Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Richmond 34
February 1960
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2026
1. Richmond 34 Marker
On February 22, VUU students marched to Thalhimers Department Store, where 34 students - 11 women and 23 men - entered the store. Some sat at the lunch counter while others sat in the fine dining room. When they refused to leave, they were arrested for trespassing. This marked one of the first mass arrests of the Civil Rights Movement, and the students became known as the "Richmond 34."
Their arrest sparked the Campaign for Human Dignity, which organized boycotts and picketed segregated businesses. Within a year, Thalhimers integrated its store and became an early advocate for nonviolent retail integration in Richmond.
Sit-ins were a key strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience that helped dismantle segregation and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law on July 2, 1964, mandating desegregation in public accommodations.
This installation
this page online
Dedicated by Richmond Flying Squirrels
Fabricated by Wellcraft Manufacturing
Designed by Sir James L. Thornhill, Art Director
Present Date: March 19, 2026
Erected 2026 by Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is February 22, 1960.
Location. 37° 34.226′ N, 77° 27.901′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It can be reached from Arthur Ashe Boulevard south of Robin Hood Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker is near the left field entrance into CarMax Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23230, 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 North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2026
2. Richmond 34 marker and art installation
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Richmond Locomotive Works (approx. ¼ mile away); C&O Kanawha Class Locomotive 2732 (approx. half a mile away); Aluminaut (approx. half a mile away); Car ONE (approx. 0.6 miles away); REA Express 183 (approx. 0.6 miles away); RF&P Kitchen Car 20 (approx. 0.6 miles away); Broad Street Station (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Boulevard Historic District (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.
More about this marker. CarMax Park opened in 2026 as the home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Double-A minor-league baseball team. The plaque is in the left field grandstand near a "34" sculpture that includes the names of all 34 people arrested at the lunch counter on February 22, 1960. Virginia Union University is about a mile southeast of this ballpark.
Also see . . . Monument at CarMax Park marks legacy of the Richmond 34. An article from the
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2026
3. CarMax Park
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, August 17, 2024
4. Richmond 34 Exhibit
At the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in Richmond. The room these photographs reside in, left of the lobby, is configured as an F.W. Woolworth's dining area - one of the chains targeted by sit-ins in Richmond.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 3, 2026
5. Richmond F.W. Woolworth's Counter & Stools
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture features the story of the Richmond 34 in the placards around this segment of F.W. Woolworth's counter, part of the museum's Treasures of Virginia exhibit. This is not from Thalimer's, the store that the Richmond 34 were arrested for sitting in; rather, Woolworth's was one of several other locations where VUU students staged sit-ins as part of their overall protest movement. It is tied to the Richmond 34 by related events rather than directly.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on July 25, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on July 26, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on July 27, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4, 5. submitted on September 14, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
