130 years after its opening, the once small agricultural college has
become Virginia's largest university- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University.
When Charles Minor opened the doors of his new land-grant institution in
late 1872, there were only 29 students, 3 faculty members, and a single
building in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. From the humble beginning
of donated livestock, seeds, machinery, and books, the university now
known as Virginia Tech has emerged as a leading research university that
is consistently ranked among the nation's best colleges. In addition to
housing some of the top engineering and business schools, the university
also has a tremendous athletic program that continually produces many of
the nation's top ranked athletes. The Campus History Series: Virginia
Tech illustrates the university's evolution through over 200 archival
photographs, including rare and fun bites of campus history, such as the
old cadet rat parades, the first ring dance, the Highty-Tighties, the
Huckleberry, and even the evolution of the school's mascot, the Hokie
Bird.