BH. Black history and culture

African Americans in Harrisonburg Oral Histories, 1978-1979, is comprised of audio recordings, transcripts, photographs and background research of interviews with black residents of Harrisonburg, conducted by students under the supervision of Inez L. Ramsey, Professor of Library Science and Secondary Education at James Madison University.

The Bill of Sale for Enslaved Girl Edny from J. Vanderveer to Mr. Ellison, July 1, 1858, consists of a single hand-written receipt documenting the monetary value and sale of an enslaved girl by enslaver J. Vanderveer to a Mr. Ellison.

The Black Student Alliance Scrapbook is comprised of photographs, event flyers and a newsletter documenting Black Student Alliance activities at James Madison University during the 1994-1995 school year.

These four folders contain items and information used in the exhibit "Undocumented Deeds: an exhibit on the history of Harrisonburg's African-American Community." The exhibit was curated by Dale F. Harter and held in the Warren-Sipe Museum of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society in the autumn of 1991.

The Furious Flower Poetry Center Records, consisting of 17.6 cubic feet (43 boxes, 1 rolled storage container), document the departmental activities of the Furious Flower Poetry Center.

The Gwendolyn Brooks and Arthur Waldhorn Correspondence, June 10, 1985, comprises a single sheet with correspondence between Gwendolyn Brooks and Arthur Waldhorn. Includes Waldhorn's typed request to Brooks to write a piece of poetry for Forbes Magazine and Brooks's handwritten response on the same sheet that she never received the request.

The Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority Photographs, consisting of two Hollinger boxes and one half-Hollinger box (.86 cubic feet), are comprised of photographs used by the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority in their urban renewal programs. The bulk of the photographs capture buildings targeted for urban renewal in downtown and residential Harrisonburg, Virginia in the 1960s and 1980s.

The Henry Smals Diaries, 1871-1891, consist of three boxes containing eighteen volumes of diaries written by Henry Smals of Bridgewater, Virginia. The topics of diary entries are brief outlining day-to-day activities. A folder, located in Box 3, contains a partial index and a list of highlights for most volumes as well as an ad for "Henry Smals, Fashionable Barber! Main Street, Bridgewater, Va."

Integration: the African American Experience in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Oral Histories, 1997, is comprised of audio recordings, transcripts and a background paper associated with interviews conducted with Harrisonburg residents Elon Rhodes and Barbara Blakey, regarding their experiences living in Virginia from the 1920s-1990s.

The James Madison University Historic Photographs, 1909-circa 2000, comprises approximately 1700 photographs that depict notable events, activities, faculty, students, students groups, places, and everyday life at James Madison University and the surrounding community between 1909-ca. 2000.

The James Madison University vertical files comprise 154 folders that contain printed ephemera related to James Madison University. The vertical files are an artificial collection of loose materials such as pamphlets, newspapers, posters, brochures, etc. that relate to the history of the university since its founding in 1908. The vertical files are arranged according to subject and focus on specific persons, topics, events, places and buildings, university departments, etc.

The Joanne V. Gabbin Papers, 1930-2017 [bulk 1960-2017], contain the professional, academic, and personal papers of Joanne V. Gabbin, professor of English at James Madison University and director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center.

The Joseph J. Dorsey Papers, ca. 1912-1953, consisting of one folder, contain two photographs of Joseph J. Dorsey and his 1953 obituary as published in the Daily News-Record.

The Kenneth L. Jones Papers, 1966-1972, comprising photographs and printed ephemera, document Jones's time as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate historically African American fraternity, and as a civic leader in Staunton, Virginia.

The collection is comprised of two bound diaries kept by Mary Jordan of Harrisonburg between 1862 and 1883, with short entries pertaining to the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley, the weather, local births, deaths and marriages, and daily activities such as church attendance, visits from relatives and friends, and travel.

The Mt. Clinton Voter Registers, 1867-1901, are comprised of three voter registers for Mt. Clinton in Rockingham County, Virginia. Two voter registers document white male voters and one register documents “colored” male voters. The collection also includes two notes and one printed document from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Office of Affirmative Action Records, 1977-2009 (bulk 1977-1988), consist of documents and correspondence concerning the planning and implementation of affirmative action in Virginia, particularly at James Madison University. Included are reports, data and correspondence from the University and state and federal government.

The Rawley Springs Promotional Photograph Album, circa 1875, is a bound volume comprising thirty 5 1/4" x 4" albumen prints depicting the Rawley Springs Resort, surrounding area, staff, and visitors.

The Road Paving and Construction Projects in Virginia Photograph Album, 1916-1925, comprises approximately 140 black-and-white photographs of road-paving projects in various Virginia locations including Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Scottsville, Norfolk, Goucester Point, and Ellerson.

The Ruth and Lowell Toliver Collection of Newman Family Papers, circa 1875-2005, comprises a manuscript, writings, personal papers, photograph facsimiles, church records, and correspondence related to George A. Newman (1855-1944), his daughter Ruby Newman Temple (1898-1983), his grandsons Austin Gerald Harris (1941-2005) and Wendell Temple (1923-2005), and Harrisonburg's Northeast Neighborhood and Newtown.

The Shenandoah National Park Oral Histories, SdArch SNP, 1964-1999, consists of audio, transcripts, and images pertaining to interviews conducted primarily by Dorothy Noble Smith in addition to members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, park collaborators Eugene and Diane Zior Wilhelm, Darwin Lambert, and others.

The Shenandoah Valley Oral History Project, 2005-2009, is comprised of audio recordings, transcripts, background papers, digital photographs and supplementary digital material related to interviews conducted by undergraduate students with Shenandoah Valley residents, primarily in Rockingham and Augusta Counties.

The Stephens and Yount Family Papers, 1812-1991 (bulk 1812-1938), primarily document the Richard Stephens family of Rockingham County, Virginia and his descendants. Materials include correspondence, receipts, financial documents, indentures, deeds, and ephemera.