Virginia Tech History Resources: Online Exhibits & Digital Materials

This guide details resources intended to help those doing research on the history of Virginia Tech, including the use of Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, and related resources.

Online Exhibits & Digitized Materials

Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) has created university history exhibits online and digitized documents about the university's history. Below are lists of university history timelines, exhibits, and digital collections from several places, including the three websites below.

SCUA Exhibit & Digital Materials Websites

Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives Online
This site features digital collections of rare and unique materials such as letters, diaries, photographs, films, maps, newspapers, posters, reports and other media from Special Collections and University Archives. It is updated with new items and exhibits on a regular basis.
ImageBase
ImageBase is a database of photographs and other visual items digitized by SCUA.
Legacy online exhibits of the Special Collections' former University Archives website (archived)
The former website of the University Archives contains links to collections, exhibits, and other digital materials. SCUA is currently converting legacy exhibits like the ones on this site to an updated exhibit. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 2002.)

University History Timelines

125th Anniversary of Virginia Tech (Archived)
This exhibit was created as part of the university's 125th anniversary in 1997. There are articles, a timeline, and photographs documenting the university's early history, students and alumni, administration, Corps of Cadets, and campus, including maps, buildings, and aerial views. SCUA is currently converting legacy exhibits like this to an updated exhibit. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and primarily dates to 1997, but includes events thru 2014.)
Black History at Virginia Tech digital collection
This digital collection from SCUA Online documents the history of Black people and organizations at Virginia Tech. It contains digital versions of SCUA collection materials and is categorized by topic, including athletics, Black organizations, Board of Visitors, Events, Issues, People, and more. This material is also used as part of the Black History at VT Timeline.
Black History at Virginia Tech Timeline
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.
Cultural Diversity at Virginia Tech (Archived)
This website explores multicultural diversity at Virginia Tech, including international students, oral history interviews, and Black history at Virginia Tech. Must of this exhibit is available on other updated exhibits, such as the Black History Timeline and First International Students at Virginia Tech exhibit. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 2002.)
First Black Women at Virginia Tech (Archived)
The Black Women at Virginia Tech History Project is a multi-phase research and educational project that involves identification of the first black women students, staff, and faculty at Virginia Tech and the collection of their oral history narratives. The interviews focus on the entry experience and the interviewees' perceptions of the climate and attitudes within the university community particularly as pertains to race and gender. Another phase of the project involves the design and execution of program events to enhance communication within and beyond the university community. (See the Black History Timeline for more up-to-date and complete history. Also, some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 2011.)
First International Students at Virginia Tech
This exhibit identifies the first international students at Virginia Tech, organized by year and country.
History of Women at Virginia Tech
The History of Women at Virginia Tech digital timeline project is a collaborative effort to showcase women’s history at this university through archival documents, photographs, interviews, and more. The project team has worked since 2015 to conduct research, gather documents and artifacts, and collect oral histories. This digital exhibit is in progress and new content is being added all the time. This site is hosted by the University Libraries and represents a partnership between Special Collections and University Archives, the Women's Center, and individuals from the campus community.
Indigenous History at Virginia Tech
This website is an exploration of Indigenous history at Virginia Tech, including an incomplete timeline; photos from Monacan events, Columbus Day protest, and an American Indian Forum; and links to Virginia Tribal Nation websites and selected resources. Patrons are welcome to email SCUA with additions or corrections to the timeline.
LGBTQ History at Virginia Tech
Beginning in the fall of 2014, faculty and students in the Virginia Tech History Department, along with colleagues in the University Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives and campus partners including HokiePRIDE, the LGBT Faculty/Staff Caucus, and the Ex Lapide Society (the LGBTQ alumni network at VT) began collecting oral histories to document the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer life in the 20th century American South and specifically at Virginia Tech. In addition to collecting oral histories, the project aims to build an archival collection of materials such as correspondence, photographs, publications, reminiscences, and ephemera that will help document LGBTQ life at Virginia Tech and in the American South.

Online Exhibits

Native at Virginia Tech Exhibit
Dedicated to advancing the visibility of American Indians and other Indigenous peoples on campus, as well as raising an awareness of the issues that confront these diverse populations.
Denim Day: 40th Anniversary
This exhibit was created as part of the Denim Day 40th Anniversary commemorative events in 2019.

Denim Day 1979 was a statement. It announced to the university that gay and lesbian students existed at Virginia Tech. These pages feature the voices of alumni from that time recalling what Denim Day meant to them and what life was like for them at Virginia Tech in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
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The idea for a 40th Anniversary Commemoration of Denim Day at Virginia Tech came from one of the organizers of the first Denim Day in 1979. Alumna Nancy Kelly returned to Virginia Tech after learning about the opening of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center in Squires at Virginia Tech and after being inspired and encouraged by LGBTQ+ students at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University where she works. She returned with a vision. She wanted the university to recognize the struggle that LGBTQ+ students faced here even after the first LGBTQ+ student organizations were recognized by the university and she wanted to raise awareness of the struggles still faced by LGBTQ+ students today.
Women's History Month 2016
In honor of Women's History Month, Special Collections is hosting an online exhibit during March 2016. This exhibit includes materials from our collections which have been digitized and 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!
Blacksburg's Bicentennial 1798-1998 (Archived)
This exhibit was created for the Town of Blacksburg's bicentennial in 1998 and includes timelines, photographs, maps, and documents about the Town. It may be of interest because of the close connection between Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. (Some links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1999.)
Campus Unrest at Virginia Tech (Archived)
This exhibit is about campus protests in Spring 1970 during the Hahn administration. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1997.)
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This exhibition was designed using materials from the papers of Virginia Tech President Thomas Marshall Hahn (1962-1974) and photographs from the Special Collections Photograph Collection. The Hahn Collection includes newspaper clippings, legal documents, and many letters from alumni, Board of Visitors, faculty and staff, friends of V. P. I., legislators, parents, students, and state government officials about campus disruptions and campus unrest (see RG2/11, boxes 45-47). Materials from the Hahn Collection may be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room in Newman Library.
"The Role of the Academic Community in Campus Unrest" by T. Marshall Hahn (Archived)
Speech from President T. Marshall Hahn from August 1971, which includes a transcription and digital copy of the first page of Hahn's speech. This is an archived version from the 1997 Special Collections website.
"Virginia in the Jet Age" by T. Marshall Hahn (Archived)
Transcript of a speech by T. Marshall Hahn to the Virginia Association of Realtors from October 17, 1968. This is an archived version of the 1997 Special Collections website.
"Statement on Need of a College of Veterinary Medicine in Virginia" by Dr. T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. (Archived)
Transcription of statement from T. Marshall Hahn's presidential records (RG 2/11) on the need of a College of Veterinary Medicine, written October 15, 1973. This is from an archived version of the 1997 Special Collections website.
College and Departmental Histories at Virginia Tech (Archived)
This exhibit contains links to videos and webpages about different departments' histories from the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Enginnering, Liberal Arts & Human Sciences, Natural Resources and Environment, and Science. (Some links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 2011.)
Communities of Caring: Community expressions of support in response to the events of April 16, 2007
This exhibit highlights the expressions of support Virginia tech received from communities around the world following the events of April 16, 2007. Created for the 10th anniversary in 2017, the exhibit focuses primarily on those communities outside Blacksburg, Virginia, that reached out to express their solidarity and support of Virginia Tech.
Solitude
This exhibit includes archaeological investigations, reports, and photos of Solitude, the oldest structure at Virginia Tech.
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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.

When restored, Solitude will become an Appalachian Center, the focal point for study and celebration of Virginia's mountain region.
V.P.I. in the Spanish American War (Archived)
This is an article by Harry Temple about Virginia Tech and the Spanish War with photos of Army badges, flags, and colors. (Some links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1997.)
Virginia Tech Governance Minutes Archives (Archived)
This exhibit is a list of minutes of university administrative groups, some of which were digitized and maintained by Special Collections and University Archives and some were maintained by the group itself. (Some of the links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 2013.)
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Groups include Board of Visitors; University Council; Commissions on Faculty Affairs, on Graduate Studies, on Research, on Staff Policies and Affairs, on Student Affairs, and on Undergraduate Studies; CALS Council; Building, Commencement, Computer, Scheduling & Registration, Transportation & Parking, University Communications Network, and University Libraries Committees; Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action; Faculty Senate; and Staff Senate.

Digital & Digitized Collections

The Bugle PDFs
Digitized copies of the university's yearbook, The Bugle, starting in 1895 in PDF format from Special Collections and University Archives on VTechWorks.
Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I. (Archived)
This is a digitized version of Harry Temple's publication, Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I., which discusses the annual VPI vs VMI football game. (Some links may be broken as this is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1996.)
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The physical copy of Temple's Pre-World War II Thanksgiving at V.P.I. is available in Special Collections' Rare Books Collection and Newman Library under the call number LD5655.T4 1994.
The Tin Horn PDFs
Digitized copies of the Tin Horn in PDF format from Special Collections and University Archives on VTechWorks. The Tin Horn was a yearbook published by women students in 1925, 1929, 1930, and 1931.
Uniforms of Cadets of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Archived)
The images presented here are from the original watercolor illustrations created by Floyd Richard Vranian for the book Donning the Blue and Gray: A Pictorial History of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute by Harry D. Temple. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org and dates to 1996.)
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The physical copy of Donning the Blue and Gray is available from Special Collections' Rare Books Collection and Newman Library under the call number LD5655.T39 1992.
Virginia Tech April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives
In the days and weeks following the events of April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech received thousands of cards and letters of support, posters, banners, art, poetry, wreaths, memory books, and other unique items from around the world. Campus visitors often left items at impromptu memorials, which were displayed on the Virginia Tech campus for several months before being gathered and inventoried under the direction of the University Archivist. In the summer of 2007 representative artifacts were digitally photographed to share with the world. This website includes digital representations over 7,000 of those items.
VPI & SU Historical Data Book Centennial Edition (Archived)
This website is a digital version of the Centennial (1972) edition of the Historical Data Book about Virginia Tech History. (Some links may be broken as this website is archived on Archive-It.org.)
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Physical copies of the Centennial (1972) edition of the Historical Data Book are part of the Special Collections Rare Book Collection and Newman Library's circulating collection (call number LD5655.R69 1972).

Other University History Exhibits & Websites

Virginia Tech Buildings
The university's website about current buildings on Virginia Tech's campus, which include the history of the building.
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Museum
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Museum has digitized many items from its collection. Currently, the Museum is located in Newman Library.
Virginia Tech History
The university's history website from University Relations.
VPI in World War One Project
This project is dedicated to exploring and documenting the lives of Virginia Tech's World War I veterans and, through them, understanding VPI's role in that international conflict. Throughout World War I over 1,000 Virginia Tech alumni and students served the United States military in some capacity and this project, a collaboration between the Virginia Tech History Department and Virginia Tech University Libraries is a database dedicated to them.

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Virginia Tech's Land Acknowledgement & Labor Recognition

Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live and work on the Tutelo / Monacan People’s homeland, and we recognize their continued relationships with their lands and waterways. We further acknowledge that the Morrill Land-Grant College Act (1862) enabled the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and found Virginia Tech through the forced removal of Native Nations from their lands in western territories. We understand that honoring Native Peoples without explicit material commitments falls short of our institutional responsibilities. Through sustained, transparent, and meaningful engagement with the Tutelo / Monacan Peoples, and other Native Nations, we commit to changing the trajectory of Virginia Tech's history by increasing Indigenous student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention, diversifying course offerings, and meeting the growing needs of all Virginia tribes and supporting their sovereignty.

Virginia Tech acknowledges that its Blacksburg campus sits partly on land that was previously the site of the Smithfield and Solitude Plantations, owned by members of the Preston family. Between the 1770s and the 1860s, the Prestons and other local White families that owned parcels of what became Virginia Tech also owned hundreds of enslaved people. We acknowledge that enslaved Black people generated wealth that financed the predecessor institution to Virginia Tech, the Preston and Olin Institute, and they also worked on construction of its building. Not until 1953, however, was the first Black student permitted to enroll. Through InclusiveVT, the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence, we commit to advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

Full and short version of the acknowledgement can be found on InclusiveVT's website.