Browse Items (415 total)

This image is of the buildings of Boyd Smith Mine. The caption reads "Virginia Pyrite Mine Plant." There were twenty-four mines in the area, each located along Contrary Creek.

This postcard displays the buildings of the Arminius Mines in the wintertime. Winter presented a whole new set of challenges for the mines. During the colder months, moisture would enter the ore and freeze while it was transported in railroad cars.…

This image is of Albon P. Mann, Superintendent of the Arminius Mines. Albon P. Mann carried the main responsibility for the productivity of the mine and was in constant correspondence with manufacturers whom he had made contracts with. His brother,…

This image is of the manager's family and their help standing in front of their housing at the Arminius Mines. In 1904, the mines were run by seven managers overseeing a workforce of three hundred men. It is said that the managers would often invite…

This image is of one of the main buildings at the Allah Cooper Mine. There were twenty-four mines in the Mineral area, all near Contrary Creek.

This image is of miners at the Arminus Mines posing together. A clergyman is present in the middle and it is evident how many children grew up around and worked in the mines. Frequently, the miners weren’t steady long-term employees. They worked…

Aerial image of the railroad coming into the Arminius Mines. Caption states that it is "from shaft 3." Each railroad car would carry twenty five tons of ore.The railroad transported ore from the mines to numerous locations east of the Mississippi…

This image is of miners standing in front of the building beside shaft number 3 at the Arminius Mines. The Arminius Mines workforce was always changing, creating a stream of labor coming in and out of the Mineral area. A large portion of the workers…

This image displays a man standing by a wheel near shafts number 1 and 3 at the Arminius Mines. The Arminius Mines had approximately three hundred employees, many of which lived in residences on the property. At the turn of the century, salaries of…

This image displays the Allah Cooper Mine during the active mining era in Mineral, Virginia. The two men toward the front left are said to be the managers of the Allah Cooper Mine. The Man far left of the group is N.H. Chandler (has mustache and…

This image portrays the workers of the Mica Mine, located across the Spotsylvania border. The caption states Orange, Virginia, as it was taken by a photographer from Orange. While the mine itself was not in Mineral, it was in very close proximity and…

This image is of miners working at the Mica Mine in Spotsylvania County. While not a Mineral mine, it is located along the same pyrite belt from which the miners in Mineral found their ore. Because of this, the methods by which they mined were likely…

The following is searchable text from the attached Excel Spreadsheet indexing the Genealogical Files of the late Janice Abercrombie. The files are held in the Sargeant Museum archives and are viewable by appointment.

Trudy Adams request for…

This image is of a flyer posted for a delinquent land sale in Louisa County found in the County Auditor's Reports in the Louisa County Historical Society Archives.

During the Great Depression, landowners were often unable to pay the property…

These images were found in a house about to be torn down across from the Zions Crossroads firestation on Poindexter Road and Route 250 in 2012. It is believed to be of the 369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters or the Black…

This certificate was rewarded to Julius Jones, a man who likely fought with the 369th infantry regiment referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters. His award for ten years of service was found alongside pictures of the regiment in a home about to be…

Between 1913 and 1917 Dr. Robert Shelton received letters from other members of the socialist party concerning the distribution of pamphlets and the lining up of different speakers for the party. One of the letters mentions Shelton, himself, getting…

Man riding horse "Black Mama". The man is possibly George, husband to Mourning, or a Tinsley boy- "Little Joe", Felix, or "Stiff Lad Johnny".

Hired help at Westend, 5 men in livery and a cook to staff the country inn. These suited men were likely taking guests' bags to their rooms, and bringing food to the dining room table.

While the time period is not certain, the shawl lapels that…