Virginia Capital Trail

Virginia Capital Trail. . , Virginia Capital Trail and Richmond Canal Walk , In Richmond, the Capital Trail follows the Richmond Dock portion of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Great Ship Lock Park to the floodwall at 17th Street. On the other side of the floodwall, the trail connects to the Canal Walk, which continues to 5th Street and the American Civil War Center at the Tredegar Iron Works. Historical markers guide the way., Richmond Slave Trail , You can also follow the Slave Trail, which chronicles the history of the trade of enslaved Africans from Africa to Virginia until 1775, and away from Virginia, especially Richmond, to other locations in the Americas until 1865., Look Around You , The cross-section here of transportation routes , water, rail and road , is evidence of Richmond's role as a dynamic urban hub. The canal was built in the 1820s and improved in the 1850s. The railroad viaduct was constructed in 1900 and rebuilt in the 1950s. The highway bridges overhead date from the 1950s and 1970s. Each was an achievement in its time as is the massive floodwall, built in the 1990s., 50 Miles of History , The Virginia Capital Trail connects the Commonwealth's past and present capitals of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Richmond. It traverses more than 50 miles and 400 years rich in history along one of the first inland routes in North America. In Richmond, you can visit the Virginia Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785., Visit virginiacapitaltrail.org for more information., [Captions:] , Original Town Plan of Richmond, drawn for William Byrd II in 1737 , You are standing where a strip of land ran between the creek and the river, opposite Lots A/B. In Byrd's plan, the land between the street grid and the James River was designated as Town Commons., President Lincoln entering Richmond, April 4, 1865 , When Lincoln arrived to tour Richmond the day after the Evacuation Fire, his launch landed at a wharf in the vicinity of 15th Street. From there he and his small party, including his son Tad, walked across the 17th Street Bridge, which at that time traversed the canal, and into the city. Crowds of former slaves quickly gathered and greeted them with enthusiastic cheers. Just 10 days later, President Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C.