Conditions Governing Use

The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Roscoe Phelps Diary, WLU Coll. 0496, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections' staff to verify the appropriate format.

Content Description

The Roscoe Phelps diary is a bound manuscript entitled "Anecdotes of the Year 1900" written by Washington and Lee University student Richard Roscoe Phelps (Class of 1902). Phelps reports on life as an undergraduate student touching on courtship, recreation, hazing, off-campus boarding and regional travel and exploration of such places in Rockbridge County Virginia as House Mountain and "Lover's Leap". Other events covered include the vandalizing of "Old George", the George Washington statue atop Washington Hall on W&L's campus, on Washington's birthday; christening a new boat for the crew team, construction of the grandiose and doomed DeHart Hotel in Lexington; the tenure of W&L president William Lyne Wilson; a local opera house fire; and a detailed description of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. This collection also includes a copy of The History of Rockbridge County Virginia, by author Oren Morton which descended in the family of the donor. The book is inscribed by Samual M. Dunlap.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Cakewalk (Dance)
• Courtship
• Hazing
• Hiking
• Lexington Development Company (Lexington, Va.)
• Liberty Hall Academy
• North Carolina--Asheville
• Rowing
• University Chapel . Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA )
• Virginia -- House Mountain
• Virginia -- Lover's Leap
• Virginia Military Institute
• Washington and Lee University
• Washington and Lee University. Newcomb Hall
• Washington and Lee University. Tucker Hall
• Wilson, William Lyne