City Sights

City Sights. . , Petersburg. , Appamattuck Indian Fish Traps, Appomattox River near Old Town. Considered to be the largest and most intact fish dams in Virginia, these sturgeon dams are made of loose stones forming a series of v-shaped tunnels by which Indians caught fish in baskets at the funnel spout during low tide. Believed to be approximately 2,000 years old. Appomattox Regional Governor’s School. 512 W. Washington Street. The former Petersburg High School was renovated and reopened in 1999 as a regional high school for arts and technology. Battersea. 1289 Upper Appomattox Street. By appointment only. 1768 Palladian house built by John Banister, Petersburg’s first mayor. Every April the City hosts a Revolutionary War reenactment of the battle fought there on April 25, 1781. Blandford Church and Cemetery. South Crater Road. The 1735 Church is one of six known buildings in the world in which every stained-glass window was crafted by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Virginia’s 3rd largest cemetery, ca. 1702, is the final resting place for 30,000 Confederate soldiers. Used as a hospital during the Civil War and credited with being the inspiration for the national observance of Memorial Day. Centre Hill Museum. Centre Hill Court. A 19th-century Federal-style mansion reflecting the lifestyle of a prominent antebellum family with Greek Revival interior woodwork and furnishings. Dogwood Trace. 3108 Homestead Drive. A brand-new, 18-hole golf course. Farmers Bank. 19 Bollingbrook Street. By appointment only. The Federal-style building opened as a bank in 1817. The president of the bank and his family lived on the upper two floors. Farmers Market/Petersburg Visitor Center. 9 East Old Street. Information on attractions, as well as shopping, dining, lodging and recreation. From April through October there are local growers selling fresh vegetables, flowers, and more at the Farmers Market each Saturday morning. Live music. Free. First Baptist Church. 236 Harrison Street. By appointment only. Founded in 1756, the congregation is the oldest African American Baptist church in America. Ladies Confederate Hospital. 201 Bollingbrook St. Now a feed and seed store, this was the original building of the Civil War hospital, from 1862-1865. Lee Memorial Park. Defense Road. A unique botanical habitat of some rare and endangered species, with an 18-acre lake surrounded by more than 300 acres of green space. Peoples Cemetery. 330 South Crater Road. An African American cemetery established In 1815. Located across Crater Road from Blandford Cemetery. Petersburg Area Art League. 7 East Old Street. Art gallery with permanent collection and rotating exhibits by area artists. Offering classes in different media. Petersburg Courthouse. Courthouse Avenue. By appointment only. A sophisticated 1840 Classical Revival building with both Greek and Roman details. A prominent landmark during the Siege of Petersburg. Petersburg National Battlefield. 5001 Siege Road. Scene of the 9½-month siege of Petersburg. Walk on the grounds where the famous Battle of the Crater took place. A driving tour of the battlefields includes 13 separate sites along a 33-mile route. The Eastern Front Visitor Center offers exhibits and audiovisual programs that introduce the story of the siege. Petersburg Regional Art Center. 132 N. Sycamore Street. Has a monthly juried All-Media Show, 70 artists’ studios, and six single-artist shows a month. Petersburg Sports Complex. 100 Ballpark Road. Home of the Petersburg Generals Baseball Club, a member of the Coastal Plain League. Pocahontas Island Museum. 224 Witten Street. Open by appointment or by chance. Includes a mysterious military trunk and photographs of the headstones of free slaves of Pocahontas Island. Poplar Grove National Cemetery. 80001 Vaughan Road. One of 14 National Cemeteries administered by the National Park Service. Final resting place for 6,178 Union soldiers, mostly unknown. Poplar Lawn Park. South Sycamore Street. This park was the site of encampments for soldiers during the War of 18 12 and a hospital during the Siege of Petersburg. The Pocahontas Basin is located there today. Richard Bland College. 11301 Johnson Road. Founded In 1960, it is the only state-funded junior college in Virginia. Site of the Globe Tavern Civil War battle, and the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad. Siege Museum. 15 West Bank Street. Located in the ca. 1839 Exchange Building, this museum interprets civilian life in Petersburg before, during, and immediately after the Civil War. An 18-minute film narrated by the late film star and Petersburg native Joseph Cotten is shown every hour. Sycamore Rouge. 21 W. Old Street An arts venue inspired by the Parisian cabarets of the 30s and 40s. Trapezium House. 244 North Market Street. Privately owned. Charles O’Hara built this house in 1817 without parallel walls because, as legend has it, he was told by his West Indian servant that such a house could not harbor evil spirits. Petersburg has three of the 41 stops on the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail which goes throughout Southside Virginia. The first stop is the site of the earliest known public high school for African-Americans in Virginia, known as the Anna Bolling School, which has been converted to the Bolling Park apartments. The second is the McKenney Library, site of integration sit-ins in early 1960. The third site is the Peabody-Williams School. For more information on these and other sites, please visit the Petersburg Visitors Center.