Finley Virginia Map, 1827

Favorite Virginia Research Websites

Old map of VAEncyclopedia Virginia — an important source for Virginia’s historical figures and references for further reading. It includes prominent African-American Virginians omitted most of Virginia historical literature, as well as figures of secondary national importance who made substantial contributions to Virginia.

Library of Virginia Newspaper Database — The state library’s searchable database for Virginia newspapers. Useful to see what was said about people and events at the time from the editorial point of view, with the cautionary note that the context may be better understood in the historical literature.

The Virtual Library of Virginia — Digitalized original documents from special collections and archives at member institutions in 39 universities and 20 museums, libraries and foundations.

The Mariners’ Museum – Newport News, Virginia. Maritime commerce to export Virginia’s cash crop of tobacco along with alternative commodities such as wheat and pig iron, fishing, shipbuilding and Naval facilities in Virginia have been an important throughout its history, even though they are often overlooked.

Virtual Jamestown — the history of Virginia’s capital for the first century of its existence.

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation — not only explores the second hundred years of Virginia’s history to the Revolution, but features the “Idea of America” with case studies from every major American historical period.

Virginia Historical Society — home of the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, you can take a virtual tour of the exhibit, The Story of Virginia” at the Exhibition menu tag, and search VHS collections at the Collections and Resources menu tag. Membership includes a subscription to the Virginia Magazine.

Virginia History Series In-depth looks at Virginia history organized for middle school Virginia Studies, for a survey in high school U.S. and Virginia History or comprehensive Virginia State History at a collegiate level. Amateur and local historians will delight in the “Historical Hall of Fame” featuring dozens of authors contributing to Virginia’s state history, categorized by century, local historians, university scholars and archeologists.

Virginia Heritage: Guides to Manuscript and Archival Collections in Virginia by the Freeman Library at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. — Search by full names in quotes to focus your research into the personalities, places and events of Virginia history.

Historical and Genealogical Societies in Virginia by the Library of Virginia. — Be a joiner and support your state and local societies. Here is an alphabetical listing of associations by locality, including email contacts and webpages when available.

Virginia Preservation Organizations, a directory of statewide and local groups dedicated to the preservation of historical sites.

TVH hopes the website helps in your research; let me know.

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