Roanoke, Virginia Scrapbook,
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of a single scrapbook, apparently compiled by officials of the city of Roanoke to promote Roanoke as the site of a proposed new Veterans Administration hospital in Southwest Virginia. The scrapbook, bearing the title "Roanoke, Virginia: Exhibits," describes the city's cultural, social, and economic advantages through descriptive essays, photographs, city reports, maps, and ephemera. It is divided into the following sections: Transportation, Climate, History and geography, Population, [Living conditions], Recreational facilities, Sanitation, [Costs], Hotels, Social services, Medical and hospital inventory, [City services], Utilities, [Schools and churches], and Locations. Among the printed materials assembled for the scrapbook are railroad timetables, restaurant menus, travel brochures, a VPI vs. VMI football program, a Roanoke College catalog, and the city's annual report and comprehensive plan. Photographs within the scrapbook include images of hotels, hospitals, parks, a theater, and other city scenes.
Dates
- Creation: 1931 - 1932
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Roanoke, Virginia Scrapbook must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Historical Note
The city now known as Roanoke was founded as the town of Big Lick in 1852 and chartered under that name in 1874. Growth of the community was spurred when it became the the site of the Norfolk & Western Railway's junction with the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. Big Lick grew with the success of the railroad; the town's name was changed to Roanoke in 1882, and it was chartered as an independent city in 1884. By 1930, the city's population had reached sixty-nine thousand; by 2000, the population of Roanoke had reached ninety-six thousand.
Full Extent
0.5 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Scrapbook containing essays, photographs, reports, maps and ephemera, compiled to promote Roanoke as the site of a proposed new Veterans Administration hospital in Southwest Virginia.
Acquisition Information
The Roanoke, Virginia Scrapbook was acquired by Newman Library prior to 1933.
Physical Characteristics
0.5 cu. ft. 1 box
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Roanoke, Virginia Scrapbook commenced and was completed in February, 2011.
- Title
- A Guide to the Roanoke, Virginia Scrapbook, 1931-1932
- Subtitle
- A collection in Special Collections
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- ©2011 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu