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Charlottesville and Albemarle History and Research

Use this guide to find materials and resources covering the diverse history of the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Businesses in Charlottesville and Albemarle County

Like much of Virginia, the business histories of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County are richly varied, reflecting economic growth and cultural shifts over time. Although farming dominates Central Virginia's early historical record, industries including shipping, wine making, furniture and textile manufacturing, tobacco and lumber production, tourism, and hospitality are all present in the historical record. 

This section describes tips for researching businesses in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, collection highlights, resources for industry-specific historical records, and websites and sources for further study.

Getting started

Consider these questions as you prepare to research a business in Charlottesville or Albemarle.

  • When did the business operate? This will help narrow down the types of resources that may be useful to you. Frequently, more specific research questions require a more exact date of publication.  
  • What information are you seeking? Will you find the answers you need in a newspaper or article?  A city directory? A government document or city archive? Think about your research questions, and tailor your search to help you find that specific information. 
  • Improve your searches. Start with broad search terms, and consider synonyms and related ideas. 
    • Combine different search terms by using AND and OR.
      • Charlottesville AND railroads
      • (Textile OR cotton) AND ("Woolen Mills" OR Charlottesville)
    • Virgo's Advanced Search will help you narrow down your parameters by keyword, subject, date range, etc. 

Collection Highlights

Special Collections

Papers of the Jefferson National Bank, 1914-1998: 

The collection contains annual reports; statements of condition; histories of the bank and its mergers; audio and video tapes of television and radio advertisements; posters and lobby cards of advertisements; photographs of branch banks, bank staff and events; printed fliers and brochures about bank services and products; newsclippings and scrapbooks; and promotional materials such as a hat, cups, and t-shirts.

The collection documents the history of the Jefferson National Bank, from its inception as the National Bank & Trust Company, 1914, in Charlottesville, Va., to its merger with Wachovia, 1997. Advertising campaings, new bank openings and mergers are well documented.

Of interest are files containing material illustrating the surrounding development of a bank's area, such as Fashion Square Mall, Charlottesville; files concerning predecesssor banks including the Bank of Powhatan, Bank of Goochland, Bank of Nelson, and Southern Bank & Southern Bankshares; a history of the bank "Charting an era of progress and a legacy of service 1914-1997"; issues of the newsletter "Jefferson Today"; and a photograph of the Scott house in Charlottesville, ante 1892, the site of the future bank building

Law Archives

Papers of the Duke and Duke Law Firm--Law firm of RTW Duke Jr. in Charlottesville, which did a great deal of business in real estate and trusts. This collection may be useful when doing research into Charlottesville zoning, restrictive covenants, and other real estate practices.

Homan W. Walsh Diaries--34 handwritten diaries spanning the years 1930-1963. Walsh, a Charlottesville lawyer, was president of the Virginia State Bar; Chairman of the Charlottesville School Board and Charlottesville Library Board; Vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal; trustee at Martha Jefferson Hospital; Vice President of People's National Bank of Charlottesville; and member of many other local organizations. 

Tips on researching businesses

  • Hill's Charlottesville Directories--yearly publications that included a wide variety of city-specific information.  The UVA Library's collection of local directories includes a number of fully digitized volumes, and many others available in the stacks and in the Shannon and Special Collections reference rooms. 
  • Shannon Library 4th Floor Reference Room--houses the University and Local History Reference Collection, which does not circulate. Located in the Reference Room in the East Wing, just off Memorial Hall in Shannon Library. 
  • Many photographic images of Charlottesville businesses are held by the Special Collections Library and are available through UVA Library's online catalog. Adding the name of a specific business or geographic area may help further refine your search. 
    • ex. Charlottesville AND garage
    • Click on Everything, Catalog Only, Articles Only, or Images Only under the search bar to narrow your results.

Recommended Resources at Other Organizations

Library of Virginia--manages Virginia's collection of books and official records, and has many resources on businesses and companies in the commonwealth. 

Virginia Genealogical Society

  • Virginia Business Records Index (available to members only): a comprehensive listing of the known surviving Virginia business records dating from the colonial period through about 1865. 

Virginia Museum of History and Culture