Title: Old Petersburg
Photographed Designed & Published by Thomas F. Hale, Richmond, Virginia
Text by: James H. Bailey
Architectural Comments by: Baxter Bailey
Forward by: Virginius Dabney
Publication Date: 1976
Call Number: RBC-VA F234.P4 B15/1976

"The historic houses and buildings that escaped destruction during the siege of the Civil War. The Old neighborhoods that are being restored and preserved. The famous families and the famous names that made the history and traditions of the Old City on the Appomattox. A city brave and proud, festive and sad, gracious and grand. This is the true Petersburg, told in perceptive prose and photographs. We hope that you too will learn to love her." (Notes from the dust jacket)

Title: Old City Point and Hopewell: The First 370 Years
Authors: Mary M. Calos, Charlotte Easterling, Ella Sue Rayburn
Publisher: The Donning Company, Norfolk, Virginia
Publication Date: 1983
Call Number: RBC-VA F234.H78 C35/1983

A pictorial history of Old City Point and Hopewell. The story of famous citizens and famous landmarks is told in over 300 photographs. Contents cover the settlement of City Point in 1607 to World War II and forty years of progress, 1940-1983.

Title: Bravest Surrender: A Petersburg Patchwork
Author: Catherine Copeland
Illustrated with Photographs by : P. Hairston Seawell
Publisher: Press of Whittett & Shepperson, Richmond, Virginia
Publication Date: 1961
Call Number: RBC-VA F234.P4 C6

"The character of a place - as of a person - is often revealed in many small incidents. This is particularly true of Petersburg, whose noble place in history is well known and frequently recounted." (Notes from the foreword).

Title: Gilded Age City: Politics, Life and Labor in Petersburg, Virginia, 1874-1889
Author: William D. Henderson
Publisher: University Press of America, Inc. Lanham, Maryland
Publication Date: 1980
Call Number: RBC-VA F234.P4 H46/1980

William D. Henderson, Professor Emeritus of Richard Bland College, wrote this account of Petersburg from the end of the Reconstruction era, through the Readjuster era, and into Petersburg's decline in the late 1880s. He provides documented information on the people of Petersburg, the political parties and activities, the role of the railroads, the influence of the river, merchants, banking, and the iron and tobacco industries.

Mr. Richard L. Jones, Richard Bland College Library benefactor, presents Dr. McNeer (left) with A History of Henrico Parish and Old St. John's Church Richmond Virginia 1611-1904. Mr. Jones is author of the book Dinwidde County, Carrefour of the Commonwealth: a History.

Dr. James Ryan, author and Richard Bland College Library benefactor, has donated a vast array of resources to the library including (but not limited to) the following:

• Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott / John Eisenhower (Note that General Winfield Scott was born near Petersburg, studied at William and Mary College, and later practiced law in Petersburg prior to the War of 1812.)
• History of the Jews in Petersburg, 1780-1950 / Louis Ginsberg
• The Prince George-Hopewell Story / Francis Earle Lutz
• The Petersburg Campaign: Wasted Valor June 15-18, 1864 / Thomas J. Howe
• Battle of the 9th of June, 1864 / James H. Ryan
• Duty and Honor: Petersburg's Contribution to the War of 1812 / James H. Ryan and Lee A. Wallace, Jr.
• Interviews of Confederate Army Vererans by Petersburg High School Students in 1917 / Anne V. Mann
• Petersburg, Virginia, Economic and Municipal / Le Roy Hughes
• Sussex County, A Tale of Three Centuries / Virginia Writers' Project
• Virginia: A Commonwealth Comes of Age / Lisa M. Antonelli
• Reluctant Ratifiers / Virginia Historical Society

Gladys Viavant Strong — artist, world traveler, former RBC student, and library benefactor —created wonderful prints focusing on Petersburg historic sites. Her prints are on exhibit in the Virginia Room.

In addition to her artistic talents with paint, in, and pencil, Gladys is a fiber artist, specializing in natural dyes and weaving. She can do anything from crocheting to basket making as well but her first love is weaving and dyeing.