No known restrictions. Virginia Room copy fees apply.
A Guide to the Katherine B. Murphy Garden Clubs Collection
This collection of material was amassed by Katherine Brooks Murphy (Mrs. John M. Murphy) during the 1960s and early 1970s in her work as an officer in three organizations: the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, the Blue Ridge District of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, and the South Roanoke Garden Club. She served on the board of directors and as treasurer and finance committee chair for the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, 1964-67, and then remained on the board of directors through 1971. Katherine Murphy was Director and Treasurer for the Blue Ridge District from 1967-69. She was the South Roanoke Garden Club representative to the Roanoke Council 1975-76. Documents cover the period of time when the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs purchased and made upgrades to their Garden Center at “Fairview,” 2713 Avenham Ave. SW, Roanoke. The collection includes the documents that Katherine Murphy amassed in her role as treasurer and board member of the Roanoke Council and Blue Ridge District of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, and through her membership in the South Roanoke Garden Club. Items date from the early 1960s through the mid-1970s. The collection includes constitution and by-laws for the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, lists of officers and member clubs, presidents’ reports, financial reports, and minutes of meetings of the board of directors (1964-70), executive board (1965-71), and regular meetings (1965-71). It also includes documents related to the purchase and improvement of the Garden Center at “Fairview,” 2713 Avenham Ave. SW, Roanoke. Other items provide details on the financial aspects of the 1969 Color & Fashion for Living show. Various documents related to other activities of the garden clubs are also included.
A Guide to the Margaret Lynn Lewis Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution Collection
The Margaret Lynn Lewis chapter of the DAR was organized in Roanoke in 1894 by Lelia Smith Cocke (Mrs. Lucian H. Cocke), who was its first regent (chapter leader). The chapter was named after Margaret Lynn Lewis, who emigrated from Scotland to near Staunton, Virginia, in 1832 with her husband John Lewis. They were the parents of Revolutionary War General Andrew Lewis. DAR Members must have a documented ancestor who aided in the effort for American Independence. The purpose of the organization is to preserve and memorialize the history of men and women who were active in the effort of obtaining American Independence and to promote education regarding American history and citizenship. The Margaret Lynn Lewis Chapter donated time and money to a wide variety of efforts that furthered these goals. For several decades they sponsored a Good Citizen award to a local high school student. They also erected local monuments to memorialize patriotic causes and individuals. Chapter members of note include Sarah Johnson Cocke (the second Mrs. Lucian H. Cocke) who, when she lived in Georgia, was a national charter member and one of the first vice-presidents general of the national DAR. Sally Smith Rowbotham (Mrs. Arthur Rowbotham) served as state regent and national vice-president of the DAR in the 1930s (though she had moved to Altavista, VA at that time). Willie Walker Caldwell (Mrs. Manley M. Caldwell), author and writer for The Roanoke Times, was a Republican national committee member. Several members were founders of the Roanoke Civic Betterment Club. This collection includes scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other memorabilia amassed by members of the Margaret Lynn Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Items document the activities of the local, state, and national DAR, as well as colonial and local history. Coverage of the chapter’s founding through the 1960s is limited. Materials created prior to the 1970s suffered water damage; there is reference in later documents to the flooding of a bank vault in November 1985 that affected the chapter’s memorabilia trunk. Only portions of early scrapbooks were salvaged and included in the donated items. These and some later items showed signs of mold; once digital copies were made of them, they were discarded. Digital copies were also made of later scrapbooks to document page order and item placement; these were then disassembled to remove newsprint and protect photographs.
A Guide to the Botetourt County Council of Garden Clubs Collection
The Botetourt County Council of Garden Clubs was organized in October 1957. It initially consisted of seven member clubs: Fincastle Garden Club, Eagle Rock Garden Club, Plant and Hope Garden Club, Buchanan Garden Club, Big Spring Garden Club, Orchard View Garden Club, and Castle Garden Club. Its purpose was to hold countywide flower shows and programs. Later member clubs included: Bonsack Garden Club, Rainbow Forest Garden Club, and Flowering Hills Garden Club. There had been a precursor organization with a similar function, the Botetourt County Federation of Garden Clubs, active in the 1930s and 1940s. The Botetourt Council of Garden Clubs was dissolved in 1995. The collection includes Botetourt County Council of Garden Club minutes and administrative documents for the years 1957-1976 and 1988-1995 as well as scrapbooks and albums that record the organization’s activities through newspaper clippings, ephemera, and photographs covering the span of the council’s existence. The 1961 Flower Show is well documented by a Scrapbook that won a state award and photographic slides of many entries. The collection also includes a flower show record book, covering the years 1933-38 from a precursor organization, the Botetourt County Federation of Garden Clubs.
Botetourt County Council of Garden Clubs and Botetourt County Federation of Garden Clubs
A Guide to the Joshua L. Chamberlain Camp 20, Sons of Union Veterans Collection
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Camp 20, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, was organized in 1995 under the leadership of Robert Eck. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a national organization dedicated to preserving the history of Union Veterans of the American Civil War. Hereditary members are male descendants of veterans of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy who served in that conflict; associate members are men who have a demonstrated interest in the Civil War. Chamberlain Camp members have worked to identify the graves of Union Veterans in and around Roanoke, and participate in ceremonies that honor their service. Its namesake, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, was a Colonel (later Brevet Major General) who commanded the 20th Maine Volunteers at the Battle of Gettysburg. The collection is focused on the founding of the Camp and its activities in the 1990s. Organizational documents, newsletters from 1993-1999, and photographs of ceremonies and events from 1994 to 1999 form the core of the collection. Other documents in the collection cover Civil War commemorations of the 1990s, activities of the Chesapeake District of Sons of Union Veterans in the 2000s and 2010s, and awards presented by the Chamberlain Camp in 2014.
Members of Joshua L Chamberlain Camp 20, Sons of Union Veterans
A Guide to the Magic City Garden Club Collection
The Magic City Garden Club, the second garden club established in the City of Roanoke, was organized in 1927 under the leadership of Kelly Rainey Davis (Mrs. George Maslin Davis). She was the club’s first secretary; its first president was Martha Norton Stone (Mrs. Alvah Stone). There were nine charter members. During the 1970s and 1980s membership ranged from 25 to 40 members. The group provided education to its members about gardening and organized gardening exhibitions, including Roanoke’s first indoor flower show in 1928 and the first show inviting clubs from across Southwest Virginia in 1931. It was the only club from Roanoke to be a charter member of the Virginia State Federation of Garden Clubs in 1932 and was a founding club of the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs in 1934. The collection includes a minute book covering 1969-1988, a booklet documenting the history of the first fifty years of the club, 1927-77, and a club yearbook from 1997-98.
A Guide to the Royal Arcanum . Council No. 1228, Record Book Collection
The Royal Arcanum is a fraternal organization that provides insurance benefits to its members and their families. The Roanoke Council No. 1228 was established in 1890. The collection includes four Meeting Minute Books, spanning the years from the organization’s founding in 1890 through 1910. Additionally there is a Record of Applicants book with listings from 1895 through 1911. An Order Book on the Treasurer includes payment stubs from 1914 through 1919. Loose items within the books were moved to folders.
A Guide to the Roanoke City-County Centennial Civil War Commission Papers
In 1959 Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke jointly established the City-County Civil War Centennial Commission to work with the Virginia Civil War Commission to coordinate plans for 100th Anniversary activities. John E. Moore took over the chairmanship of the commission in September of 1960. Items in the collection document events sponsored of the commission, including a television program, a display of Currier & Ives prints, commemoration of the Battle of Hanging Rock, and the visit from a Civil War era steam locomotive, “The General.” Information is also included on Moore’s personal visit to the last living Confederate veteran, Col. Walker Williams and the establishment of the Salem Flying Artillery reenactment organization.
John E. Moore, chairman, Roanoke City-County Civil War Centennial Commission
A Guide to the Wednesday History Club Collection
Organized in 1917 as the “Wednesday Club,” with its first meeting in January of 1918, members changed the name to “Wednesday History Club” in 1921. The organization was a women’s literary study club with programs focused on history, world affairs, and fine arts. With membership originally capped at 20 and expanded to 25 in 1950, it met twice monthly on Wednesdays, September through May. In addition, the organization’s members gifted books to the public library and donated time and money to other civic causes. The club disbanded in 2022. The collection is primarily club yearbooks from 1917-18 through 2013-14, with a few additional items of club ephemera and newspaper clippings. Yearbooks list members, past presidents, program topics and presenters, club constitution and by-laws. A set of yearbooks from 1917-18 through 1986-87 were originally donated within a scrapbook compiled by the club; for conservation purposes they were removed from the scrapbook. The 1917-18 and 1918-19 yearbooks are handmade and fragile. Later yearbooks are professionally printed or typed and copied, though some from the 1930s also have hand-illustrated covers. For most of the years between 1920 and 1990 the library also received and held copies of the yearbooks; many have notations regarding information to support the program topics. The 1977-78 yearbook includes essays on the club’s history, 1917-1977; many later yearbooks include updated club histories.
A Guide to the Roanoke Country Club Collection
The Roanoke Country Club was founded in 1899 as a golf and tennis club. Its first clubhouse was a repurposed home near where it rented land from the Crystal Spring Land Company for a golf course; tennis courts were also built on adjacent lots purchased by the club. Club members also participated in other sports and games and held social events. In 1902 membership was 113 active and 49 associate members. In 1908 the club moved to its present location off Melrose Avenue, which was accessible by streetcar from downtown Roanoke. It included a clubhouse, 9-hole golf course, and tennis courts; the course was expanded to 18 holes in about 1920. A new clubhouse was constructed in 1924; the first swimming pool at the club was installed in 1937. In subsequent years, facilities were further improved, expanded, and enlarged. In 1964 the club acquired more land to expand the golf course to 27 holes in 1966. In 1967-68 the club house was further expanded and modernized and an indoor tennis facility was built. The collection features the club newsletter, Country Club News from 1956-1970, though not all issues are present. It also includes materials gathered to prepare a club history on occasion of its 70th Anniversary in 1969, including a reproduction of “Golf in Roanoke” written in 1917 by Walter A. Carpenter, and typescript drafts of the history of tennis in Roanoke and of the Roanoke County Club written by George Hanger in 1969.
A Guide to the First Baptist Church Collection
While its history can be traced back to the Big Lick Baptist Church founded in 1875, it was in 1929 that the congregation of First Baptist Church moved to its newly constructed church on Third Street between Franklin and Luck Avenues. The church occupied this building into the twenty-first century. During the mid-twentieth century, the period of time this collection represents, its pastors were William Cooke Boone (1927-1930), Walter Pope Binns (1931-1943), Wade Hampton Bryant (1945-1961), and Charles Grantland Fuller (1961-1999). Membership in the church ranged from about 2,000 in 1929 to almost 2,500 in 1971. The collection primarily consists of church service programs from 1929-1948 and directories and yearbooks from the 1960s and 1970s. The collection includes programs from Sunday Services during the years 1929-1948 and 1961-1970, though coverage of many years is scant, and no year includes the full complement of programs. Programs often include a church calendar for the upcoming week. Full church directories are available for the years 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1974, and a leadership directory is included for 1966. Several yearbooks for the Woman’s Missionary Union and the Rebekah Bible Class from the 1960s and early 1970s are also part of the collection.
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XVII: Achilles Wright of Oldham County, Kentucky, His Wife Nancy (__) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia is a multipart project. Each part will discuss a separate Wright family, beginning with the oldest known ancestor of that line.
Other Wright Family histories by Robert N. Grant are available in print in the Virginia Room.
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XV: Augustine Wright of Amherst County, Virginia, His Wife Alice or Alcey (Ball) (Wright) Edmunds, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XIX: Grief Wright of Bedford County, Virginia, His Possible Wife Sally (Candler) Wright, His Wives Nancy (___) Wright, and Leanna (Hanes) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XII: Harrison Wright of Rockbridge County, Virginia, His Wife Permelia (Watts) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XVIII: Jesse Wright of Amherst County, Virginia, His Wives Susannah (Harper) Wright and Rachel (Welch) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part II: John Wright of Goochland County, Virginia, His Wife Judith (Easly) Wright, and Their Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XIV: 1877 Joseph Wright of Bedford County, Virginia, His Wife Ann (Hill) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XIII: Lewis Wright of Lynchburg, Virginia, His Wife Elizabeth (Hill) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part XVI: 1814 Parmenos Wright of Nelson County, Virginia, His Wife Elizabeth (___) Wright, and His Descendants
Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia Part I: 1763 Thomas Wright of Bedford County, Virginia, His Wife Mary (___) Wright, and Their Descendants
A Guide to the 1961 Charter Study Commission Collection
The Charter Study Commission was authorized by Roanoke City Council in June 1961 to study the City Charter and report on suggested changes to it by November 1, 1961. Members of the committee were: A. A. Akers, Mrs. Emmett R. Albergotti, E. Griffith Dodson Jr., Earl A. Fitzpatrick, Robert A. Garland, John W. Hancock Jr., James P. Hart Jr., Harold N. Hoback, Edward H. Scott, English Showalter, James L. Trinkle, Earle J. Wentz Jr., Gordon C. Willis, Robert W. Woody, Chairman. The collection includes information gathered by the commission, its meeting minutes, and drafts of its report to city council. Meeting minutes cover August through November 1961. Background information includes: the existing Roanoke City charter as well as those of a few other cities; information from the National Municipal League about city charters; and on topics of particular concern—real estate assessment, “quadrant” voting, and school funding. The collection also includes correspondence received from city officials and the public regarding concerns to be addressed in the charter review.
A Guide to the Better Business Bureau of Roanoke Collection
The Better Business Bureau of Roanoke, Inc. was chartered December 5, 1939, as a branch of the National Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. A nonprofit organization, it is funded through memberships of individuals, businesses, and other organizations, and managed by a board of directors. It is a resource to members and the public for education in fair trade and fraud prevention and investigates complaints. Collection includes pamphlets, bulletins, newsletters, and similar items from 1940-1943. Bulletins and newsletters include articles on general scams to avoid, as well as details about particular local individuals found to have defrauded the public. They also describe the activities of the Better Business Bureau of Roanoke to address deceptive practices by local businesses.
A Guide to the Roanoke Association for the Exhibition and Sale of Livestock Minute Book
One minute book of the Roanoke Association for the Exhibition and Sale of Live Stock from Virginia and Other States, covering May 1883 through October1887. Numerous pages have been removed from the book. Those that remain are primarily minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors, but also include minutes of several Stockholder meetings. Topics of meetings include management and purchase of the fairgrounds and developing rules and policy for exhibitions held in October, 1883 through 1887.
Roanoke Association for the Exhibition and Sale of Livestock from Virginia and Other States
A Guide to the Roanoke Book Collectors Collection
Ten small books / pamphlets, dating from 1862 to 1950. They include two copies of Moore’s The Night Before Christmas, one dating to 1862, and several books with ties to Roanoke, as they were edited by, published by, or privately printed for Roanoke residents. Of note is an illustrated version of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, published by Stone Printing, Roanoke, in 1909.
Showtimers, a nonprofit community theater organization, was founded in 1951 with Betty Ross Garretson, a speech and drama professor at Roanoke College, as its president. Its first home was at the Laboratory Theater, Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia. The organization also provided acting classes. By 1960 it was averaging paid admission of 1,000 persons at its performances. In 1963 musicals were added to its yearly slate of productions. In 1971 productions moved to a former church on McVitty Road, Roanoke, Virginia, which was renovated to suit the Showtimers’s needs. In late 1970s and early 1980s productions were stage at Olin Hall, Roanoke College; they later returned to a renovated and expanded facility on McVitty Road. The Footlighters were founded in 1952 and merged with the Showtimers after their 1953 season. The bulk of the collection is comprised of show programs, from 1951 through 1993. Not all years are complete; few programs are available for 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1984 through 1993. Programs from The Footlighters 1953 productions are included in the collection. Three anniversary publications that include written histories and photographs of Showtimers productions are available for 1960 (10th Anniversary), 1975 (25th Anniversary), and 1990 (40th Anniversary). A financial report that documents Showtimers’s receipts and expenses, 1951-1959 is part of the collection.
A Guide to the Edward R. Dudley Collection
This is a guide to the Edward R. Dudley Collection. This collection primarily consists of correspondences, newspaper clippings, and photographs related to his career as a successful asset to the US Government and the NAACP. He was the first Black American to serve as a US Ambassador. This collection contains materials that date from 1946-2005.
Gainsboro Branch of Roanoke Public Libraries
A Guide to the Continental Societies Inc., Roanoke Chapter Records
This is a guide to the Continental Societies Inc., Roanoke Chapter Records. These records contain items related to the Continental Societies Inc., Roanoke Chapter and their activities, and they include documents, news clippings, programs, and correspondences. The Roanoke Chapter of Continental Societies Inc., was founded and co-founded by Florence Prunty and Florine Fulford and for over half a century, the organization's primary goal has been to serve the local underprivileged youth communities, with an emphasis on uplifting young black girls.
Continental Societies Inc., Roanoke Chapter
This is a guide to the First Baptist Church Collection. This collection contains items related to the First Baptist Church of Roanoke and their activities, including documents, news clippings, programs, and booklets. The First Baptist Church was organized in 1867, and since then it has been a spiritual home to many, contributing to over a century of local Black history.
A Guide to the Burrell Memorial Hospital Collection
This is a guide to the Burrell Memorial Hospital Collection. This collection contains items related to the origin and ongoing service of Burrell Memorial Hospital. The items range from documents to pamphlets, news clippings, and excerpts.
Portrait of Bob Hale on a street. "05-19-'02". 19 May 2002.
Please contact the Virginia Room at 540.853.2540 for permission to use.
View of the Roanoke Star from its base. "May 04". May 2004.
Portrait of a young girl reading in the Gainsboro Library. "7-98". July 1998.
Portrait of a young girl reading in the Gainsboro Library. "07/02". July 2002.
Historic Gainsboro Library in Downtown Roanoke.
Mass grave monument in Botetourt Count for the movement of 933 bodies to make way for the Interstate 81 by the City of Roanoke. "06/09/06". 09 June 2006.
Mass grave monument in Botetourt County.
Duplicate image of BH 079. "06/09/06". 09 June 2006.
Old Lick Cemetery. Printed date 07 December 2006.
Daniel P. White's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery. "03-02-'06". 02 March 2006.
A fallen headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Black and white photo of Maria Leak Jefferson's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery. Printed date 21 April 2006.
A fallen cross-shaped headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Virginia Clara Woody's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Please contact the Virginia Room at 540.53.2540 for permission to use.
Ernest White's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Parthenia L. White's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Effie M. Taylor's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery. Printed date 27 November 2006.
Ruben W. Chiles' headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Gainsboro Branch at Roanoke Public Libraries
Emma L. Thurman Hurt's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Mary Street's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Black and white photo of Martha A. Beal's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Black and white photo of Samuel McAllister's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Novella A. Henderson's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Frank E. Coleman's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery.
Mary E. Kasey's headstone in Old Lick Cemetery. Printed date 07 December 2006.