Virginia Archives Month October 2010
“Stern accuracy in inquiring, bold imagination in describing, these are the cogs on which history soars or flutters and wobbles.” -Thomas Carlyle
October is Archives Month in Virginia, and we'd like to invite you to join in the celebration, "Making Connections: Archives and Imagination" Please enjoy and share the Archives Month poster, created from images submitted from fifteen archival repositories across the state. The poster highlights Virginians' rich history of service, innovation, creativity, and artistry, with images from Virginia archives and manuscript collections. (See Downloads to download a pdf of the poster).
We also welcome you to explore your Virginia history by delving into an archives collection near you during the month of October. Numerous programs and lectures are slated to take place at institutions around the Commonwealth, so keep track of new events on this web page or on the Archives Month Facebook page.
Virginia Archives Month Events:
Richmond
October 6th at the Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia is celebrating Archives Month with a special free lecture and book signing at noon on Wednesday, October 6. Elizabeth Brown Pryor, author of Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee through his Private Letters, (winner of the 2008 Lincoln Prize) and Clara Barton, Professional Angel, will speak about her research adventures, past and present, in archives and collections libraries. Pryor used Lee's newly discovered family letters as departure points to tell his life story through a combination of analysis, historiography and period detail.
http://www.lva.virginia.gov
October 16th at the Virginia Historical Society
Finding Thalhimers Book Launch and Reunion
In her new book Finding Thalhimers, Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt takes readers along on her obsessive quest to find the true story of her father's family and their department store Thalhimers. Riveting and poignant, this multigenerational narrative weaves together history, biography, and memoir into an unforgettable portrait of an ambitious American retail family. Four generations of Thalhimers grew their business from a modest one-room dry goods store into a twenty-six-store chain across the south. The book launch event is free and open to the public and takes place at the VHS from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Visitors will be able to meet Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt and get their Finding Thalhimers book signed, see objects and artifacts from Thalhimers stores, share memories and pictures, and sample the famous Thalhimers six-layer chocolate cake. Plus it will be the biggest reunion of Thalhimers employees and customers.
http://www.vahistorical.org
October 28th at the Poe Museum
Join us for a little socializing as we make a toast to archives and archivists in celebration of Virginia Archives Month at the Poe Museum Unhappy Hour in Richmond on Thursday, October 28. There will be live music, activities, and a cash bar. This month’s theme is “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Unhappy Hour is from 6pm to 9pm.
The Poe Museum is located at 1914 East Main, Richmond, VA 23223
http://www.poemuseum.org/event/2010/10/28
Roanoke
October 28th at the History Museum of Western Virginia
On Thursday, October 28, 2010 the History Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke will offer a special Archives Month presentation featuring regional archaeologist Tom Klatka of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Audiences will learn about a regional survey of cemeteries, as well as tips for documenting and protecting cemeteries. We will also explore the value of cemetery records for tracing family histories and learn about Dead on the Web, an online research tool available to anyone. This is a free event with light refreshments. This program is part of a joint Archives/ Archaeology month event, sponsored by The History Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke Public Libraries, Wyndham Robertson Library, Roanoke College Library, and the Salem Historical Society. For more information contact: Alicia Sell at 540.853.5868
Event Address: History Museum of Western Virginia
One Market Square, 3rd Floor
Roanoke, VA 24011
http://www.vahistorymuseum.org/
Archives Month is a collaborative effort to celebrate the commonwealth’s archival and special collections repositories and the rich cultural record they protect. It is a project of the Library of Virginia, in conjunction with the Virginia State Historical Records Advisory Board, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.
