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.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Oscar B. Barker, Jr. Collection, WLU Coll. 0616, 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.

Biographical / Historical

Oscar Bayhe Barker, Jr. was born October 14, 1892 and died in Lynchburg, Va. on October 21, 1975. He attended Washington and Lee University from 1911 to 1913 and was a member of the class of 1915. He was married to Mary Ogilvie Lefebvre, most likely in 1926. Oscar Barker, Jr. was the vice president of Barker-Jennings Hardware Corp., located in Lynchburg.

Mr. Barker was involved with building the Sigma Chi fraternity house located on the corner of Washington Street and Lee Avenue in Lexington, Va. The house is now Mattingly House. He was the president of the fraternity in 1931 when the house was contracted and was the treasurer for Sigma Chi during the early 20s. Shirley Riley seems to have been involved in the fraternity house construction project. She was also a close associate of Mr. Barker.

Scope and Contents

The papers in this collection are largely focused on the construction of the Sigma Chi house. These go through all stages of construction, from the early discussion of the possibility through completion. Letters as well as financial and legal documents address the topic. There are also many documents related to the administration of the fraternity. Personal items such as photographs and dance booklets add a window on the time period in general. Besides house construction, there are many items of interest related to Sigma Chi, such as invitations to New York alumni events from the 1890s.

Separated Material

Seven scrapbook pages removed to Oversize Drawer 27

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Barker, Oscar B., Jr.
• Correspondence
• Fraternal organizations
• Photographs
• Printed ephemera
• Records
• Washington and Lee University
• Washington and Lee University. Mattingly House