For much of the twentieth century, convicts worked on Virginia’s roads. This practice grew out of the convict lease system that began right after the Civil War. Virginia and other southern states leased convicts for profit.

Reynolds established its Can Division in 1963, and in that same year developed the first all-aluminum, twelve-ounce can.

Contained in the VMHC collections are a series of letters between Bazile and his future wife, Virginia Hamilton Bowcock.

Since its beginnings, the automobile has represented entertainment as much as practicality. It brought new excitement to the summer vacation as well, enabling revelers to enjoy all Virginia had to offer with new ease. 

Currently there are numerous regional LGBTQ community centers—including the Gay Community Center of Richmond—that serve people throughout the commonwealth. 

Phyllis Galanti's comprehensive collection of documents reveals her belief that the cooperative actions of private citizens were capable of influencing the outcome of international affairs, particularly the treatment and return of the POWs during the Vietnam War. 

There are many reproductions of the desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Some have even been mistaken for the original.

In 1961, a small group of white and black volunteers rode public buses into the South to demonstrate that interstate travel facilities remained segregated in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Though you might not expect it, 1932 was a big year for George Washington. It marked the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth and launched a year-long birthday party on a national scale.