Confederate Memorial Chapel

Confederate Memorial Chapel. Built 1887—Marion J. Dimmock, architect. Dedicated in 1887 to the Confederate war dead, this nondenominational chapel served as a place of worship and assembly for the R.E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers' Home, a residential complex for indigent Southern veterans. Designed in the Carpenter-Gothic style, its interior features hand-hewn pews, eight commemorative stained-glass windows, and a bell that once tolled the day's hours. By the time the facility closed in 1941, the chapel had hosted approximately 1,700 funeral services for the former soldiers., Remembrance and Reconciliation , The R.E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers' Home, established in 1885 with funding from both Confederate and Union veterans, became a well-known site for "Blue and Gray" events. From those opening years through the early 20th century, dozens of joint reunions and reciprocal visits by former enemies helped fuel a movement to honor all Civil War combatants and to foster national reconciliation., (captions) , The soldiers' home was a favorite tourist destination for both Southern and Northern veterans. Pictured is the 1887 joint gathering of Richmond's R.E. Lee Camp, No. 1, Confederate Veterans and Lander Post, No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic, of Lynn, Massachusetts. They pose together on the east side of Robinson House. Photo: Library of Virginia, This postcard view pictures the original Grove Avenue entrance to the soldiers' home. 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, In 1925, Richmond artist Margaret May Dashiell portrayed soldiers' home residents gathered at a comrade's funeral. VMFA, Gift of Mrs. William A. Archer