Museum District in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Confederate Memorial Chapel
R. E. Lee Camp, No.1
— Confederate Soldiers’ Home —
April 16, 2011
1. Confederate Memorial Chapel Marker
Inscription.
Confederate Memorial Chapel. R. E. Lee Camp, No.1. Between 1885 and 1941 the present-day location of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was the site of a large residential complex for poor and infirm Confederate veterans of the Civil War. Established by R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, Confederate Veterans, the camp was built with private funds, including donations from former Confederate and Union soldiers alike. At peak occupancy, residents numbered just over three hundred; altogether a total of nearly three thousand veterans from thirty-three states called the camp home. From the camp’s earliest years, the Commonwealth of Virginia helped fund the institution. When the last resident died in 1941, the Commonwealth gained ownership of the site and designated it as the Confederate Memorial Park., Dedicated in 1877 to the Confederate war dead, this nondenominational chapel served as a place of worship for the residents of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1. Funded by donations from veterans and private citizens of the Commonwealth, it was designed by architect Marion J. Dimmock in the Carpenter-Gothic style. The interior features hand-hewn pews, eight commemorative stained-glass windows, and a bell that once tolled the day’s hours. In the postwar era of reconciliation, Union veterans from Lynn, Massachusetts, donated the organ. By the time the camp closed fifty-four years later, the chapel had hosted approximately 1,700 funeral services for the former soldiers.
Between 1885 and 1941 the present-day location of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was the site of a large residential complex for poor and infirm Confederate veterans of the Civil War. Established by R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, Confederate Veterans, the camp was built with private funds, including donations from former Confederate and Union soldiers alike. At peak occupancy, residents numbered just over three hundred; altogether a total of nearly three thousand veterans from thirty-three states called the camp home. From the camp’s earliest years, the Commonwealth of Virginia helped fund the institution. When the last resident died in 1941, the Commonwealth gained ownership of the site and designated it as the Confederate Memorial Park.
Dedicated in 1877 to the Confederate war dead, this nondenominational chapel served as a place of worship for the residents of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1. Funded by donations from veterans and private citizens of the Commonwealth, it was designed by architect Marion J. Dimmock in the Carpenter-Gothic style. The interior features hand-hewn pews, eight commemorative stained-glass windows, and a bell that once tolled the day’s hours. In the postwar era of reconciliation, Union veterans from Lynn, Massachusetts, donated the organ. By the time the camp closed fifty-four years later, the chapel had hosted
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approximately 1,700 funeral services for the former soldiers.
Location. 37° 33.347′ N, 77° 28.561′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in the Museum District. Marker is on Grove Avenue west of North Colonial Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Located behind the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2900 Grove Avenue, Richmond VA 23221, United States of America. Touch for directions.
This watercolor by Margaret May Dashiell depicts a line of veterans paying respects at the flag-draped coffin of a colleague. The particularly solemn scene is among the artist’s many sketches of the soldiers’ home residents from the 1920s and 1930s. VMFA, Gift of Mrs. William A. Archer.
Places (Submitted on April 19, 2011.)
3. Veterans reunite at the Soldiers' Home
The soldiers’ home was a favorite venue for both Confederate and Union veterans during joint reunions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pictured are members of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, alongside visitors from Lander Post, No. 5, G.A.R., of Lynn, Massachusetts, July 5, 1887. Photo: Library of Virginia
circa 1907
4. Soldier's Home, Richmond, Va.
This postcard view pictures the camp’s original entrance, which faced Grove Avenue. Carriages—and later automobiles—entered and proceeded north around a large oval drive to access the various buildings, including Robinson House (then called Fleming Hall) at the opposite end. Photo: Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University - "Rarely Seen Richmond: Early twentieth century Richmond as seen through vintage postcards"
April 16, 2011
5. Confederate Memorial Chapel Markers
April 16, 2011
6. Confederate Memorial Chapel
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2011. This page has been viewed 959 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 19, 2011.