Cyrus Hall McCormick Library Plaque

Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809–1884), a native of Rockbridge County, invented the mechanical reaper and helped transform American agriculture. He served for twenty years on Washington and Lee University's Board of Trustees and was the first major benefactor to contribute to postwar Washington College. His son, Cyrus H. McCormick, subsequently bequeathed funds for educational purposes, which his sons, Gordon and Cyrus McCormick, directed toward the construction of a new University library.

The new Cyrus Hall McCormick Memorial Library incorporated the earlier Carnegie Library, constructed following Andrew Carnegie's $50,000 gift in 1905. In December 1940, the Alumni Magazine announced that the new building would bear McCormick's name and that “a plaque will be placed in the new building in memory of Andrew Carnegie and his gift to this University in 1908.” The University formally dedicated the new library on May 10, 1941, following two days of celebrations. The bronze plaque, dated 1941, honored both benefactors, whose contributions had been instrumental in the growth of Washington and Lee's educational mission.

When the University opened Leyburn Library in January 1979, students, faculty, staff, and Lexington residents participated in a campus-wide effort to transfer the library's collections into the new building. The McCormick Library plaque was also relocated to Leyburn, presumably around that time, or during the subsequent conversion of the old library the following year.

University officials removed the plaque from Leyburn Library in January 2022, following their completion of the Harte Center renovation. The plaque was subsequently housed in the University's archives before being transferred, along with other removed plaques, to the collections of the Institutional History Museum.

CYRUS HALL MCCORMICK LIBRARY
1941
THE BUILDING IS A MEMORIAL TO CYRUS HALL MCCORMICK 1809-1884
NATIVE OF ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, INVENTOR OF THE REAPER, TRUSTEE
AND BENEFACTOR OF WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY.
THROUGH A GIFT FROM ANDREW CARNEGIE IN 1908 THE ORIGINAL
LIBRARY ON THIS SITE WAS BUILT AND FURTHER BENEFICENCE FROM THE
CARNEGIE CORPORATION HAVE ENRICHED THE COLLECTIONS HERE PROVIDED.
CYRUS H. MCCORMICK, SON OF THE INVENTOR AND FRIEND OF THE
UNIVERSITY, BEQUEATHED FUNDS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, HIS SONS
GORDON AND CYRUS MCCORMICK, IN THEIR GENEROUS DISTRIBUTION
OF THE LEGACY, MADE POSSIBLE THE PRESENT LIBRARY BUILDING.

Washington and Lee University has not provided a public explanation for the removal of the Cyrus Hall McCormick plaque from Leyburn Library in January 2022, nor has the university announced any plans for its reinstallation or public display.

The university has not responded to recent TGR inquiries concerning the whereabouts and future exhibition of removed plaques. However, in September 2026 correspondence with The W&L Spectator, Museum Director Matt Davis stated: “Our storage facility is not open to the public, nor do we make a list of our collections inventory available to the public.” He further explained that “the size and weight of some of these artifacts are not conducive to public viewing.” Regarding their future exhibition, Davis wrote: “It is possible that some or all of these artifacts will eventually be incorporated into temporary or permanent exhibits once the new museum is open, and we hope to have online databases and viewing rooms in the future.”

1. https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=RCN19410508.1.4

2. https://digitalarchive.wlu.edu/islandora/ring-tum-phi-may-6-1941

3. https://digitalarchive.wlu.edu/islandora/alumni-magazine-washington-and-lee-university-december-1940

4. https://digitalarchive.wlu.edu/islandora/ring-tum-phi-january-11-1979