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”

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.

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”

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.