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Virginia Cooperative Extension Service

 Organization

Historical Note

A University-wide Extension Division was established on 1 July 1966 by the General Assembly. It combined the activities of the Cooperative Extension Service, General Extension Division, State Technical Services, and Continuing Education Center. However, extension work at VPI&SU can trace its roots to 1906 when an extension program was established in Virginia as a result of the farm demonstration work began by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp in Texas in 1903. Dr. John D. Eggleston, the superintendent of public instruction in Virginia at the time and later VPI president, invited Knapp to speak at a meeting in Richmond and that talk resulted in the beginning of the program in Virginia. When the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 was passed, authority for extension, or demonstration, work was transferred to Virginia Tech and it became known as the Agricultural Extension until 1966 when it became the Cooperative Extension Service before being absorbed into the overall Extension Division. In 1995, the Extension Division became the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station Division, often shortened to the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:

Records of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Program

 Record Group
Identifier: RG-26-02-01
Abstract

This collection contains four boxes of slide sets, some with related scripts, for the Virginia Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program. Most materials are undated, but likely date from between the 1970s and early 2000s. Topics include flowers, fruits, vegetables, trees, landscaping, gardening, composting, and careers in horticulture.

Dates: ca. 1970s-2000s

Thomas O. Sandy Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2006-022
Abstract

The collection includes correspondence, receipts, farm records, and other papers of Thomas O. Sandy, a farmer in Nottoway County, Virginia, and the first state demonstration agent for agricultural extension in Virginia. The papers relate to Sandy's farm, extension work, and estate.

Dates: 1910 - 1928

State/Regional Home and Agricultural Publications,

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2012-040
Scope and Content

The collection contains publications on topics including, but not limited to: war-time food use and victory gardens, home planning and organization, food and cooking, home demonstration, and household management. Although the emphasis in on Virginia state and local agencies, materials may also originate from around the United States.

Dates: 1934-present

William Logan Threlkeld Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1975-005
Abstract

This collection contains the papers of William Logan Threlkeld, professor of zoology and biology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1929-1958), including biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence, research files, and printed materials.

Dates: 1919 - 1974

Records of the Virginia Cooperative Extension

 Record Group — Box Microfiche 1-2
Identifier: RG-26
Abstract

This collection contains the administrative records of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, including correspondence, reports, financial documents, slides, videos, and the records of Bob Swain and Edwin J. Jones. The collection also documents the VCE's role in Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Virginia Association of Extension Secretaries, and their work within rural communities.

Dates: 1862 - 1997