Collections and Library
Collections
The Virginia War Memorial’s collection houses thousands of artifacts, including a drivable 1942 Packard Army Staff Car from WWII. While many items in the collection are on exhibit, the majority of artifacts are kept safely in storage to be used for research and future exhibitions, or are undergoing restoration. If you are interested in potentially donating artifacts to the Virginia War Memorial, please see our Donation Policy for more information.
The USS Birmingham Research Library
The U.S.S. Birmingham Research Library is home to a collection of works that inform about Virginia’s involvement in war, and that explores the role of Virginians at war. The library also contains a variety of training manuals prepared by all branches of the U.S. Military. The library supports the research needs of the Virginia War Memorial’s staff. The public is welcome to search the titles in the library’s holdings, and to use the library as a research resource. The collection is non-circulating, and is available by appointment only.
Search the U.S.S. Birmingham Research Library
Archives
The Virginia War Memorial Archives are housed in the U.S.S. Birmingham Research Library. The archives contain material related to those Virginians who have served in our military, as well as material related to military conflicts. Most of the material is from the 20th century. Among the records in the more than 600 files of the archives you will find memoirs, photographs, official orders, correspondence, and publications. Items that are in the artifact collections of the Virginia War Memorial often have associated archival materials.
Researchers are welcome and encouraged, but please note the archives are available by appointment only.
Please Submit a Research Question to inquiry about our archives and collections, interviews from our Oral History Project, or any general questions.
Since 1999, the Virginia War Memorial has collected oral histories from Virginia’s veterans. This collection of interviews are preserved and maintained by the VWM Archives. The oral history interviews capture the lives, major events, and military experiences of veterans in their own words from World War II to the Global War on Terror and beyond. If you would like to access our oral history catalog, please contact Sylvia Marshall at sylvia.marshall@dvs.virginia.gov.
Access VWM Oral HistorY Interviews
