The Eastern Shore of Virginia Manuscript Collections also includes photography collections. Notable among these collections are Eastern Shore News photographs, spanning several decades as well as the Doran S. Callahan’s collection of Eastern Shore scenes in the 1890s. The Callahan Collection features views of old houses and are frequently used by researchers involved in architectural history and preservation. However, a careful study of the photographs also offers insights into land use, agriculture, livestock, fencing, transportation, costume, social mores, and other aspects of daily life. In considering the Heritage Center’s holdings noted above, it is apparent that while the emphasis of the collection is local, the research implications are national.
The Katherine H. S. Edmonds Eastern Shore Room
The Katharine H. S. Edmonds Eastern Shore Room possesses the largest and best organized collection of material relating to the history, genealogy, and culture of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The book collection contains almost everything of note concerning the Eastern Shore published to date. The newspaper collection embraces a dozen local newspapers, dating from 1861 and continuous from 1881.
Eastern Shore of Virginia Manuscript Collections
The Brooks Miles Barnes Archive includes the extensive files of the Eastern Shore’s leading genealogists, such as Stratton Nottingham, Mark C. Lewis, Susie M. Johnson, E. Spencer Wise, and Nora M. Turman. Genealogist M. K. Miles uses the ESPL’s book, newspaper, and manuscript collections while researching his popular website the Miles Files.
Digital Collections
Our Digital Archives include links to collections as well as manuscripts from the Brooks Miles Barnes Archive that have been digitized.
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