This collection of aerial views of the VPI/VT campus spans more than 80 years, from 1890 to 1970, revealing decades of growth and transformation across the campus.
Tag Archives: Blacksburg
Bugle Yearbook – VPI/Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech University Libraries has scanned and hosts the VPI/VT yearbooks since 1895. Permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/10919/11349
Exploring the 2000 Structural Report on Historic Smithfield – Worsham
The Smithfield (Blacksburg, Virginia) structural report offers an in-depth look at the 1775 house and the broader landscape around it. Commissioned by the APVA and authored by Gibson Worsham, it remains one of the most comprehensive studies of the property. Worsham Structural Report (2000): https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/items/show/45342 Key sections include a thorough architectural and historical overview ofContinue reading “Exploring the 2000 Structural Report on Historic Smithfield – Worsham”
Check In to the Past: Blacksburg’s Historic Hotels and Motels (1950 to 1980s)
As the quiet town of Blacksburg grew through the mid-20th century, so did the need for modern places for visitors to stay. Early Blacksburg was a small, rural community where travelers often relied on boarding houses or small inns. But with two major changes—the rise of automobile travel and the rapid expansion of VPI (nowContinue reading “Check In to the Past: Blacksburg’s Historic Hotels and Motels (1950 to 1980s)”
Historic Smithfield Maps and Aerials
VPI Chapel and Library
In 1909, Virginia Tech built its campus chapel, later repurposed as the university library in 1914. The building burned on August 31, 1953, while being dismantled to make way for the new library, later named for Carol Montgomery Newman, longtime English professor and dean of the Academic Department. Standing on the site of today’s Newman Library, the old chapel was empty at the time—its books safely relocated weeks earlier.
Historic Smithfield: In The News Over Decades
1930 1960 1970 1980s
Black Family of Blacksburg
According to Virginia and Virginians – Eminent Virginians, Montgomery County, 1606-1888, by Dr. R.A. Brock, Society of the Virginia Historical Society Harvey Black, M.D. Objects of Harvey Black Found at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond Photo from the American Civil War Museum in Richmond showing a group of Confederate veterans. The back notesContinue reading “Black Family of Blacksburg”
Baker Family of Blacksburg 1888
According to Virginia and Virginians – Eminent Virginians, Montgomery County, 1606-1888, by Dr. R.A. Brock, Society of the Virginia Historical Society Edward Baker Thompson Baker
German Settlement of Southwest Virginia
The German Middle Settlement—spanning present-day Pulaski, Giles, and Montgomery Counties—has a rich, well-documented history. This page gathers books and resources that highlight the families, traditions, and stories that shaped the community and its lasting impact on Southwest Virginia.
Gathering Blacksburg History 