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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Welcome to Chapel Island

 
 
Chapel Island Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, January 3, 2016
1. Chapel Island Marker
Inscription. The island on which you are standing has a rich and varied history. The first record of what is now Chapel Island - a peninsula of land running from 14th Street to Pear Street - may well have been the first record of Richmond. When Captains John Smith and Christopher Newport sailed up the James River, Smith's diary described "mountains" to the right (Church Hill), "plains" on the left (Manchester) and the "ocean" (the Fall Line rapids) before them. It is possible the name "Chapel" could have originated at this time for on May 24, 1607, Newport erected a cross around the present day location of 14th and Cary Streets.

In 1816, the Richmond Dock Company built three basins forming a ship harbor and a series of wooden locks to serve as the City's primary shipping terminal. The James River Company purchased and improved the lock system to complete the "tidewater connection" in 1854. It consisted of five stone locks, the improved Richmond dock, and the Great Ship Lock, over which you walked to get here.

The canal era ended in 1880 due to competition from rail transport, but the area around you continued to serve as an industrial site. From 1898 to 1903, great ships were built here at the Trigg Shipyard, which produced vessels of war such as steam torpedo boats and destroyers. As you walk around the island's trails, you
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will come across the only remnants of the Trigg Shipyard - the large concrete walls just southwest of the canal bridge.

Today, five acres of the island’s 25 acres are natural and accessible for recreation. A major portion of the island is covered by the retention basin for the City's Combined Sewer System (CSS) as shown inthe aerial image above.

Thanks to a grant from the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and the help of many volunteers, the City of Richmond, and the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC), there is a half-mile gravel trail winding around the island with interpretative signs like this one. The grant also funded a kayak canoe launch just down the path to the left, which gives access to the tidal section of the James River. The island is accessed by a now immovable 1929 bascule bridge leading to a Norfolk Southern railway siding.

(sidebar)
Keep eye out for poison ivy, a climbing, vine with clusters of three leaves. The sap of this plant can cause a rash on your skin, even from a light brush from the leaves, if you come in contact with the leaves or sap, you have about half an hour to wash with cool soapy water.
 
Erected by Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration
Chapel Island Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, January 3, 2016
2. Chapel Island Marker
Industry & CommerceSettlements & SettlersWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is May 24, 1607.
 
Location. 37° 31.567′ N, 77° 25.296′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Shockoe Bottom. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Pear Street and Dock Street, on the right when traveling west. Located in the Great Shiplock Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2803 Dock Street, Richmond VA 23223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 28th St Draw Bridge / Great Shiplock Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Ship Lock (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Navy Yard (within shouting distance of this marker); Norfolk and Southern Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Great Ship Lock (within shouting distance of this marker); Rocketts Landing (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Great Ship Lock (within shouting distance of this marker); The Tidal James (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.
 
Chapel Island Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, January 3, 2016
3. Chapel Island Marker
Chapel Island Flora & Fauna image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, January 3, 2016
4. Chapel Island Flora & Fauna
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 585 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 3, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 29, 2024