, E.W. Clay, A.G. Quillen, R.H. Honaker. Notice…

HNWR043.jpg
Drawing room employees in the N&W office building. Pictured from left are: John Worthington, Charles Jacobsen, James Woods, Fred Scuiffer, two unidentified, George Worthington, Otis Bellingrodh, Servelius Bisphan.

HNWR049.jpg
The station at Schooler, Virginia was operated by W.H. Cord (left). The small station operated from March 1883, when coal first began to move from Pocahontas to Norfolk, until 1900 when the station was bypassed by new track. The young man in the…

HNWR054.jpg
Coal quickly became N&W's leading freight commodity. Here an employee loads an N&W hopper with coal.

HNWR077.jpg
The shop gang of the Portsmouth (Ohio) Shop pose in front of Engine No. 600. In 1901, N&W purchased the Cincinnati, Portsmouth, and Virginia Railroad for $2.5 million. Portsmouth would become a major location in the future operations of N&W.

HNWR081.jpg
Henry Fink, president of N&W from 1895 until 1902, was the chief operating officer for Mahone's AM&O Railroad. A life-long bachelor, Fink had immigrated to the United States with his brother in 1851 and became a railroad engineer four years later. …

HNWR105.jpg
"Roanoke Wheel Shop 1927" is stamped on the axel of the car wheel displayed by the men of the wheel shop. Individuals unidentified.

HNWR108.jpg
The blacksmith gang at the Bluefield Shops. Blacksmithing was rugged and often dangerous work, but a necessary trade to make the railroad operate. Individuals unidentified.

HNWR110.jpg
Employees of Roanoke Machine Works build a caboose. They are, left to right: W.E. Meadows, Ted Swain, William Patterson, R.L. Daddow, R.L. Funk, and T.S. Jones.

HNWR112.jpg
This is an unidentified station office. Pictured left to right are: C.E. Moore, C.C. McPherson, W.L. Bingham, Harvey Call, and W.G. Light.

HNWR120.jpg
Engine No. 17 is surrounded by rail employees in this photograph taken near Elkton, West Virginia. On the ground at the extreme left is G.W. Pile; standing fourth from the left is H.S. Walker; standing second from the right is C.C. Edmondson; and…

HNWR133.jpg
Two employees examine car wheels at the Roanoke Shops. C.G. Wiley is at right; the man at left is unidentified. Unfortunately, African American employees of the N&W could not be promoted beyond entry-level positions until the passage of the Civil…

HNWR143.jpg
The "Wheel Rollers" of the Roanoke Shops include (front left): Earl Dunning, John Cantry, Charles Wiley, Monk Wiggins, and Thomas Campbell. The Wheel Rollers competed in wheel rolling competitions around the nation and always placed high.

HNWR144.jpg
The Norfolk and Western Male Chorus consisted of African American employees who toured and performed hundreds of concerts. Here, the chorus performs at Roanoke's Academy of Music. The chorus was of such a high caliber that one needed an audition to…

HNWR145.jpg
The old car record office at Portsmouth, Virginia. Shown from left are: Floyd Chabot (seated), Paul Jones, S.A. Highfield, H.H. Hester, and John Farley.

HNWR146.jpg
Car yardmen at Kimball, West Virginia. As the coal mines opened, the number of men employeed by N&W soared, bringing economic opportunity to many West Virginia families.

HNWR147.jpg
One of N&W's largest freight stations was in Roanoke. Depicted are unidentified freight station employees. The average annual wage for railroad workers in America at the turn of the century was $740, much higher than the average American wage.

HNWR148.jpg
The crew of Engine No. 19. This engine, like most of the engines used by N&W in its infancy, was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.

HNWR149.jpg
An early example of freight locomotives used by N&W was Engine No. 264.

HNWR150.jpg
Class Q Engine No. 516 pulls into a depot at Nolan, West Virginia. The engine was originally put into service in April 1882. Crew members are servicing both passenger and express cars.

HNWR151.jpg
Shop employees and crew of Engine No. 205 in Roanoke, shortly after the locomotives construction.

HNWR152.jpg
Engine No. 54 with her crew (from left): Engineer E.H. Jones, Fireman Guy Emery, and Conductor Lloyd Pugh. The train was running between Sardinia and Hillsboro branch, and the main line of the Cincinnati, Portsmouth, and Virginia Railroad.

HNWR160.jpg
Here is but one example of how mechanization assisted significantly in the maintenance of tracks. A machine removes cross ties for the crew.

HNWR165.jpg
The Portsmouth Freight Office included (from left): L.M. Dory, Gus Kehrer, Fred Dressler, S.R. Crawford, T.M. O'Connor, and Theodore Doty.

HNWR167.jpg
Engine No. 102 rolls out of assembly at the Roanoke Shops and employees pose for the customary photograph of the engine.

HNWR190.jpg
Employees of the Roanoke freight office.

RNRV1.jpg
Group photo of Appalachian Power Company workers in Anawalt, West Virginia to install power lines. Arch Stockton holds rolled blue prints and reins of horse.

RNRV41.jpg
Norfolk & Western employees in front of Norfolk & Western offices.

RVNH40423.jpg
Norfolk & Western Freight Car Department employees line up to submit their membership applications to Edith Davis of Blue Cross. Note that health insurance premiums were five cents per day.
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