North Side in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Brown's Island Disaster
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
1. Brown's Island Disaster Monument
On March 13, 1863, an explosion destroyed much of the Confederate States Laboratory, a munitions facility on Brown's Island in the James River. 47 workers died, mostly girls under the age 17, who helped fill manpower needs and whose small hands were useful in such work.
Fourteen were interred in this cemetery in unmarked graves. Four are at this spot next to each other.
Emma Blankenship 15 • Wilhelmina Defenbach 15 • Virginia Mayer 12 • Caroline Zietenmayer 16
Others interred elsewhere in the cemetery are:
Margaret Alexander 12 • Anne E. Bolton 14 • Martha Clemmons 25 • Margaret Drustling 16 • Nannie Horan 14 • Alice Johnson 12 • Virginia C. Page 13 • Mary Valentine 14 • Mary Ellen Wallace 12 • Mary Zerhum 12
with the support of the Order of the Southern Cross and Pickett Chapter #115, M.O.S. & B.
March 2013
Erected 2013 by Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1814.
Location. 37° 33.1′ N, 77° 25.883′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in the North Side.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Shockoe Hill Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Union POW Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); "The Great Chief Justice" (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Shockoe Hill Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Shockoe Hill Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hebrew Cemetery (about 400 feet away); Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground (approx. 0.2 miles away); Engine Company No. 9 Fire Station (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery. (Submitted on December 17, 2014.)
2. Women and Girls in the Browns Island Explosion. Civil War Women (Submitted on December 17, 2014.)
3. Information about the C. S. Laboratory in Richmond, VA during the Civil War. Civil War Richmond (Submitted on December 18, 2014.)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
2. Shockoe Hill Cemetery
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
3. Emma Blankenship, Age 15
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
4. Wilhelmina Defenbach, Age 15
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
5. Virginia Mayer, Age 12
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 17, 2014
6. Caroline Zietenheimer, Age 16
Photographed By Alexander Gardner, April 5, 1865
7. Small Ammunition Laboratory, Richmond
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,635 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 17, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 7. submitted on December 18, 2014.
