The only building still standing is the Parsons House with two chimneys in the upper right hand side of the photo. The owner of the canal boat building business at one time lived in the Jacob House.
From 1954. Recognize anyone?
Photo from Visual and Vintage Virginia, with permission to share from Denise Bigger.
On the City Council agenda for July 14th is a proposed 16 story tower on Pear Street proposed by felon Louis Salomonsky and his business partners. The city’s Master Plan, developed with thousands of volunteer hours, insists that the city’s views be protected, and certainly a 16 story tower would block the view of the river from Church Hill.
The Historic Richmond Foundation sent a disturbing letter suggesting that an “iconic” building is needed at that location.
Well, here is the type of “iconic” building at 709 W. Cary that Salomonsky and his business partners threw up in the Oregon Hill Historic District.
Despite community and preservationists concerns, and with Friday Cheers over for the season, it looks like Venture Richmond has started on the unneeded amphitheater project, doing irreparable damage to this incredibly important historic resource. Alternatives, such as putting Venture Richmond’s largest stage on Brown’s Island, already leased to Venture Richmond, were ignored. There is a large “thumb” bucket backhoe on the canal berm knocking down trees and scouring the dirt. Trucks are dumping fill dirt below the canal berm. And, still no word on replacing the illegally demolished wall.
From the press release:
RICHMOND, Va.– On Sunday, June 29, 2014, as part of the nationwide Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration, the National Park Service will present Voices from the Storm: The 1864 Overland Campaign. This special outdoor multimedia program will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Tredegar Iron Works (500 Tredegar Street in Richmond) and will feature images, voices, and music of the people who lived 150 years ago.
I found him in front of the altar… He had been shot through the chest, was breathing loud and in gasps, worn out for want of support… His words led several men near to draw their sleeves across their eyes; but they all knew he was dying… He reached toward the floor, and the man next handed up a daguerreotype case… I took it and opened it; found the picture of a young, handsome woman and held it and a candle so that he could see it. His tears fell on it, as he looked… “Is that your wife?” and he replied, “No! But she would have been.”
(Jane Swisshelm, hospital nurse)
This story is one of hundreds from churches turned to hospitals, from farm fields that became battlefields, and homes that would never again be seen by their sons, fathers, and brothers. These stories illustrate how the massive 1864 Overland Campaign reverberated throughout the nation that summer 150 years ago, and for years afterward.
The National Park Service will share some of these stories in Voices from the Storm: The 1864 Overland Campaign, presented by park rangers and volunteers from Richmond National Battlefield Park, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, and Petersburg National Battlefield. The free program is a partnership event cosponsored by the three parks and the American Civil War Museum. A reception will precede the program at 8:00 p.m.
The Overland Campaign
In five weeks of fighting between May and June 1864, tens of thousands of American soldiers were casualties of what became known as the Overland Campaign, a series of battles fought across a broad swath of central Virginia, from Fredericksburg to Richmond to Petersburg. That summer, the families and loved ones of almost 100,000 American servicemen received news that their husbands, sons, fathers, and friends were casualties of the fighting in Virginia—killed, wounded, or missing—captured or maybe one of the countless unidentified dead hastily buried on the battlefield. As the siege of Petersburg and Richmond began in June 1864, the outcome of the war was far from certain—for the future of the Union, the Confederacy, and four million enslaved African Americans. Since early May, thousands of visitors have followed in the footsteps of Union and Confederate armies as the three parks and partner sites throughout central Virginia have been commemorating the 1864 Overland Campaign.
From tour description in Virginia Living magazine:
Jun 28, 2014 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Explore the significant role that women’s groups played in Hollywood Cemetery’s history from the Civil War to the present. Stops include gravesites of female residents who led independent lives as educators, authors, preservationists, suffragists, humanitarians or as the power behind the scenes of famous men. Meet at the cemetery entrance at Cherry and Albemarle streets.
$15 per person
$5 for History Center Members and children under 12
Walk-ups welcome.
Cash or check, or purchase online at richmondhistorytours.com.
Andrew McRoberts has written an interesting article in Richmond.com on the “Reasons Richmond Should Love the CSX Railroad Viaduct”.
Excerpts:
The C&O (now CSX) Viaduct is enormously long (about three miles in length). It starts beneath the Robert E. Lee Bridge near Oregon Hill Overlook, and stretches all the way to Nicholson Street and the former Fulton Yard (across Route 5 from Rockett’s Landing in far eastern city of Richmond). It allows a nearly at-grade (level) train crossing of downtown Richmond along the James River and the Great Shiplock for much of its length.
…
In 2014, the viaduct is celebrating 113 years in its existence. And, as you know if you ever visit the riverfront downtown, the viaduct is still in active use by CSX Corporation
Like much of Phil Riggan’s articles in Richmond.com on the James River, this deserves reading.
I can’t help but wonder if this is a bit of public relations on CSX’s part, given recent concerns stemming from the Lynchburg explosion.
But, getting back to the history…The C&O Railroad Viaduct is a treasure, and Richmond residents should be aware of other important railroad history that is now threatened within sight of the Viaduct. A remnant of the Tredegar Branch railroad connecting the iron works on Belle Isle with Tredegar is slated to be destroyed by Venture Richmond for yet another amphitheater. These tracks sit on the towpath of the historic James River and Kanawha Canal. Venture Richmond’s plan is to lower the towpath below the historical level of water in the canal and in the process of irreparably damaging the canal, the old railroad line will also be scrapped. Alternatives, such as putting Venture Richmond’s largest stage on Brown’s Island, already leased to Venture Richmond, were ignored. It is unbelieveable that Venture Richmond is destroying the Tredegar Branch railroad remnant that is within the Tredegar Historic Site.
From Hollywood Cemetery’s FaceBook page:
There will be a memorial for Jefferson Davis this Saturday at 9am. The memorial service is a family event complete with music, poems, and keynote speaker. There will also be a marching bagpipe band, honor guard and musket salute.
The event is free and open to the public.
I have been also informed that there will be cannon fire, lots. It will all be over by 11:00 am.
From the Associated Press article:
Neighborhoods and commercial areas with a mix of older, smaller buildings make for more vibrant, walkable communities with more businesses, nightlife and cultural outlets than massive newer buildings, according the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s study.
…
“There is a lot of economic capability in older and smaller buildings and in historic districts that’s often overlooked,” she said.
The study is the start of a larger initiative also examining Baltimore, Philadelphia and other cities with less robust real estate markets. Researchers also want to know whether their findings hold up in younger and smaller cities as well or less prosperous areas.
“We hear from time to time, ‘well, it’s just easier to tear it down and to start over,'” Meeks said. “So we feel compelled to put the strongest argument forward that it’s worth the effort to invest in these places, not just from a cultural standpoint but from an economic standpoint.”
While we have had some fun for past years’ April Fools Days, I am skipping this year. Its not the first time I have skipped, but this year in particular my heart is just not in it. For one thing, I am not sure if I could come up with anything as outrageous as what is really happening right now-
Venture Richmond is getting ready to alter and diminish one of Richmond’s most historic features, the James River and Kanawah Canal, designed and presided over by George Washington, for an unneeded amphitheater. Besides putting future restoration at risk, ‘Vulture Richmond’ is doing this by breaking promises to go through the Section 106 review process. This is after a historic wall was illegally demolished on property leased to Venture Richmond.
Board members of Venture Richmond are also behind the Monroe Park Conservancy, a mysterious and dastardly plan to privatize Monroe Park (for VCU). The City government is backing this plot, saying it does not have enough money to renovate and maintain the City’s oldest public park as a public park, despite dedicating millions of dollars to establishing a training field for a professional football team, that is owned by a millionaire. The local anarchists are doing a better job of defending the public interest than City government.
‘Vulture Richmond” is also behind an even bigger plot to force the construction of a minor league baseball stadium in historic Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, despite passionate, now international, public protest. This is the third or fourth time that this scheme has been tried, and one of the principles behind it is a developer who was convicted and went to jail for his part in a City Council bribery scheme. Again, it looks like promised historic preservation oversight is being finessed despite public promises.
The mainstream media has sometimes joined the fun of reporting April Fools Day stories. Maybe this year they can try reporting on the reality of these truly outrageous happenings.