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.

Resource Series: Coinage & Currency

How did residents of Montgomery County, in Central Appalachia, Virginia, purchase essentials during the Colonial period and into the early years of the United States Republic? Colonial Virginia The British government restricted colonial Virginia from minting coins, printing paper currency, or establishing banks. Instead, silver and gold coins from England, Spain, Germany, and Portugal (knownContinue reading “Resource Series: Coinage & Currency”

Sunnyside-Toms Creek Memorial Park, 2001

Sunnyside – Toms Creek Memorial Park is located on Glade Road, next to Fairview Community Church, 3766 Glade Road, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24060. Sunnyside-Toms Creek Veterans Association Memorial A Brief History of Our Memorial On a sunny afternoon in September, approximately 500 residents and friends of the Sunnyside and Toms Creek communities gathered to dedicate aContinue reading “Sunnyside-Toms Creek Memorial Park, 2001”