Oregon Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Samuel Pleasants Parsons House

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 24, 2009

1. Samuel Pleasants Parsons House Marker

Inscription. Completed in 1819, 601 Spring Street was the home of Samuel Pleasants Parsons (1783-1842). Parsons, a Quaker, was an early reform-minded superintendent (1816-1822, 1824-1832) of the Virginia State Penitentiary, formerly located across Belvidere Street. The Parsons family was part of a network of important Richmond Quaker families that were collectively involved in a series of abolition and prison reform activities. Parsons later served as a superintendent for the James River and Kanawha Company and was a founder of the Mechanicsville Turnpike. The house is a part of the Oregon Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Erected 2003 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Charity & Public Work • Law Enforcement • Religion & Religious Structures • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Quakerism, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1819.

Location. 37° 32.344′ N, 77° 26.978′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is

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in Oregon Hill. It is at the intersection of Spring Street and South Belvidere Street (U.S. 1), on the left when traveling west on Spring Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 Spring Street, Richmond VA 23220, 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Virginia State Penitentiary (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Miller House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of Distinguished Persons Buried in Hollywood (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Andrew's Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Grace Evelyn Arents (approx. ¼ mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Grace Evelyn Arents (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Additional commentary.
1. Marker replaced after being destroyed years ago.
This historic highway marker was destroyed in a vehicle accident a few years ago and has been replaced this week, courtesy of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council.

— Submitted August 23, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Spring Street (facing west) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 24, 2009

2. Spring Street (facing west)

Samuel Parsons Condominiums image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, December 24, 2009

3. Samuel Parsons Condominiums

Samuel Parsons House image. Click for full size.

4. Samuel Parsons House

Historic American Buildings Survey [HABS VA,44-RICH,78-]

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,214 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 28, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.