Willow Lawn in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Westwood Community
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2022
1. The Westwood Community Marker
Inscription.
The Westwood Community. . Formerly enslaved African Americans established Westwood Village here after the Civil War. Residents built houses, a church, a school, and businesses, forming a vibrant, self-sustaining community with many social and cultural organizations. The City of Richmond annexed Westwood from Henrico County in 1942. In the mid-1940s, residents resisted several attempts by the city to demolish the community and replace it with a park. Residents also combated segregation in Richmond's public schools. A student from Westwood became the first African American to attend Westhampton Junior High (in 1961) and Thomas Jefferson High (in 1962) after a federal court decision in Warden v. Richmond School Board.
Formerly enslaved African Americans established Westwood Village here after the Civil War. Residents built houses, a church, a school, and businesses, forming a vibrant, self-sustaining community with many social and cultural organizations. The City of Richmond annexed Westwood from Henrico County in 1942. In the mid-1940s, residents resisted several attempts by the city to demolish the community and replace it with a park. Residents also combated segregation in Richmond's public schools. A student from Westwood became the first African American to attend Westhampton Junior High (in 1961) and Thomas Jefferson High (in 1962) after a federal court decision in Warden v. Richmond School Board.
Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-121.)
Location. 37° 34.562′ N, 77° 30.475′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Willow Lawn. It is at the intersection of Willow Lawn Drive and Dunbar Street, in the median on Willow Lawn Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5204 Patterson Ave, Richmond VA 23226, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2022, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,201 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 17, 2022, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
