In 1904, a mixed-race crew built the new Cambria, Virginia Depot passenger station. Their faces were captured, but their names were not. As we search census records and explore new tools like AI facial recognition, we hope to uncover who they were — the hands and lives behind this piece of our shared history.
Facebook PostCambria Depot Work Crew, about 1904 (DD Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)Close-up of Cambria Depot Work Crew, about 1904 (DD Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)Close-up of Cambria Depot Work Crew, about 1904 (DD Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)Close-up of Cambria Depot Work Crew, about 1904 (DD Lester Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History)
This 1904 photograph captures a work crew—Black and white men together—building the new passenger station for the Cambria, Virginia Depot. It’s a remarkable image of shared labor and community effort during a time of deep segregation.
Yet, like so many images from the early 20th century, the men remain unnamed, except for the foreman, Willie Corell. Their faces look back at us across more than a century, but their identities have been lost to time. Who were they? What were their lives like?
With advancing technology, tools like AI facial recognition may one day help uncover their names and family connections. Until then, our research turns to the 1900 and 1910 census records, where we hope to find traces of the African American laborers who helped shape the Cambria community and build this station that still stands as part of our shared history.
If you have family stories, photographs, or names that might help identify these men, we would love to hear from you. Each clue brings us closer to giving them the recognition they deserve.
Fisk University has released its Rosenwald School Digital Collection, preserving and sharing the history of these vital institutions. In Montgomery County, the collection highlights schools built through the determination of African American communities in Elliston, Pine Woods, Shawsville, and Wake Forest.
Fisk University has made its Rosenwald School Digital Collection publicly accessible, a significant step in preserving and sharing the history of these important institutions. For Montgomery County, the collection documents the Rosenwald Schools established through the determination and vision of African American communities in Elliston, Pine (Piney) Woods near Riner, Shawsville, and Wake Forest.
Although only the Wake Forest school remains today—adapted for use as a private residence—the collection ensures that the legacy of all three schools endures. These schools stand as a testament to community leadership, resilience, and the transformative power of education during the early twentieth century.
The Story of Rosenwald Schools
The website (scroll down) offers a wealth of information: the story of Julius Rosenwald and his vision, the purpose of the school fund, the significance of the school designs, and the requirement that African American communities contribute a share of the cost. Visitors will also find maps, photographs, and documentation of schools across the region and beyond.
Elliston School
Elliston School Info1940 School Census Map2002 Image (Courtesy of Meadowbrook Museum, Shawsville)Image of the list of students in 1935 (Courtesy of Meadowbrook Museum, Shawsville, James Earnest Dow document)
Built in 1928–1929, the Elliston Rosenwald School reflects the determination of the local African American community to provide better educational opportunities for their children. Families in Elliston raised $300 toward the project, which was matched by $500 from the Rosenwald Fund and $2,583 from the Montgomery County School Board.
The school stood on two acres of land and housed two classrooms, each with its own teacher. The school was located on Brake Road, in the Allegheny School District. The legacy: the Elliston Rosenwald School was a center of learning, community, and pride during an era when access to education was hard-won.
The Pine Woods Rosenwald School (Piney Woods) was built in a two-teacher design under the supervision of Tuskegee University. The school was sited on Piney Woods Road, in the Auburn School District. While the exact construction date is unknown, records indicate the total cost was $1,075. Of that amount, the Rosenwald Fund contributed $300, the African American community raised $275, and the Montgomery County School Board provided $500.
Unlike white schools of the period, which were fully funded by the School Board, African American families were required to make direct financial contributions toward the construction of their schools. This inequity underscores both the systemic barriers they faced and the extraordinary commitment of the Pine Woods community to ensuring education for their children.
Constructed between 1928 and 1929, the Shawsville Rosenwald School followed a two-teacher design overseen by the Montgomery County School Board. The total cost of $3,383 was shared among the Rosenwald Fund ($500), the African American community ($300), and the Montgomery County School Board ($2,583).
At the time, Shawsville, of the Allegheny School District, was a thriving hub, energized by railroad service and new road (US Route 11) construction projects. These opportunities drew African American laborers and rail workers to the area, many of whom invested their limited resources into building a school for their children. Their contributions—financial and communal—stand as a testament to the determination of Shawsville’s African American families to secure education despite inequities in public funding.
Constructed between 1928 and 1929, the Wake Forest Rosenwald School followed a two-teacher design on a two-acre site, in the Blacksburg School District, overseen by the Montgomery County School Board. The project cost $3,383, with funding shared by the Rosenwald Fund ($500), the African American community ($426 in 1928, about $7,500 in today’s value), and the Montgomery County School Board ($2,457). This school is now a private residence.
The Wake Forest community at this time was made up of independent farmers, farm laborers, boatmen, railroad workers, teamsters, and domestic workers. As coal extraction began to rise and reshape the region’s economy, African American families recognized that education would be essential for their children’s future. By pooling their resources—despite economic hardship—they ensured access to schooling that could open paths beyond the limits of labor and provide new opportunities for the next generation.
This searchable document is a rich source of information about the county and its wider connections. For example, it notes that the New River boatmen once lived on Kent Farm, where they were enslaved by James Randle and Margaret Cloyd Kent prior to emancipation (see page 13). Additional details about Kentland and these freedmen can be found in the following postings: Historic Kentland and Historic Wake Forest
The names of some of the black boatmen of 19th-century Montgomery County include Frank Bannister (who was a boatman on the James River before the Civil War), Calvin Bannister, Roland Stuart, George Brown, and Lewis Smith.
This report that was written by Gibson Worsham, Dan Pezzoni, Charlotte Worsham, David Roenizer, and others. It addresses the following: 1) Overview of the county’s history, 2) A comprehensive inventory of significant structures and sites in the county and 3) Maps delineating the location of said structures and sites. Similar to the report above, this is a wealth of information about the county.
The Formation of Montgomery County, Virginia and Why it Matters to African American History of the Region
When Virginia’s earliest European colonial settlers first pushed westward beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains, they entered the border lands already inhabited by Native peoples for thousands of years. As Europeans laid claim to these territories in the 18th century, Virginia’s county boundaries began shifting rapidly to keep pace and the need for local governance.
At first, all of western Virginia was considered part of vast counties based far to the east. Augusta County, created in 1738, stretched from the Blue Ridge to the Mississippi River—a landmass so large it was nearly impossible to govern effectively. As settlement expanded, Augusta was gradually carved into smaller counties.
Botetourt County was created in 1770 out of Augusta, and just two years later, in 1772, Fincastle County was formed to cover the far southwest. But Fincastle itself was short-lived: in 1776, it was split into three new counties—Montgomery, Washington, and Kentucky (the latter eventually becoming the Commonwealth of Kentucky).
Thus, Montgomery County was officially established in 1776, named in honor of General Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War hero.
Like most early counties, Montgomery did not remain the same size for long. As population grew and communities demanded closer courts and local representation, Montgomery’s original boundaries were gradually reduced.
1790: Wythe County was formed from Montgomery.
1790: Parts of Montgomery contributed to the creation of Kanawha County (now in West Virginia).
1806: Giles County was carved from Montgomery, Monroe, Wythe, and Tazewell.
1831: Montgomery giving land to Floyd
1839: Montgomery giving land to Pulaski
1892: City of Radford
By the mid-19th century, Montgomery County had taken on the approximate shape we recognize today.
Why This Matters
Tracing these changing boundaries shows how the western border lands of Virginia evolved from a vast Indigenous landscape into the network of counties we know today. When we study Montgomery County’s formation and its changing borders, we are not only tracking political geography—we’re also uncovering how those shifts shaped the daily realities of enslaved people and freedmen. The “line on a map” often meant the difference between where families were recorded, where they could live, and how they could begin to claim freedom and opportunity.
County seats like Christiansburg were not only centers of trade and government but also of the slave market and the courthouse records that tracked the lives of enslaved people. After emancipation, those same courts became the places where freedmen registered marriages, secured contracts, and sought land. As county lines shifted, so too did the jurisdictions that controlled access to justice, opportunity, and community life.
The flip book of maps below is a helpful resource to understand how the boundaries changed with time. Begin on page 395.
Crayon Enlargement Portraits were popular between the late 1890s and early 1900s. They provided an affordable way to capture and display large-format portraits, offering an alternative to the more expensive painted portraits of the time.
Crayon Enlargement Portraits were popular between the late 1890s and early 1900s. They provided an affordable way to capture and display large-format portraits, offering an alternative to the more expensive painted portraits of the time. The process involved taking a negative made by a local photographer and sending it to a specialist who used a solar enlarger to expose the image onto specially processed salted photographic paper. Because the enlargement process often emphasized imperfections on the negative plate, an artist would enhance the black-and-white print with pencil and crayon media, sometimes adding color.
The unidentified African American portraits featured on this website have been donated to local museums or found in antique shops. They are presented here in the hope of eventually identifying the individuals and preserving their stories.
Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man, found in a New Town house, Blacksburg, Va (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown woman (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Christiansburg Institute, Inc)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Christiansburg Institute, Inc)
Alfonzo James, born in 1904, was the eldest of three children to John and Mary Campbell James. He graduated from the Hill School in Christiansburg in May 1921.
His father, John James, was born in Pennsylvania and, according to the 1900 U.S. Census, lived as a boarder with Principal Charles L. Marshall of the Christiansburg Institute at the age of 15. This household also included Edgar A. Long, his wife and daughter, Louis Brown (16 years old), and William Gray, a teacher.
In the 1930 census, Alfonzo was recorded as a public school teacher. Over the years, he held various roles at the New Altamont Hospital in Christiansburg, working as a waiter and eventually as a nurse’s aide by the time of his passing in 1960. In 1946, he married Evie Lena Grogans. He was survived by his two brothers, Robert M. James and Alonzo McCoy James. Evie Grogans James passed away in 1977 and was a valued baker, recognized as Employee of the Month at Radford College.
Alfonzo’s diploma stands as a testament to his commitment to education and service. Preserving this certificate would honor his legacy and ensure that his contributions to the community are remembered.
Courtesy of Christiansburg Institute Digital ArchiveAlfonso James Death Certificate1900 US Census, John James, Alfonso’s father, in Charles L. Marshall Household1910 US Census, Mary James with her children and sister, Daisy Campbell1920 US Census, Daisy Campbell and her sister’s children: Alfonso, Robert and AlonzoAlfonso JamesAlfonso JamesAlonzo James, brother of Alfonso JamesAlonzo James, brother of Alfonso JamesAlonzo James, brother of Alfonso JamesAlonzo James, brother of Alfonso James1950 US Census, Alonzo McCoy James1950 US Census, Alfonso and Evie JamesMary Green Grogans, mother of Evie Grogans JamesEvie Grogans JamesEvie Grogans JamesWedding Certificate, Alfonzo and EvieEvie Grogans James Brother of Evie Grogans JamesBrother of Evie Grogans JamesBrother of Evie Grogans JamesBrother of Evie Grogans JamesBrother of Evie Grogans JamesMother of Evie Grogans JamesAlfonso James Hill School, Christiansburg Industrial Institute, Diploma
This webpage showcases a photo gallery of rare images featuring ceremonial regalia, equipment, documents, and leaders associated with the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. While some images lack provenance, they offer valuable visual references for how members of the Blacksburg order may have appeared, especially since no living individuals can provide that information. (Many of these images were collected from eBay, Northern Star Lodge Facebook (No 715 NS) and other places.
Sandy Spring, MD – The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 6430 has undergone a stunning renovation. Their mission-driven use of the building serves as an inspiring model that could be replicated in Blacksburg. The restoration of the building involved the Advisory Council of Preservation. Check out their Facebook page
Who in Blacksburg was traveling by train to and from Richmond, carrying the financial transactions and funds collected by St. Frances Council No. 235.
Resources half million dollars. Depository for Gas and Water Accounts and Taxes of the City of Richmond. Mrs. Maggie L. Walker, Pres.; J. Thomas Newin, Z.D. Lewis, S.W. Robinson, Jr., and P.H. Ford, Vice-Presidents; Emmett C. Burke, Cashier; Melvin D. Walker, Asst. Cashier. (Courtesy of William Shuman Collection of Richmond, Virginia Postcards, Accession Number 2004-09-12, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University.)
Mrs. Maggie Lena Walker was the first African American woman to serve as a bank president in the United States. The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond honors her remarkable life, legacy, and significant contributions to African American history, with her influence extending even to Blacksburg, Virginia.
St Luke Penny Savings Bank
Much has been documented about the creation and impact of the Penny Bank in Richmond. What remains to be uncovered is who in Blacksburg was traveling by train to and from Richmond, carrying the financial transactions and funds collected by St. Frances Council No. 235, established by Mrs Maggie Lena Walker, 4 August 1902.
Symbols hold significant importance for members of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF).
By the early 1900s, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows had gained significant popularity, with both men and women joining its secret societies. This benevolent group was established in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Pulaski, Virginia to improve their communities by providing charitable support to orphans, the sick, and the poor.
Symbols hold significant importance in education and as visual reminders for members of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) for several reasons:
Simplification of Complex Ideas: Symbols distill complex concepts into simple, recognizable forms, making it easier to convey teachings and principles.
Memory Aids: They serve as mnemonic devices, helping members remember key teachings, values, and rituals.
Engagement: Visual representations engage members more deeply than text alone, fostering better understanding and retention.
Communication: Symbols transcend language barriers, enabling diverse groups to share common understandings and values.
Constant Presence: They act as continual, visual reminders of the GUOOF’s values and principles, reinforcing them in daily life.
Identity and Unity: Symbols create a sense of belonging and unity among members by providing a shared set of images and meanings.
Moral Guidance: They encapsulate moral and ethical lessons, guiding members in their conduct and decision-making.
Tradition and Continuity: Symbols connect current members to the historical roots and traditions of the GUOOF, promoting continuity and respect for the organization’s heritage.
This Currier & Ives of New York 1881 print illustrate the common symbols which the order’s members would recognize and hold dear.
Skull and Crossbones – Life is short and we have much to doBee hive – industry to work towards a greater good for allLady Liberty, Lamb of God, Three ArrowsNoah’s Ark and the symbol of peace
In Blacksburg, Virginia, the Independent Order of St Luke shared the same building with the Grant United Order of Odd Fellows, Tadmore Light 6184, located in New Town. That order’s copy of the Constitution and By-laws may be lost to history, but the Queen of Sheba Council’s 1921 version is fortunately accessible. This document highlights the significance of mutual aid within the framework of the function of the Order of St Luke.
Independent Order of St. Luke. Queen of Sheba Council No. , Randall K. Burkett, Lucy Emanuel, and Amos M. Gailliard. Constitution And By-laws of Queen of Sheba Council No. 1307, I.O. of St. Luke, Organized January 28th, 1921, White Plains, N.Y. [White Plains, N.Y.]: [The Council], 1921.
Madame Maggie J. Walker’s Vision for the Independent Order of St Luke Reflected in the Constitution and By-laws
During the Jim Crow era, white-owned firms refused to grant disability and life insurance to the black community. In response, IOSL provided weekly sickness and disability benefits as well as funeral assistance for its members starting in 1895. Similar to contemporary insurance companies, it offered various premium options. Mrs. Walker’s effective leadership in membership drives bolstered the organization’s finances, enabling prompt payment of death claims and reduced premium costs.
Sick Benefit
Members who wished to receive financial support in the event of being sick or disabled, paid monthly dues into the Sick Benefit fund. The Sick Committee manages the implementation of this benefit. The member could receive no more than $35/year. That equates to about $t00 in current value.
Noted as the Mayor’s Docket List of 1916 (origin unknown)
The following African Americans were listed in this list as living in Newtown (one word): William Green, Preston Mayse, John Paige, John Vaughn, William Young, Blanche Lavender, A.M.E. Parsonage, John D Smith and B. Rollins.
William Palmer Green, Preston Mays/Mayse, John Vaughn, William Young, Blanche Lavender, AME Parsonage, John D Smith and John B. Rollins are found in the various US Population Census.
1900 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1900 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1910 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1910 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1920 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1930 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1930 Population Census, National Archives & Records Administration1940 Population Census, National Archives & Records AdministrationEarly 1900 Map of Blacksburg and New Town
Gathering African American History 