Thanks to the efforts of photographers, dedicated historians, and archivists in Virginia, we’ve got incredible footage of what life was like here in the Old Dominion through the decades. Below you’ll find photographs from as early as the nineteenth century through the early twentieth. Scrolling through these pictures, you’ll find scenes from the Civil War, the industrial age, and a scattering of scenes from every day life.

Take a look:

1. Portsmouth, 1898. A vision of the U.S. Navy armed yacht S.S. Frolic near the Norfolk Navy Yard.
Wikicommons
2. Aquia Creek, 1863. Provost Marshal's Office.
Wikicommons
3. Centreville, 1861. Military Railroad on Bull Run.
Photo Credit
4. Falmouth, 1863. Capt. George A. Custer and Gen. Alfred Pleasonton.
Wikicommons
5. Culpeper, 1863. The Botts family on the front porch of their home.
Wikicommons
6. Brandy Station, 1864. Winter quarters of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
Wikicommons
7. Richmond, 1865. A pontoon bridge spans the James River.
Wikicommons
8. Richmond, 1865. The Governor's Mansion.
Wikicommons
9. Charlottesville, 1914. The West Lawn at the University of Virginia.
Wikicommons
10. Alexandria, 1890. A vision of City Hall in downtown Alexandria.
army.arch/flickr
11. Gordonsville, 1860. The "Firefly" engine along the Orange & Alexandria Railway.
The U.S. Army/flickr
12. Richmond, 1914. Thalhimer's Department Store.
Wikicommons
13. Roanoke, 1911. A portrait of a young girl at the Cotton Mill.
Wikicommons
14. Washington D.C., 1862. The convicted Confederate Spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow and her daughter at the Old Capital Prison.
Wikicommons

What are your thoughts on these old photographs from Virginia? Be sure to share them with us in the comments below! For related content be sure to check out these 16 Rare Vintage Photos From Virginia In The 1930s.

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