Browse Items (1533 total)

This armband immediately identified the wearer as a member of this important civilian volunteer corp. This armband is from the collection of the Goochland County Historical Society. Spotters were stationed in every county and state across the…

Volunteers typically served only once per week, so clear reminders of protocols were vital for consistency of reporting and information.

This page gives a quick review of the instructions volunteers were to follow to send a "flash" report upon…

This handmade Valentine's Day card, addressed to Cousin Elizabeth, mixes rhyming poetry and a sense of humor.

Cousin Elizabeth

on the 14 day of February
it was our lots to be merry

lots was cast and tickets was drew
kind fortune said it…

These individual coupons are found on the lower portion of Number 92 bond of the Confederate States Loan, enabled by "An Act of Congress approved February 20, 1863" (cited in the original bond).

The bond was issued for $500 at 8% per year. Two…

On October 16, 1776, the four illegitimate children of Sarah Martin became apprentices to Mr. Sackville King, who operated an Ordinary known as Cuckoo Tavern. The Tavern became famous as the departure point for the Jack Jouett on his famous ride to…

This building was known as Miner's Chapel in which the miners worshiped. A movement led by the women of Mineral City, many of whom were members of the Anti-Saloon League of Virginia, founded many churches in the town by 1920. The churches sought to…

This hardware store was operated by Wallace Graves. When young, Graves was a clerk for the Arminius Mine company shore when he was threatened one might by a group of ruffians coming from a local tavern. Graves shot and killed Hollis Estes that…

This photo demonstrates the Pyrite Mines of the Sulphur Mines. A spur from the mail railroad line (constructed by the Virginia Central Railroad before the Civil War) ran to the mines in order to transport the large quantities of valuable ore they…

This image is of the Arminius Chemical Company's Sulphur Mines, one of the largest mines in the area. This mine sold its product to locations across the nation via the railroad. Thousands of tons of ore were sent out of the area each week.

In this image, a group of miners poses in the road dividing residents housing. Many of the miners lived, worked, and raised their families around the mines. Because of the entirety of their lives being based at the mines, they established churches…

This image is of the Arminius Mines. Hundreds of employees worked at the Arminius Mines, most of which were local residents. A large portion of the Arminius Mines' workers were farmers in their off season. However, some were immigrants.

This photograph shows the Sulphur Mines of Mineral. On the right side, a horse can be seen pulling a wagon while miners pick up lumber. Manual labor, similar to that seen in this image, was a common sight at the mines. The large scale of the mines is…

This image portrays the managers housing at the Arminius Mines. Managers worked underneath superintendent Albon P. Mann at the time the photo was taken. Managers housing was much larger than that of the mines workers and many homes of the time…

This image is of the Sulphur Mines commissary office. Here, the business side of the mines would have occurred. By the time this image was taken, the Sulphur Mines were likely already experiencing difficulties of competing in an increasingly…

This photograph portrays a group of miners posing on a break from their work in the mines. It demonstrates that many of the miners were in their early teens, but did the hard labor expected of men.

In this image, Dr. Issac Van Duerson Adams visits the mines on bicycles. From period photographs, it appears that bicycles were a primary means of communication around the mines. Numerous images show visitors, both men and women, bicycling around the…

Cuckoo is located at the intersection of Rt. 522 and Rt. 33 in the heart of Louisa. Once a much larger community, this store served the area until the early 20th C.

Louisa County was once considered a desirable vacation spot in the late 1800s and early 1900. Large hotels provided lodging in the towns of Louisa and Mineral and several enterprising land owners marketed week-long stays "in the cool climate and…

Post office # 91, Fredericks Hall, Va.