Kegley Library

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Contact Information
Email: bveselik@wcc.vccs.edu or gmattis@wcc.vccs.edu

Website: http://kegleylibrary.wcc.vccs.edu

Address: Kegley Library, Wytheville Community College, Room 103, Smyth Hall, 1000 E. Main St., Wytheville, VA 24382

Telephone: William A. "Bill" Veselik, Archivist, at 276-223-4876 or George Mattis, Coordinator of Library Services, at 276-223-4744

Hours of Operation: The Kegley Library is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. We are closed major holidays; especially for the Thanksgiving break and Christmas Holiday break. The Kegley is also closed any time the college is closed due to inclement weather. Please call Bill Veselik at or George Mattis for a current schedule.

Directions/Parking Map: The Kegley Library at Wytheville Community College is located in Smyth Hall on the WCC campus that is approximately one mile off Interstate 81 in Wytheville, Virginia. To get to WCC: From the East (Roanoke): Take Interstate 81 South to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right. From the West (Abingdon): Take Interstate 81 North to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right. From the North (Bland): Take Interstate 77 South to Interstate 81 North. Take Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right. From the South (Galax): Take Interstate 77 North to Interstate 81 South. Follow I-81 for approximately 9 miles to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right. Parking There are no permit-restricted parking spaces on the WCC Campus. Kegley Library visitors are welcome to park in any unmarked spaces. There are reserved visitor spaces in Parking Lot A in front of Smyth Hall.

Description of Collections
The Kegley Library is a storehouse of local history and genealogy material within the Wytheville Community College Library. The original collection, bequeathed by local historian F. B. Kegley in 1968, contained books, pamphlets, photographs, newspaper clippings, family papers, census reports, periodicals, WPA documents, and maps. Our collection has grown with additions of the Mary B. Kegley Collection, the W. Randolph Chitwood Collection, and many others. Please visit the library website for more information on the collections listed below or email or call Bill Veselik or George Mattis using the contact information above.


 * Books & Periodicals: Over 5,000 books and periodicals document the history of families, counties and communities, churches, and the culture of Southwest Virginia.   Due to their rarity most items do not circulate.
 * Cemeteries: Library staff started collecting inscriptions from Wythe County cemeteries in the 1970s. Currently over 19,000 individual tombstones and 300 cemeteries have been transcribed in a card file and four bound volumes.  A project to digitize these records currently is underway thanks to volunteer genealogist Janie Dillon.
 * Chitwood Subject Albums: Library staff started collecting inscriptions from Wythe County cemeteries in the 1970s. Currently over 19,000 individual tombstones and 300 cemeteries have been transcribed in a card file and four bound volumes.  A project to digitize these records currently is underway thanks to volunteer genealogist Janie Dillon.
 * County & Court Records: Microfilmed Wythe County court records include deed books, will books, personal property tax records, and order books as well as scattered birth, death, and marriage records.  Also on microfilm are records of the town of Wytheville and Confederate pension application for Wythe County.  Records for Wythe and many counties in Southwest Virginia are found in our book and periodical collection and may be searched through our online catalog.  These include births, deaths, marriages, deeds, wills, order books, land, and other records.
 * Family Files: The Kegley Library houses over 5 cabinets of vertical files containing information on Southwest Virginia families.  Items in these files may contain research correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, family charts, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.
 * Manuscripts: The Kegley Library houses over 150 manuscript collections that provide fascinating glimpses into the life of Southwest Virginians from the 18th century to the present day. Included are church and school records, business ledgers and daybooks, financial and legal records, correspondence and land records. Topics covered include family life, schools, churches, slavery, Civil War, Revolutionary War, mining, furnaces, railroads, and other aspects of life in Wythe County and surrounding counties. Researchers using manuscript collections must abide by stricter research rules for the protection and preservation of these valuable materials. Primarily all researchers must have clean hands, use a pencil for note-taking, and use materials in the presence of the staff members. Laptop computers, tablets, and other electronic devices may be used upon approval of staff. Photocopying and/or scanning of fragile documents may be prohibited. A complete list of regulations may be obtained by contacting us.
 * Maps: Over 500 maps are available for research in the Kegley Library. The map collection consists of topographical and historical maps found in the F. B. Kegley Map Collection and the Mary B. Kegley Map Collection.
 * Newspapers: Newspapers for Wythe County and some surrounding areas are available both in original paper and microfilm. Highlights of the collection include Wytheville Dispatch from October 1862 to March 1865, a complete run of the Southwest Virginia Enterprise from April 1870 to 1881 and 1937 to the present day. Certain individual and bound issues of newspapers may not be photocopied nor scanned due to their fragile condition. However, researchers may use digital cameras upon approval by staff.
 * Oral Histories: In the late 1970s and early 1980s WCC Professor James Presgraves and students conducted several oral history interviews with area residents. Transcripts from these interviews are housed at the Kegley Library and may be currently accessed through a subject card file. The interviews provide valuable information on life in 20th century Wythe County.
 * Photographs: Researchers may study the extensive photograph collections of F. B. Kegley, W. Randolph Chitwood, and Mary B. Kegley.  Over 8,000 images dating from the mid-1800s to the 1990s capture individuals, families, houses, schools, churches, industries, roads, and scenery of Wythe County and Southwest Virginia.  Many other photographs are contained in various manuscript collections. Currently access to the photograph collection is available through an onsite database and a card file.
 * Subject Files: The Kegley Library houses over 4 cabinets of vertical files containing information on various subjects relating to Southwest Virginia history and culture.  Items in these files may contain correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.
 * Newspapers: Newspapers for Wythe County and some surrounding areas are available both in original paper and microfilm. Highlights of the collection include Wytheville Dispatch from October 1862 to March 1865, a complete run of the Southwest Virginia Enterprise from April 1870 to 1881 and 1937 to the present day. Certain individual and bound issues of newspapers may not be photocopied nor scanned due to their fragile condition. However, researchers may use digital cameras upon approval by staff.
 * Oral Histories: In the late 1970s and early 1980s WCC Professor James Presgraves and students conducted several oral history interviews with area residents. Transcripts from these interviews are housed at the Kegley Library and may be currently accessed through a subject card file. The interviews provide valuable information on life in 20th century Wythe County.
 * Photographs: Researchers may study the extensive photograph collections of F. B. Kegley, W. Randolph Chitwood, and Mary B. Kegley.  Over 8,000 images dating from the mid-1800s to the 1990s capture individuals, families, houses, schools, churches, industries, roads, and scenery of Wythe County and Southwest Virginia.  Many other photographs are contained in various manuscript collections. Currently access to the photograph collection is available through an onsite database and a card file.
 * Subject Files: The Kegley Library houses over 4 cabinets of vertical files containing information on various subjects relating to Southwest Virginia history and culture.  Items in these files may contain correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.
 * Photographs: Researchers may study the extensive photograph collections of F. B. Kegley, W. Randolph Chitwood, and Mary B. Kegley.  Over 8,000 images dating from the mid-1800s to the 1990s capture individuals, families, houses, schools, churches, industries, roads, and scenery of Wythe County and Southwest Virginia.  Many other photographs are contained in various manuscript collections. Currently access to the photograph collection is available through an onsite database and a card file.
 * Subject Files: The Kegley Library houses over 4 cabinets of vertical files containing information on various subjects relating to Southwest Virginia history and culture.  Items in these files may contain correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.
 * Subject Files: The Kegley Library houses over 4 cabinets of vertical files containing information on various subjects relating to Southwest Virginia history and culture.  Items in these files may contain correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.
 * Subject Files: The Kegley Library houses over 4 cabinets of vertical files containing information on various subjects relating to Southwest Virginia history and culture.  Items in these files may contain correspondence and notes of F. B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley, W. R. Chitwood, Beverly Repass Hoch, and others as well as newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other ephemera.  Each folder contains an index sheet listing items.


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