John McClaren McBryde served as the fifth president of Virginia Tech (1891-1907). This collection documents his tenure as president, including correspondence, letter books, reports, bids and contracts, and other records.

The collection contains a Civil War-era cash book of Captain Charles L. C. Minor, Confederate Army ordnance officer and first president of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (1872-1879). Also contains diary entries of Union Army Private Edward P. Harmon, 5th Maine Infantry, for May-June 1864. Accompanied by research materials on the two soldiers (including maps, muster rolls, and pension notes) and a complete photocopy of the cash book/diary.

The John Murray Papers document the participation of John Murray, a Virginia Tech chemistry professor from 1942 to 1971, in Virginia's ornithological community. Collected materials include manuscript articles, scholarly correspondence, and bird watching logs which focus largely on Montgomery County, Virginia.

The H. L. Phlegar Report of Scholarship is a report card for Phlegar from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in October 1882. The report is signed by V. E. Shephard, secretary of the faculty at the college.

This collection contains two grade reports from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College for J. Lawrence Radford.

In general, vertical files at Special Collections include newspaper clippings, photocopies, ephemera, unpublished and/or informal publications, and other papers relating to a specific subject area. Files in this collection relate to Virginia Tech and its history. Topics may include, but are not limited to, colleges and departments, student organizations, administrative offices, centers and other campus units, and athletics.

Printed postcard from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech), addressed to G. L. Sively of Bath County, Virginia, announcing the beginning of the second half of the 1876/1877 session, with information on enrollment and expenses.

The Harry Downing Temple, Jr., Papers contains materials related to Temple's personal life, interest in heraldry and insignia, and his research and publications on the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Materials date from about 1872 to 2004.

This jacket beloged to Cadet (later Commandant of Cadets and professor), Adam T. Finch, and likely dates to about 1892/1893.