Artifacts from Altavista
Dublin Core
Title
Artifacts from Altavista
Description
This is a collection of artifacts donated to the Staunton River Memorial Library in Altavista, Virginia. The Altavista Visitor's Center, located in the library, has some of these items on display. Items that do not fit the display theme are kept in storage at SRML, and digital records are maintained here for everyone to view.
Collection Items
Digger
This digger, donated by Andrew Jackson Shields, a decorated army officer and Altavista resident. The digger was used in World War II to dig foxholes.
Lane Company, Inc. Correspondence
This letter, written by J.E. Taylor of the Lane Company, Inc., details a business agreement for sale of cedar chests. The letter mentions that the Lane Company could provide advertisements for distributors of their furniture.
William G. Lane's Cane
Cane belonged to William G. Lane was a popular resident and the namesake of the Uncle Billy's Day Festival and member of the founding family of Altavista, Virginia.
Telephone Directory
This 1952 directory listed business and residential phone numbers for the Altavista, Brookneal, Rustburg, and Hurt areas, included directions how to make phone calls.
Altavista Golden Jubilee items
The Altavista Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1957. The Jubilee marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Altavista by the Lane brothers. The town was incorporated in 1912.
1. Black ribbon with white button in center. Text on button:…
1. Black ribbon with white button in center. Text on button:…
William G. "Uncle Billy" Lane (1858-1945) memorabilia.
![William G. "Uncle Billy" Lane (1858-1945) memorabilia.](https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/38282/archive/square_thumbnails/cddb78517e72e27fcdf474485edc3164.jpg?Expires=1716422400&Signature=o4zdQxZ5aUxhKO-4jJxYljdBVHyDB5ZdBXEWGh6tn1qsu-qyGZY6Xkp0DgZWVrEbMhK%7E23DH8FpYd9l4K6ue9szWoJex0I2s6egq8NmTqvmKvfnMeyYXuQN2vbRxZhMOd2oylgBwcZIzTbKVr4%7Eb3W9yGrPWurIBvf6dn%7EP9--pprPhdUcAGwYnZBuLoW16PzbJ9W-ahzVqgTj8Scfp20jUxS9HgYChNJhbKRrua0wjB9JEYdrYamuBxBHficrG2Xj5UMnvMvx1HhOz3utzWnHwLDaySL5fmj35QDlcGqfSyfERMuXs8Ea740rJtqhWg%7EOPSR39ABhz-iQsiVw9WAw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM "William G. "Uncle Billy" Lane (1858-1945) memorabilia.")
The photo photo is the earliest know of Uncle Billy. Also featured is a strongbox with his personal papers, photo with his wife Zada Narcissa Rorer Lane (1896-1944), and a 1917 WWI US Calvary Brass Bugle By J.W. York and Sons from Grand Rapids,…
Lanes Girl Graduate Plan
The Lanes Girl Graduate Plan started in the mid-1920s by Lane's Sales Manager J. Arthur Kraus. The miniature Lane cedar chests were offered to young women graduating from Altavista High School as a gift from the Lane Company.
Bausch and Lomb CinemaScope
During the early 1950s, the film industry introduced CinemaScope wide-screen format to movie theaters. To show wide-screen films, the brothers Edward Ralph (E.R.) and William Curtis (W.C.), English of English Construction Company and owners of the…