Browse Exhibits (15 total)

Following the events of April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech received thousands of handmade and heartfelt items to express condolences, thoughts and prayers of healing and support, and solace for the Hokie Community. This exhibit, "Handmade and Heartfelt: Selections from the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives," highlights just a few of the collected items that were made by hand to share the hearts of the world with the Hokie Community.

Web exhibit version of the 1994 "Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I." publication by Col. Harry D. Temple. This publication was produced for the Friends of the Virginia Tech Libraries and was re-created as a digital exhibit in the mid-1990s. 

Please note: This exhibit was migrated to Omeka in 2022 from its previous iteration as a web exhibit, first published in 1994. Some images may be of low or limited quality, as they were captured from the previous exhibit and not re-scanned. For the most part, the migrated exhibit has been re-created as close to the original form as Omeka allows. Titles were created for booklet pages, based on the textual content, to enhance navigation.

Created for the 15th annual remembrance commemoration in 2022, "The Words of Children" exhibit features over 150 items sent to the university from children all over the world following the events of April 16th. Items are selected from the April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives, held by VT Special Collections and University Archives. This digital exhibit also includes the memories of those affected by April 16th collected in the April 16, 2007, Oral History Collection. Exhibits are supported by Special Collections and University Archives and the University Libraries.

Starting as a humble log cabin in 1801, Solitude grew to become the home of two Virginia governors, and the home of Robert Preston, who sold the property in 1872 to provide land for the new Virginia land grant college, Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College, later to be known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. It is Virginia Tech's oldest structure, the "homeplace" of the University. Because of its rich historical and architectural heritage, Solitude was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and named a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1989.

An online exhibit on the history of Solitude was originally developed in early 2000. The archived version of the original exhibit is available online here. In 2020, it was migrated to a new platform/format and it was updated to include additional images and new information about digital items already included. The updated exhibit also features a page of additional resources located in Special Collections and University Archives and/or online about the building, its history, and the Preston family.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Virginia Tech has had a rich history of international students from its beginnings as Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC). James Dunsmuir from British Columbia, Canada enrolled in the college in 1874 just two years after VAMC opened in 1872. The timeline, "First International Students at Virginia: By Year" includes the first and early international students from 1874 through the early 1960s.

The map, "First International Students at Virginia Tech: By Country," gives an listing of countries and the names and years of attendance of the first and early students from a particular country.    

Help us build the timeline. The University Archives is eager to learn more about the first and early students at Virginia Tech. If you have more information about these students, have noticed that a particular student’s name is missing, or can contribute to our knowledge of students not listed who were the firsts from a particular country, please contact Special Collections and University Archives at specref@vt.edu. We would gratefully receive biographical information, documents, and memorabilia that would help us learn more about these pioneering students at Virginia Tech.

Image from the 1951 Bugle (yearbook)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

This exhibit explores significant events surrounding the history of the Black community at Virginia Tech and the surrounding areas from the 1770's to today.

In honor of Women's History Month 2016, Special Collections created this exhibit of selected items which highlight the contributions and significance of women in a variety of subject areas: local history, architecture, science and technology, Virginia Tech history, literature, and more!