Now Netanyahu has driven people from their homes in Southern Beirut and is bombing targets in Lebanon. My prayers are with my Lebanese American friends whose families are fleeing the latest attack by this war criminal. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Do you make digital negatives?
Beatrice Walker’s oral history at St. Luke Hall in 2013. As a Trustee, she helped save the building from condemnation. Her story reveals New Town’s erasure and Maggie Lena Walker’s lasting impact on Black financial empowerment in Blacksburg.
friendsofstlukeoddfellows.org/2025/02/18/b...
On Feb. 18, 2025, Heather Nicholson spoke at the VT Woman’s Club Winter Luncheon on St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, highlighting how cooperative economics helped Black communities survive post-emancipation. Built in 1906, the hall remains a testament to their legacy.
This Hall was once the heart of the New Town neighborhood. Now, it feels small beneath the towering VT buildings that have reshaped the landscape. Universification—like gentrification, but at the expense of Black communities—continues to erode its identity. How do we push back against this trend?
Excited to announce our new website! It combines valuable info, a digital archive, and hidden stories that honor the people who built this building, community, University, and Blacksburg. Their often-overlooked history and contributions are now celebrated.
www.friendsofstlukeoddfellows.org
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to decorate a Maggie L. Walker bank and to learn about the importance of the St. Luke, Odd Fellows, and Household of Ruth Hall to the African American community that once called Blacksburg home. Your interest and curiosity help keep this history alive.
This is a huge concern for Blacksburg’s St Luke and Odd Fellows Hall on Gilbert Street.
m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
Green Book listings in Montgomery County were few, and Christiansburg’s Eureka Hotel—run by the Morgan family from 1930 into the 1970s—was the only advertised local lodging.
gatheringafricanamericanpast.org/2024/01/07/t...
Friends of St. Luke, Odd Fellows & Household of Ruth applaud Ordinance 2001 creating the Downtown NW District—an important step to protect the 1905/06 Hall, New Town’s last remnant. Strong enforcement will be key. m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Walker served as the bank's first president, which earned her the recognition of being the first African-American woman to charter a bank in the United States. Charles Thaddeus Russell was Richmond's first black architect and he designed the building for Walker.
In 1903, Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. She wanted to help finance black home ownership and turn saved cents into dollars for black people.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Along with her leadership of the Independent Order of St. Luke, Maggie Walker was also involved with the NAACP, The National Association of Colored Women, the National Urban League and National Negro Business League, and the United Order of Tents.
As a leader, Walker achieved successes with the vision to make tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans. Disabled by paralysis and a wheelchair user later in life, Walker also paved the way for people with disabilities.
Walker's restored and furnished home in the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia has been designated a National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service.
When she was fourteen years old, Walker joined the local council of the Independent Order of St. Luke. This fraternal organization was originally established as a burial society in 1867 in Baltimore, Maryland by Mary Prout.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
