Browse Items (21 total)

Alexander Spotswood served from 1710 to 1722 as lieutenant governor of Virginia, in the place of the royal governor who never came to the colony. During his tenure, Spotswood sought to improve the colony's security and economy and relations with…

The first representative assembly in English North America met in the church at Jamestown on July 30, 1619.  Following instructions from the Virginia Company of London, the governor was empowered to call a general assembly to handle public matters…

In rural areas across the state local stores, such as the Pocahontas Colliery Store in Tazewell County, were often the centers of centers of commerce and provided meeting places for community residents. In the 19th Century, stores in these rural…

Salem, Virginia is an independent city within the boundaries of Roanoke County. The first known European exploration of the area occurred in 1671. Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam gave the area its first recorded name: Totero Town, after the local…

Long associated with coal mining, Southwest Virginia has an impressive list of other industries including farming, salt production, timber, and the mining of lead, copper, gypsum, and iron. These industries played a role in the region being given the…

Western Virginia's mineral-spring resorts were extremely popular in the 19th century. Travelers from throughout the United States, but especially from southern states, visited the resorts. There people would take in the "cure" or spring water, enjoy…

Among his many skills, George Washington was a well-respected land surveyor. After the death of his father in 1743, eleven-year-old George Washington inherited the small Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River. As he got older, Washington’s interests…

Gerard Mercator (1512–1594) was born in Flanders, now known as Belgium. The son of a shoemaker, he graduated in 1532 from the University of Louvain, where he studied astronomy, geography, and mathematics. Afterwards he worked as an engraver,…

This broadside, titled, "A Short Catechism on Negro Equality," is a criticism of actions of the Democratic Party in the 1830s. To discredit the organization, the author attacks the Democratic Party's pro-Black policies and actions, which included a…

By the 17th century, England was becoming a leader in the intercontinental trade of goods. Wealthy merchants created joint-stock companies which would promote exploration and increase trade routes. Investors in these companies pooled their resources…