The Richmond waterfront is steeped in African American history. From the early days when Richmond was a colonial trading post, free, indentures, and enslaved African Americans lived and worked in the area. Later, the Richmond dock became a place . . . — — Map (db m202877) HM
In front of you are the remains of a hydroelectric power plant. It powered the trolley system on the south of the river and the steel company at the east end of the island.
To your left and up are the remains of the Transformer . . . — — Map (db m64046) HM
During the Civil War over 1,000 Union soldiers perished in the 6 acre prison site before you. Of those who survived, in bothe Northern and Southern camps, many were exchanged in such wretched condition that they were often unfit to return to duty. . . . — — Map (db m64035) HM WM
Through the arched doorway mules pulled carts of scrap iron from England. Water powered the machinery. European immigrants and black slaves provided the labor. The nails, wire and horseshoes were famous throughput the South.
Sign donated by . . . — — Map (db m64045) HM
The Belle Isle prisoner-of-war camp that stood before you here was a prison without walls. Federal soldiers were confined by the James River and by the low earthen "dead line," such as the one replicated in front of you, surrounding the camp. About . . . — — Map (db m64041) HM
Big guns on the hill deterred riots - in the over crowded prison encampment to your left. Few escaped, most died of starvation, dysentery, and disease. In total about 1,000 perished. The cemetery, now empty, was to your right where trees grow today. — — Map (db m13994) HM
You are looking at the nationally significant site of the notorious Belle Isle prisoner-of-war camp where during the Civil War thousands of captured U.S. soldiers were confined.
After the war began in 1861, military prisoners jammed Richmond’s . . . — — Map (db m64034) HM
In 1969 Hurricane Camille punched a hole in this dam that once funneled water to power plants on Belle Isle and below Hollywood Cemetery. It's now a popular boating site. Notice how a small current on the far side goes back upstream offering an . . . — — Map (db m64050) HM
To large pits on top of this hill were intended for cannons to guard this prison island from northern attack. Rapids actually protected the island, there was never an attack, and no guns were ever installed.
Sign funded by: Blue Ridge Mt. . . . — — Map (db m64049) HM
You are walking across the top of the remains of an adjustable dam constructed by the Virginia Electric Power Company in 1901 to divert water into the Haxall Canal.
The canal powered large water-driven machines under the 12th Street Power . . . — — Map (db m128031) HM
The river brings logs and debris with every flood, but clear water is needed to push the turbine blades that turn electric generators. Logs were floated away through the gate in the dam straight ahead. (Look under the wheel.) Small debris was caught . . . — — Map (db m64047) HM
Water leading to the power plant was kept clean by passing it through slats in the headgate called trash racks. Bits of wood can wear away the edges of turbine blades and make them unbalanced. Repair was complicated and expensive.
This . . . — — Map (db m64048) HM
Early History
Belle Isle, at 54 acres, is the largest island in the James River at Richmond, and also one of the most historic sites in the city. Virginia’s native tribes, including the Powhatans, fished in the river here for thousands of . . . — — Map (db m64038) HM
In front of you is Belle Isle. At 54 acres, it is the largest island in the James River at Richmond, and one of the most historic sites in the city. Virginia Indians fished in the river here long before the English arrived, Captain John Smith was . . . — — Map (db m64056) HM
The rapids to your left are named for the cemetery on the hill straight ahead. The granite rocks that cause them are part of a geological scar that stretches 1000 miles from New Jersey to Georgia. It resulted from the clash of the continents . . . — — Map (db m64053) HM
This stone storage shed was built to hold flammable lubricants and dangerous acids. The hand-cut stone likely was quarried here on Belle Isle. The shed served the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Company, which expanded from this area eastward, behind . . . — — Map (db m64043) HM
“The Union soldiers would put out the fires and push into the city within hours of the Confederates passing over the bridges. Among the first Union soldiers to put down their muskets and pick up fire hoses and axes would be several regiments of the . . . — — Map (db m41840) HM
In April and May, the Falls of the James is the richest source of food available. 400 years ago, Native American men would wade with nets and spears among the rocks and rapids to catch migrating shad, herring and striped bass. Enormous . . . — — Map (db m64054) HM
The tall design, thick "I" beams and a mix of different sized pieces mark this as one of the first factory buildings constructed by the ODIS -- probably in the early 1900's. OIDS was famous for is advanced metallurgy and fine casting important in . . . — — Map (db m64044) HM
Winches mounted here hauled rough granite out of the quarry pit and down to the rail connection at the ast end of the island. Steam from boilers powered the drills. The use of concrete here foretells the end of the cut stone industry -- between . . . — — Map (db m64052) HM
Granite blocks were cut and winched up from the 19 foot deep quarry pit. Workers, mostly black prisoners, hit 2 cracks that led to the river. Water entered continually and the site was abandoned. Sunfish now live in the shallows, catfish at the . . . — — Map (db m64051) HM
You are standing over the Historic Falls of the James, an approximately 7-mile stretch where the river drops 105 feet in elevation as it crosses the fall line in downtown Richmond.
The “fall Line” is a geologic term for an imaginary . . . — — Map (db m128030) HM
The ancient river bank is the top of the hill before you. Floodwaters have slowly carved out the valley of the James. The Hollywood Cemetery is now 80 feet above the River.
The rocks in front of you have a dome-topped, curvy, . . . — — Map (db m64042) HM
Here stood part of the outer line of the Confederate defences of Richmond, built in 1862-64. On the right the line crossed Brook Road and ran North and South along the ridge where Emmanuel church stands. On the left it extended four miles Westward, . . . — — Map (db m16008) HM
Alexander H. Stephens
Vice President of the
Confederate States of America
Lived in the house that stood here in 1861
This tablet is placed by the
Confederate Memorial Literary Society, A.D., 1912, — — Map (db m16272) HM
Born into slavery in Hanover County in 1860, Alfred D. “A.D.” Price moved to Richmond in the late 1870s. Soon after coming to Richmond, he set up a blacksmith shop, which expanded into a livery stable and the funeral home that stands here, now known . . . — — Map (db m5601) HM
This site commemorates the pioneering basic, clinical and translational research that laid the foundation for successful cardiac transplantation. On this campus, Dr. Richard Lower performed the first heart transplant in Virginia on May 25, 1968. . . . — — Map (db m19180) HM
This building in the Egyptian style has been used continuously since its completion in 1845. During the War Between the States it was the chief Southern center for the education of physicians and surgeons.
This tablet is erected by the Alumni . . . — — Map (db m42672) HM
In Oct. 1844, Hampden-Sydney College’s medical department first held classes in this Egyptian Revival structure designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas S. Stewart. Completed in 1846, it provided educational and clinical facilities for the medical . . . — — Map (db m18855) HM
On 1 July 1950, the first professional Afro-American firefighters in Virginia were hired and in September were stationed on the northeast corner of this intersection. These courageous pioneers created a loyalty and dedication to each other and their . . . — — Map (db m22323) HM
"As for the singing, when the vast congregation poured out its full soul in the old-fashioned songs, the long and loud bursts of praise reminded one parishioner of the 'sound of many waters.'"
Slave Missions & the Black Church in the . . . — — Map (db m41846) HM
Tracing its roots to 1780 as the First Baptist Church, the First African Baptist Church was bought and organized by freedmen and slaves in 1841. The present building was erected on the same site in 1876. The establishment of First African Baptist . . . — — Map (db m79124) HM
William H. Grant, a prominent Richmond tobacconist, built this mansion by 1856 on property acquired from John Wickham's estate. The house, an early example in Richmond of the Italianate style, reflected the wealth and sophistication of late . . . — — Map (db m16170) HM
(panel 1)
Low Rise Dorms
Medical College of Virginia (MCV) President Witham T. Sanger had grand dreams for the school he led from 1925 until 1956. One of his more interesting concepts was a plan for a miniature “Village” . . . — — Map (db m132142) HM
Originally built in 1846 at 1105 East Clay, Street, this Greek Revival townhouse was reconstructed on this site in1993 using much of the original architectural fabric. The builder, Dr. Socrates Maupin, was one of the founders of the medical . . . — — Map (db m30001) HM
1788
This site was a part of the Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts where the Virginia Convention of 1788 voted to approve the proposed U.S. Constitution on June 25th.
1806
Richmond Theatre opened in three-story brick building. . . . — — Map (db m79129) HM
The church is a memorial to the 72 people, including Virginia Governor George W. Smith, who died when the Richmond Theatre burned here in 1811. Several survivors owed their lives to the bravery of Gilbert Hunt, a slave blacksmith. A committee . . . — — Map (db m18853) HM
The Navy Hill neighborhood, named as a tribute to nearby naval victories during the War of 1812, was settled by German immigrants beginning in 1810. It became a vibrant African American community by the turn of the century. Navy Hill’s distinctive . . . — — Map (db m47368) HM
This house was the executive mansion of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family from August 1861 until April 2, 1865. A West Point graduate, former U.S. senator from Mississippi, and former U.S. secretary of war, Davis was the . . . — — Map (db m16271) HM
Section of the propeller shaft of the famous Iron-Clad Virginia (Merrimac), an essential portion of the machinery furnishing motive power to the ship in her engagements in Hampton Roads, when she, under command of Admiral Franklin Buchanan, . . . — — Map (db m143043) HM
On this site the Virginia Convention ratified the United States Constitution June 25, 1788
In the ratifying convention were Edmund Randolph, James Madison, George Wythe, Henry Lee, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, George Mason and James Monroe . . . — — Map (db m18851) HM
Sadie Heath Cabaniss laid the foundation for professional nursing in Virginia and was the founder of the VCU School of Nursing in 1893. Cabaniss, who held leadership positions in both state and national nursing organizations, led the movement to . . . — — Map (db m69106) HM
During the era of racial segregation, the Medical College of Virginia established the St. Philip School of Nursing for African-American women. It operated from 1920 until September 1962, when the last of its 688 graduates received their nursing . . . — — Map (db m20721) HM
St. Philip's Way
St. Philip's Way is a historical path through Academy Square that connects the 19th-century Egyptian Building with the 21st-century James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center. Along the way, you will learn . . . — — Map (db m85172) HM
The Virginia Convention of 1788 met in the Richmond Academy near this spot and ratified the United States Constitution.
Placed by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 1907. — — Map (db m19179) HM
The nearby monument bears the names of those who lost their lives in the theater fire of December 26, 1811. Those marked * may be misspelled.
North
Mary Gallego •
Elizabeth Page •
Jane Botts •
Lucinda C. Wilson •
Eleanor Gibson . . . — — Map (db m180180) HM
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Third Street
Bethel A.M.E. Church
has been registered as . . . — — Map (db m216653) HM
Built in 1818 as the residence of Dr. John Brockenbrough, this National Historic Landmark is best known as the executive mansion for the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. President Jefferson Davis and is family lived here until Confederate . . . — — Map (db m4411) HM
The Carillon, Virginia's War Memorial for World War I, was erected by the Commonwealth of Virginia to commemorate those who served. Designed by noted Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, it is an interpretation of the Italian campanile in . . . — — Map (db m22492) HM
This fountain
Is erected by the Womans
Christian Temperance Union
Of Richmond City and Henrico County
And their friends in memory of the
Crusaders of Hillsboro, Ohio who
Went out December 19, 1873 with the
Weapons of prayer and faith . . . — — Map (db m43871) HM
Wilfred Cutshaw graduated from the Virginia
Military Institute in 1858 and served as a
lieutenant colonel of artillery in the Confederate
army. As Richmond’s city engineer (1873–1907),
he instituted an innovative system of civic
planning . . . — — Map (db m108007) HM
Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, defined under
Virginia’s 1924 Racial Integrity Act as an interracial
couple, married in June 1958 in Washington, D.C
and returned home to Caroline County. Arrested in
July for violating Virginia’s laws against . . . — — Map (db m108166) HM
Near the Bell Tower in Capitol Square stood the barracks of the Public Guard. There, from 1801 to 1807, lived John Lane and his wife, Anna Maria Lane, the only documented woman veteran of the Revolutionary War to reside in Virginia. She disguised . . . — — Map (db m4624) HM
"Archibald Cary, Speaker of the Senate, and the Richmond Lodge of Free Masons No. 13, Alexander Montgomery, Master, assisted by other officers and brethren laid the foundation of this fabrick on the 18th day of Augt. 1785, in the 10th year of . . . — — Map (db m216641) HM
Presented to the people of Virginia by George Edward Barksdale, M.D. and gratefully accepted by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a tribute of admiration for Poe's scholarly genius as an eminent and vigorous writer and poet. — — Map (db m4637) HM
Slavery denied African Americans the education and skills required to exercise the freedoms won by the Civil War. To redress this, Congress created the Freedman Bureau and Freedman’s Bank in March 1865. In Richmond, the Bureau and its Bank first . . . — — Map (db m25307) HM
Washington
(Marker conveys the impact of Virginians on our Country's history through its prominent and allegorical figures. See the "More about this marker" section and the links for more information). — — Map (db m4715) HM
Site of the home of
Governor Edmund Randolph,
Patriot, Soldier, Statesman.
Placed by the Association
for the Preservation of
Virginia Antiquities
1907. — — Map (db m74180) HM
State Senator 1916-26
Governor of Virginia 1926-30
United States Senator 1933-65
The General Assembly of Virginia on March 9, 1974, authorized this memorial to Harry Flood Byrd, of Winchester, Virginia, declaring that "The sum total of . . . — — Map (db m4711) HM
(Front):
To
Hunter Holmes McGuire, M.D., LL.D.,
President of the American Medical
and of the
American Surgical Associations;
Founder of the University College of Medicine;
Medical Director, Jackson's Corps,
Army of Northern . . . — — Map (db m4735) HM
On a platform erected on this spot Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the regularly elected President of the Confederate States of America, February 22, 1862. — — Map (db m4742) HM
The Corps of Cadets established
at John Marshall High School
in 1915 was the first
military training program
in a public school in Virginia.
Dedicated to the thousands of
young men who wore the uniform
of the Corps of Cadets. This . . . — — Map (db m114378) HM
The third United States Supreme Court Justice lived here until his death in 1835. His family remained until 1909, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) opened it to the public in 1913. — — Map (db m29353) HM
The third United States Supreme Court Justice lived here until his death in 1835. His family remained until 1909, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) opened it to the public in 1913. — — Map (db m216651) HM
John Marshall purchased the equivalent of the entire city block in 1788. He eventually added five outbuildings to service the House. In front of you, on the present site of the John Marshall Courts building, sat Marshall's law office, a two story . . . — — Map (db m216649) HM
State Legislator, U.S. Congressman
Governor of Virginia,
U.S. Senator, Vice President of U.S.,
Peace Commissioner,
Confederate Congressman and
tenth President of the United States
This marker was placed in 1949 by
the Head . . . — — Map (db m4713) HM
Jews have participated in Virginia’s social and economic life from the colony’s beginnings. Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome (Holy Congregation House of Peace) was founded in Richmond in 1789, when the Jewish community grew large enough to establish the . . . — — Map (db m27135) HM
Mantle is an earthwork monument by Mohawk artist Alan Michelson, based on the deerskin mantle in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, catalogued as follows in 1656: Pohatan, King of Virginia's habit all embroidered with shells, or Roanoke. . . . — — Map (db m216640) HM
Mary Richards Bowser Denman was born enslaved in Virginia ca. 1840. Given de facto freedom by Elizabeth Van Lew, whose family enslaved her, she was educated in New Jersey and sent to live in Liberia before returning to Richmond in 1860. During the . . . — — Map (db m216642) HM
Old City Hall
A Registered National Landmark
Built: 1886-1894 Restored: 1983-1984
Developer: Cranston Development Company
Architect: Landmarks Design Associates
General Contractor: Navarro Corporation
Interior Design: . . . — — Map (db m125090) HM
After midnight on 3 April 1865, Confederate
soldiers set fire to several tobacco warehouses
nearby on orders from Lt. Gen. Richard S.
Ewell, as the army evacuated Richmond and
marched west. Two distinct fires spread
rapidly throughout the . . . — — Map (db m8161) HM
Richmond, Surrey, England, visited by William Byrd in his boyhood, inspired the name for Richmond, Virginia. Commemorating that fact, the Virginia Branch of the English Speaking Union presents this tablet to Richmond, Virginia, on the occasion of . . . — — Map (db m125091) HM
Spottswood W. Robinson III, a Richmond native, fought against Jim Crow laws that made African Americans second-class citizens. An attorney, he worked for the Virginia NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and helped to argue a . . . — — Map (db m173660) HM
This tower was built in 1824, on the site of a frame building. It long served as a guard house for the State Guard.
The bell was a fire alarm and was also rung in emergencies. In 1861-1865 it was used to call out local defenders, notably on . . . — — Map (db m4632) HM
Completed in 1825, the Bell Tower replaced an earlier wooden structure and served as a guardhouse for the Virginia Public Guard. The bell was rung hourly and as an alarm for fire, military attack, and other emergencies. Since 1934, it has been rung . . . — — Map (db m216638) HM
Built in the early 1830s as a carriage house and stable at nearby 809 East Leigh Street, this building was purchased by sculptor Edward Valentine in 1871. To bring in the indirect natural lighting favored by artists, he installed a skylight and . . . — — Map (db m30009) HM
On this site lived three Presidents of the United States, Monroe and Tyler as Governors and William Henry Harrison while his father, Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was Governor. The first house on this site was also . . . — — Map (db m5216) HM
The garden is fashioned in the late 18th century style and contains herbs and flowers from the period. The two story wooden kitchen building stood to the right with a small wooden smokehouse between it and the rear of the House. A two story wooden . . . — — Map (db m216650) HM
Built in 1790, this brick house reflects the late 18th century Federal period style. It was home to the Chief Justice whose principles shaped our Federal government and established the Supreme Court we know today. The structure houses an unusually . . . — — Map (db m29352) HM
The John Marshall House
The John Marshall House was the Richmond home of “the Great Chief Justice” from 1790 to 1835. The longest serving Chief Justice to date, Marshall was known as the “definer of the Constitution" and a shaper of the . . . — — Map (db m114376) HM
Built in 1790, this was the home of John Marshall the "Great Chief Justice" of the United States Supreme Court and Richmond's leading citizen, until his death in 1835. The house was saved from demolition in 1911 by Preservation Virginia. — — Map (db m216644) HM
On this site once stood the Murphy Hotel (also known as Murphy's Hotel).
In 1866, John Murphy established his original hostelry as a small Oyster Bar and guesthouse. Business thrived and the two-story frame oyster shack was replaced with a . . . — — Map (db m216647) HM
This tablet marks the site of
The Richmond Female Institute
and
Woman's College of Richmond
1853 - 1916
Presidents
Bash Manly, Jr., D.D. • John Hart, B.A., M.A., B.L. • Charles H. Winston, M.A., L.L.D. • Salley B. Hamner . . . — — Map (db m216643) HM
This wall was once a part of the Treasury Building of the Confederate States of America.
In it were the offices of the President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Treasurer of the Confederate Government.
. . . — — Map (db m8152) HM
Liverpool, England • The Benin Region of West Africa • Richmond, Virginia
During the 18th Century, these three places reflected one of the well-known triangles in the trade of enslaved Africans.
Men, women and children were captured in . . . — — Map (db m20765) HM
Presented by English Gentlemen
as a tribute of admiration for
The Soldier and Patriot
Thomas J. Jackson
and gratefully accepted by Virginia
in the name of the Southern People.
Done A.D. 1875.
In the hundredth year of the Commonwealth. . . . — — Map (db m4734) HM
The 1892 bequest of Mann S. Valentine II, creator of Valentine’s Meat Juice health tonic, established the Valentine Museum as one of Richmond’s first museums. He sought to create a museum devoted to the art, history, and culture of the world. First . . . — — Map (db m59353) HM
On April 23, 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Johns and several fellow students led a strike to protest the deplorable conditions at their racially segregated Prince Edward County school. The Rev. L. Francis Griffin united parents in support of the strike . . . — — Map (db m25310) HM
Designed by renowned Boston architect Alexander Parris and completed in 1813, Virginia’s Federal-style Executive Mansion is the oldest purpose-built residence for governors and first families in the United States still serving that function. Until . . . — — Map (db m74179) HM
This monument stands as an enduring tribute to all of Virginia's women, both renowned and unrecognized, who have shaped over 400 years of our culture, our country, and our great Commonwealth.
❶ Anne Burras Laydon . . . — — Map (db m216636) HM
This monument stands as an enduring tribute to all of Virginia's women, both renowned and unrecognized, who have shaped over 400 years of our culture, our country, and our great Commonwealth.
❶ Anne Burras Laydon . . . — — Map (db m216637) HM
Attorney John Wickham (1763-1839) lived at this location beginning in 1790. A prominent lawyer, he helped defend Aaron Burr against treason charges in 1807. Alexander Parris designed this neoclassical house built here for Wickham in 1812. Wickham’s . . . — — Map (db m59355) HM
(On front of granite base): William Smith.
Virginia.
Born Sep 6th 1797. Died May 18th 1887.
1836-40. 1841-42.
Member of Virginia Senate.
1846-49.
Governor of Virginia.
1841-43. 1853-61.
Member of United States Congress. . . . — — Map (db m4712) HM
(South Face):
Zero Milestone
Virginia Highways
(East Face):
Point for the measurement of distances from Richmond on Highways of Virginia
(North Face):
North Latitude 37° 32' 23"
West Longitude 77° 26' 04" . . . — — Map (db m4651) HM
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