Museum District in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Confederate Memorial Chapel
R. E. Lee Camp, No.1
| | Confederate Soldiers Home | |
April 16, 2011
1. Confederate Memorial Chapel Marker
Between 1885 and 1941 the present-day location of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was the site of a large residential complex for poor and infirm Confederate veterans of the Civil War. Established by R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, Confederate Veterans, the camp was built with private funds, including donations from former Confederate and Union soldiers alike. At peak occupancy, residents numbered just over three hundred; altogether a total of nearly three thousand veterans from thirty-three states called the camp home. From the camps earliest years, the Commonwealth of Virginia helped fund the institution. When the last resident died in 1941, the Commonwealth gained ownership of the site and designated it as the Confederate Memorial Park.
Dedicated in 1877 to the Confederate war dead, this nondenominational chapel served as a place of worship for the residents of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1. Funded by donations from veterans and private citizens of the Commonwealth, it was designed by architect Marion J. Dimmock in the Carpenter-Gothic style. The interior features hand-hewn pews, eight commemorative stained-glass windows, and a bell that once tolled the days hours. In the postwar era of reconciliation, Union veterans from Lynn, Massachusetts, donated the organ. By the time the camp closed fifty-four years later, the chapel had hosted
this page online
Erected 2011 by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 37° 33.347′ N, 77° 28.561′ W. Marker was in Richmond, Virginia. It was in the Museum District. It was on Grove Avenue west of North Colonial Avenue, on the right when traveling west. This marker stood behind the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 2900 Grove Avenue, Richmond VA 23221, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Central Virginia. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 location: A different marker also named Confederate Memorial Chapel (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Confederate Memorial Chapel (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Soldiers' Home (within shouting distance of this marker); The Home For Needy Confederate Women (about 400 feet
April 16, 2011
2. Confederate Memorial Chapel Markers
Other markers no longer nearby. Residential Life at R. E. Lee Camp, No.1 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Robinson House (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the linked marker.
Also see . . . Confederate Memorial Chapel. National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on April 19, 2011.)
April 16, 2011
3. Confederate Memorial Chapel
4. Veterans paying their respects.
This watercolor by Margaret May Dashiell depicts a line of veterans paying respects at the flag-draped coffin of a colleague. The particularly solemn scene is among the artists many sketches of the soldiers home residents from the 1920s and 1930s. VMFA, Gift of Mrs. William A. Archer.
courtesy Library of Virginia
5. Veterans reunite at the Soldiers' Home
The soldiers home was a favorite venue for both Confederate and Union veterans during joint reunions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pictured are members of R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, alongside visitors from Lander Post, No. 5, G.A.R., of Lynn, Massachusetts, July 5, 1887. Photo: Library of Virginia
circa 1907
6. Soldier's Home, Richmond, Va.
This postcard view pictures the camps original entrance, which faced Grove Avenue. Carriagesand later automobilesentered 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 - "Rarely Seen Richmond: Early twentieth century Richmond as seen through vintage postcards"
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2011. This page has been viewed 1,265 times since then and 26 times this year. Last updated on March 30, 2026. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 19, 2011. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
