The Library of Virginia has digitized much of the contents of the Virginia Historical Inventory, a catalog of maps, photos, and records prior to 1860. The information was gathered in the 30s as part of the Virginia Historical Inventory Project, and is now on-line thanks to a $270,000 grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation. You can just run a search and then get lost, clicking from map to photo to textual records of buildings and ferries. WINA has the story.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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I’ve got to say that this is totally fly. I was looking at old photos and maps and stuff. Maps of Earlysville from the early 1800s, pictures of old churches and such. Historical content like this is an excellent example of information that should be on-line. Unlikely, say, newspapers, there’s often only one copy of a particular photograph, or deed, or map. So this one item is kept in one special place (ie, UVa Special Collections, who has also done a fantastic job of digitizing their rare items) where some people can see it under some circumstances at some times. The materials are inherently inaccessible, and so many people don’t get the opportunity to make use of them.
But when you archive this stuff on-line, that’s when it becomes a truly great resource. Congrats to the Library of Virginia on this one. I know their site will be a frequent destination during my digital wanderings.
-Waldo
BTW, if you ever get a chance, check out the Holsinger Studio Collection. They’ve got hundreds (thousands?) of C’ville photographs, from streetcars to the famous Lambeth field airplane flight, from the National Bank to views of downtown. It’s a really incredible site.
-Waldo