As Union
General Ulysses S. Grant moved on Richmond, he attempted to get around
Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s right flank and/or to lure his forces into
a large scale battle in open territory.&nbsp; In
a series of small battles, Lee’s forces initiated the conflict by pushing the
Union line back to Shady Grove Road.&nbsp;
Grant’s men then attacked all along the Confederate line along the south
bank of the creek, but were driven back.&nbsp;
After this inconclusive battle, the Union Army continued its march to
the southeast and to its engagement with Confederate forces at the Battle of
Cold Harbor.

The Shelton
House, which was, and still is part of this battlefield, was built around 1725 and
was home to the Shelton family until 2006 when it and the land around it was
donated to the Richmond National Battlefield Park.&nbsp; The rich history of this house is made even
richer when one considers the fact that it is believed that Patrick Henry’s
marriage to Sarah Shelton took place at the house.

During the
battle, Sarah Shelton refused to abandon her home and she and her children,
aged 14-35, took refuge in the house’s basement.&nbsp; Union forces climbed upon its roof in order
to direct artillery fire and to scout out the Confederate positions.&nbsp; It was struck by artillery fire over 50
times, evidence of which still remains.&nbsp;
The home underwent extensive restoration after 2006, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, and is only open to the public during
special events.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Shelton House with interpretive signs in the foreground.

Part of the battlefield's walking trails.

The footbridge across Totopotomoy Creek as it existed shortly after the battle.

Cannon overlooking the battlefield with the Shelton House in the background.

The National Parks Service page devoted to the battlefield with backstory and pics.

Website

The Civil War Trust site on the battle and battlefield with additional info and links to other sites.

More Info

The Battlefield's Facebook page with photos and comments.

This newest edition to the Richmond National Battlefield Park first opened to the public in 2011.  The organization acquired this 124-acre Civil War battlefield and historic Shelton House (sometimes referred to as Rural Plains) in 2006.  The battle took place from May 28-30, 1864 and was part of the Union Army’s Overland Campaign.  The battlefield now includes a two-mile walking trail, complete with a footbridge across Totopotomoy Creek, that takes visitors through original Union breastworks and along Confederate defensive positions.  It also includes numerous interpretive signs and artillery pieces.

Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield at Rural Plains

My version of Ric & surrounding areas tour 

In 1886
James Dooley purchased a former dairy farm that would eventually be transformed
into Maymont.&nbsp; Construction on the estate
began in 1890 and was completed by 1893.&nbsp;
During the next 30 years the Dooleys filled the mansion with works of
art and furnishings from around the globe.&nbsp;
Sallie also spent numerous days planning, supervising, and maintaining
the estate’s extensive gardens and landscapes along with a staff of 20.&nbsp; The results were a magnificent Victorian
mansion and gardens that the Dooleys and their guests enjoyed until James died
in 1922 and Sallie followed him in 1925.

The couple
left behind no children or heirs and as a result the land was not parceled out
and none of their belongings were sold off.&nbsp;
Thus, Maymont is a perfect example of a Gilded Age estate that has
largely been untouched since the time it was built.&nbsp; Upon the death of Sallie, the estate was bequeathed
to the city of Richmond and opened as a public park and museum in 1926.

Since that
time Maymont has hosted thousands of visitors who enjoy tours of the mansion,
wandering through its gardens and observing animal life native to Virginia,
such as Black bears, foxes, bobcat, and bald eagles, in their wildlife
exhibits.&nbsp; Maymont also boasts a children’s
farm stocked with docile barnyard animals and offers summer camps, educational
opportunities, and numerous annual events.&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Maymont is a 100-acre Gilded Age estate that was built by Major James Dooley and his wife Sallie May in 1893.  The 12,000 square-foot, 33 room mansion is surrounded by numerous gardens, ponds, bridges, gates, gazebos, a nature and visitor center, various wildlife exhibits, an arboretum, and meandering walking paths.  It has been open to the public since 1926 and has remained largely intact since that time.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.  The grounds and gardens are open daily and the mansion offers guided tours every half-hour during normal operating hours.

Maymont

The Hollywood Cemetery boasts a 90-foot stone pyramid in memorium to the 18,000 Confederate soldiers buried within.&nbsp; The monument was created by the Hollywood
Memorial Association from donations.&nbsp; To
date they have collected $18,000 dollars for renovations and upkeep of the
premise.&nbsp; Also in the cemetery rests
Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family, complete with a life-size
statue and the tombs or burial plots of Gen. George Pickett, Gen. J.E.B.
Stuart, President James Monroe (tomb), and President John Tyler. The cemetery is on the grounds once owned by William Byrd III (1728-1777), a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In the 1840s it was owned by the Harvie Family, who had plans for a family cemetery in this area of their land, known as "Harvie's Woods." A small cemetery was designed and was family-used until the end of the Civil War when the land was used to bury the Confederate dead. In&nbsp;1869 the 90-foot pyramid was constructed to honor the dead buried there.&nbsp;

General George Pickett is best known for his leadership in
the Civil War, specifically his place in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.&nbsp; Gen. Pickett finished last in his class at
West Point Military Academy in New York (a blemish he shared with General
George Custer) yet managed to lead companies in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
and the Civil War (1861-1865).&nbsp; In the
Mexican-American War, Gen. Pickett showed aptitude and emerged as a war
hero.&nbsp; 

During the Civil War, Gen. Pickett served as commander at
the Battle of Seven Pines, the Battle of Williamsburg, and the Battle of Gaines’
Mill (where he was severely injured). &nbsp;It
was at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, though that Gen. Pickett’s
actions garnered his infamy.&nbsp; Gen.
Pickett’s troops arrived two-days late to the battle and were ordered by
General Robert E. Lee on July 3rd to assault the Union’s center-line.&nbsp; The result was retroactively called “Pickett’s
charge,” a major tactical error that resulted in the capture, wounding, or
death of half of Gen. Pickett’s men by heavy cannon and musket fire.&nbsp; 

Gen. Pickett would later experience poor luck at the Battle
of Five Forks in April of 1865.&nbsp; His
defeat at that battle caused a major Confederate retreat. As a direct result of the battle’s
outcome, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox on April 9,1865
officially ending the Civil War. 

&nbsp;

Located on the bluffs of the James River in Richmond, VA, Hollywood Cemetery is second only to Arlington National Cemetery in numbers of visitors each year.  Hollywood Cemetery is 135-acres and features an unusual artistry in its design.  It is often called “garden cemetery” and was designed by notable architect John Notman of Philadelphia in 1847.  There are approximately 18,000 Confederate soldiers interred at the cemetery.  Other Civil War notables buried here are General George Pickett and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  President James Monroe and President John Tyler are also buried at Hollywood.  Admission is free and historic walking tours are available April through October, Monday-Saturday.  

Hollywood Cemetery

Formed in 1923,&nbsp;The American Battle Monuments Commission sought to create memorials to commemorate the lives lost in the first World War. Richmond was selected as Virginia's place of remembrance because it is the state capitol.&nbsp;Work on the structure began in 1928 and was not completed until early 1932 as the construction was being funded by both private and public organizations.&nbsp; The Carillion is a&nbsp;200-foot tall&nbsp;Georgian Revival&nbsp;bell tower. The architects sought to create a somber building as they knew it would be a memorial for fallen soldiers. The top of the building holds a 44 foot hight bell loft. This loft contains 53 bells which each play different notes. Originally, the tower held 65 bells but only played 53 notes; the top 12 bells in pitch had duplicates so they would produce a richer sound. The Carillon was restored in the 1970s and the bells with duplicates were replaced with sturdier bells so there was no longer a need for duplication.&nbsp; The tower sits in Byrd park and continues to be used for events and memorials. The lobby of the Carillon is currently a museum that functions as a memorial for the first World War. After the second World War, the city of Richmond included a Nativity each Christmas.&nbsp;

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 Georgian classicism. A commission was formed about 1922 to study a design and a site but public campaigns altered the initial proposal and delayed construction until 1931. The tower was completed and dedicated on 15 October 1932. The Carillon reaches a height of 240 feet and its bells were originally intended to ring out patriotic concerts.

The Carillon

Belle Isle was originally called Broad Rock Island when first explored by John Smith in 1607. From there until the Civil War it served as a fishery, location for a nail factory, a milling and slitting manufacturing site,&nbsp;and a village (which contained a church, a school and and store).&nbsp;Between 1862 and
1865, Belle Isle was home to approximately 30,000 Union prisoners of war. Of this number, an&nbsp;estimated 1,000 soldiers perished while in captivity on the island. Rather than construct an actual prison,&nbsp;Confederate military officials housed captured Union prisoners in tents
surrounded by a stockade, with the wall and the river serving as a deterrent to escape.&nbsp;In 1863, the prison held 10,000 Union soldiers but only had enough&nbsp;tents to accommodate 3000 men. While the site's swift rapids discouraged escape attempts and the bridge
connecting the island to the city made for easy movement of prisoners, the atmosphere endured by the prisoner’s was anything but
favorable. The prisoners’ long exposure to the atrocious elements, along with
the smallpox outbreak of 1863, was a large factor in the astounding death toll
on the island. The island’s second commander, Captain Henry Wirz was actually hanged after the war for his maltreatment
of prisoners at Andersonville in Georgia.&nbsp;The large numbers of prisoners
on the island caused a large increase in the price of food in Richmond. This consequently
caused a cut in the rations of the prisoners leaving the average ration to a
square of cornbread and thin soup that the soldiers claimed to be nearly inedible.


Union troops attempted to liberate men from the prison in a skirmish known as the&nbsp;Battle of
Walkertown. The failed campaign started with Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick leaving on&nbsp;February 28 with 4,000 men, with intentions to raid Richmond,
penetrate the defense, and free the POW’s. In 1864, Assistant Surgeon of Jarvis
Hospital, Peter DeWitt, performed services on several prisoners who were recently
released from Belle Isle. His description pertaining to the majority of the
patients was as follows:

"a semi-state of
nudity...laboring under such diseases as chronic diarrhoea, phthisis
pulmonalis, scurvy, frost bites, general debility, caused by starvation,
neglect and exposure. Many of them had partially lost their reason, forgetting
even the date of their capture, and everything connected with their antecedent
history. They resemble, in many respect, patients laboring under cretinism.
They were filthy in the extreme, covered in vermin...nearly all were extremely
emaciated; so much so that they had to be cared for even like infants.”In May, 1864 President Lincoln sent his Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
to conduct an investigation concerning the freed prisoners of Belle Isle. Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury gives his eyewitness account in, "Recollections
of President Lincoln and His Administration," which was published in the
late 1890s and still available today. He narrates how shocked President Lincoln
was when he learned of the devastating circumstances in which the Union
prisoners had been left by the CSA.

Finally, in February 1864, Belle Isle was evacuated by Confederate
authorities and prisoners were sent to Andersonville, Ga, Danville, VA, or Salisbury,
NC. By October 1864, the POW’s of Belle Isle's transferred and
the prison was officially closed. Belle Isle was then returned to its previous
owners by the Confederate authorities. In 1900 the site was sold to the
Virginia Power Company.&nbsp;Belle Isle was made into a park in 1973 and offers
those in the Richmond, VA area a serene location only a short distance from the
heart of the city. Belle Isle offers trains, swimming, rock jumping/climbing,
birdwatching, kayaking, and other activities to the public. Having held a once
dark past, Belle Isle is now a beautiful, serene place with tons of history.

Belle Isle was originally known as Broad Rock Island. It was first explored by Captain John Smith in 1607. The island has served several purposes over time. In the 18th century, it was a fishery. In 1814, it was utilized as a nail factory ran by the Old Dominion Iron and Nail Company. During the 1860s, the island was home to a small a village with its own school, church, and general store. During the Civil War, the island served as a prison for Union soldiers. Between 1904 and the 1963, the island was home to the Virginia Electric Power Company.

Today, Belle Isle is a 540-acre historic site and park for the city of Richmond, reachable by foot or bicycle via a suspension bridge that runs under the Robert E. Lee Bridge. Belle Isle has several bike trails and offers historic markers, walking trails, and attractions such as rock climbing. 

Belle Isle Historic District and Civil War Prison

After Richmond was made the capitol in 1780, it was found that Richmond needed a permanent capitol building. Thomas Jefferson was the primary architect. He used the Maison Carree as the inspiration for the building, creating the first recreation of a classical temple on American soil. Construction began in 1785 and continued until it was functional until 1792. The Capitol building is notable because, unlike most of Jefferson's designs and many state buildings in America, it does not include a dome of any kind. This building also served as the Capitol of the Confederacy from 1861-1865. On April 27th, 1870 tragedy struck the Capitol. The original courtroom was on the second floor of the Capitol building and was a single level. As Richmond grew, they found it was necessary to create a galley above the courtroom floor for spectators. This construction was done hastily. On the morning of April 27th a large crowd had gathered to for a mayoral contestation. Without warning, the galley floor gave way falling into the center of the courtroom. The weight from the fall caused the courtroom floor to collapse onto the Hall of Delegates. Over 60 people were dead at the scene and 130 were wounded. Soon after the tragedy the public called for the Capitol to be demolished as it was unsafe. The building underwent serious renovations from 1870 to 1904. Two wings were added to the original building so there would be room for growth. In 2003 Virginia worked to restore the building and bring it up to modern building compliances. The grounds of the Capitol include several statues that continue to attract large numbers of visitors each year. In 1869, the largest of these&nbsp;monuments were completed--a number of monuments to Virginia's leading members of the Revolutionary and early national period. A statue of George Washington stands at&nbsp;the center of these statues, flanked smaller figures of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Lewis, John Marshall, George Mason, and Thomas Nelson Jr. While these statues reflect the immediate post-war&nbsp;desire to memorialize Virginia's role within the founding of the nation, pro-Confederate sentiment returned to the forefront during the final years of Reconstruction.&nbsp;In 1875, a statue commemorating "Stonewall" Jackson was added to the grounds--an act that would have been unthinkable just ten years prior.&nbsp;&nbsp; The most recent additions further demonstrate the ways that historic commemoration reflects contemporary values and beliefs.&nbsp;In 2008, the state dedicated the&nbsp;Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. More recently,&nbsp;state leaders launched an effort to create a&nbsp;memorial related to the role of women within&nbsp;Virginia's&nbsp;history.&nbsp;

Designed by Thomas Jefferson and in operation since 1788, this is the oldest state capitol in the United States and even predates the United States Capitol in Washington. The capitol building is the 8th home of Virginia's government which began in the colonial era with the establishment of the House of Burgesses in 1619. This building also served as the Capitol of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Capitol Square includes monuments and statues honoring Virginians such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, Stonewall Jackson. Newer statues honor leaders of the Civil Rights Movement such as Barbara Johns.

Virginia State Capitol

History of the Site&nbsp;

The block now occupied by Old City
Hall once held three notable buildings: Governor Edmund Randolph's House, built
around 1800; the first City Hall, built in 1818; and the First Presbyterian
Church, built in 1853 and moved elsewhere in 1873. After a fatal collapse of
the gallery in the first City Hall in 1870, it and the Randolph House were both
demolished to make room for a new City Hall. Wilfred Cutshaw, Richmond's City
Engineer, led the project, holding a national architectural competition for the
design. Elijah E. Myers, designer of the State capitols of Michigan, Colorado,
Texas, and Idaho, as well as the Parliament Buildings of Rio de Janeiro, won,
and his plans were accepted in 1886.&nbsp;

The massive and elaborate High
Victorian Gothic building cost over a million dollars more than estimated to
construct. Supplying the project with materials required the construction of a
special railway along Broad Street. Nearly all the granite was quarried locally
from the James River, the stonework overseen by English immigrant James
Netherwood, who brought British steam-powered saws and polishing tools to the
job. Iron founder Asa Snyder was responsible for the fenestration in the
atrium, while Cutshaw served as the project contractor, hiring both
African-American and white locals for the labor. Unfortunately, there were
racial tensions between the workers, according to local news station WRIC (link
below), foreshadowing the slew of Jim Crow policies passed within the building
after its completion in 1894.



After the present City Hall was
constructed in 1970, Old City Hall was threatened with demolition. Through the
efforts of the Historic Richmond organization, the building was saved and
restored, designated a National Historic Landmark and included on the National
Register of Historic Places.

Constructed between 1886 and 1894, this High Victorian Gothic building served as Richmond's City Hall from 1894-1971. It replaced the earlier City Hall and Courthouse buildings on the same site (1816-1875) after the original hall's gallery collapsed. After an architectural competition, internationally noted Detroit architect Elijah Myers' design was chosen for the building. Today, the first floor is open to visitors, while the upper floors house offices leased by Historic Richmond.

Old City Hall, Richmond

Mann Valentine acquired his wealth from the production and sale of something called “meat juice” that was used as a health tonic in the 19th century. He used his acquired wealth to collect numerous historical artifacts and works of art, which he would later donate for the use of public education. The Valentine’s original home was the Wickham House and it has since moved and undergone numerous expansions and renovations throughout the years. Mann’s brother, Edward, served as the museum’s first president until his death in 1930. After Edward's death his collection of numerous sculptures, works of art and historical holdings was donated to the Valentine.The museum has both permanent and rotating exhibits. Its permanent exhibition is called “This is Richmond, Virginia,” and it explores the city’s history, culture and government.The Valentine also has a large collection of textiles and clothing. The museum owns over 30,000 textiles and garments. All of the items in the collection were either manufactured, purchased or used in the state of Virginia. The pieces in the collection range from haute couture items worn by notable Virginians to quilts and samplers made in Virginia during the 19th century. There are also contemporary textile and clothing pieces that have been made by local artist and designers. The museum is also home to the Valentine Store, a gift shop that focuses on selling locally made items. Two popular recurring events sponsored by the Valentine are its walking tour of Hollywood Cemetery and its Along the James Bike Tour. The museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and the Wickham House is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The Valentine, Richmond’s oldest private museum, was created in 1898 with funding, art, and artifacts donated by Mann Valentine II after his death in 1892. In addition to exhibition spaces, a Federal period mansion known as the Wickham House can be found at the museum. This house gives a glimpse into what life was like for a wealthy 19th century Richmond family. The Valentine also manages the First Freedom Center at the corner of S 14th Street and E Cary Street, the same location where Virginia's General Assembly met in the American Revolution. The First Freedom Center includes a monument and exhibits dedicated to the history of religious freedom. 

The Valentine

The board for Richmond's Medical College had been housed in the old Union Hotel in town and knew there was a strong desire and need for an official building to be the home for the city's medical college. To make this dream and reality, the college and city hired Ireland-born, Philadelphia-raised&nbsp;architect,&nbsp;Thomas Somerville Stewart. This was a convenient choice since Stewart was already in town having just completed the St. Paul church. The new building was called simply "College Building" when finished. After a while it became known as the "Old College Building."&nbsp;As the construction
was finished in 1845, medical students poured in to learn their skills. The
Egyptian Building did not only have medical lecture halls, but also a&nbsp;dissecting&nbsp;room
and an infirmary, as well as hospital beds. &nbsp;Although great efforts have been made to keep
its exterior as it was originally intended, the interior has been renovated
multiple times, since the building has been in continuous use since it first was
opened to students. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In 1939, the building was restored in honor of an 1862 graduate of the college, Simon Baruch. The restoration included Egyptian revival architecture, which would give the building it's current name, the "Egyptian Building."

This five-story
building is made mainly of brick, cast iron, and stucco. The impression of both
solidity and height is achieved by a combination of the building’s walls, which
are thicker at the bottom than at the top, and the minimal diamond-paned windows.
Also relevant are the Egyptian Building’s columnns, each has a delicate palm-frond
pattern on its capital while its shaft represents bundles of reeds. 

The traditional Egyptian symbol of the Winged Sun, traditionally
associated with the divine, appears repeatedly in the cornices that cap the
pylons. Certain areas of the interior have maintained the Egyptian Revival
style, and hieroglyphics celebrating to the gods&nbsp;Amun&nbsp;and&nbsp;Aten decorate
the antechamber to the auditorium. Similarly, the floor tiles in that room portray
a scarab beetle. The building is still in use by the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), or as it's also known, as the VCU Medical Center, a branch of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).&nbsp;

Egyptian Revival architecture is quite uncommon in the US, but Richmond’s Medical College of Virginia boasts its own Egyptian Building. Although the style chosen for this structure may seem bizarre at first, there is a perfectly logical reason behind it. When the Medical Department at Virginia Commonwealth University decided that they needed a space created for the specific purpose of medical education, architecture Thomas Somerville Stewart proposed using the Egyptian architectural style, arguing that the origins of medicine could be traced back to ancient Egypt. Specifically, he was referring to the famous Egyptian physician Imhotep, the first healer recorded in written History.

Egyptian Building

Alexander Willbourne Weddell (1876-1948) was born in Richmond to Reverend Alexander W. Weddell and Penelope M. Wright Weddell. He married a widow, Elisabeth "Virginia" Atkinson Chase Steedman (1874-1948), in 1923. Alexander and Virginia Weddell purchased two adjacent lots in the Windsor Farms subdivision in 1925 and 1926. The architect for their one-of-a-kind house was Henry Grant Morse of New York. Ground was broken to begin house construction in November 1925 by contractor Allen J. Seville, Inc. The house was completed three years later after construction costs of nearly $237 thousand and was turned over to the Weddells on January 1st, 1929. The Weddells bought an additional 7.77-acre lot in 1936 south of the house lots to incorporate a landscaping plan.The Virginia House is an amalgamation of mainly British architectural styles ranging from twelfth-century Anglo-Norman to fifteenth-century Tudor to seventeenth-century Flemish to 1940s Classical Revival. The two-story, asymmetrical building with sandstone walls was described in a local newspaper in February 1932 as "nearly like the Warwick Priory as possible... The left wing of the house is an exact reproduction of Sulgrave Manor..." Inside the drawing room of the left wing, many items related to George Washington were on display by the Virginia Historical Society for an American Association of University Women tea celebrating Washington's birthday. British antiques were seen by the guests, including a Jacobean bed, a fifteenth-century suit of armor, and a twelfth-century chest. Sulgrave Manor was the ancestral home of the Washington family. The east bay of the mansion was a reconstruction of the gate tower of the ancestral home of the Spencer family (including Lady Diana), Wormleighton Manor. The house was designed to combine modern conveniences with the antique interior finishes, including seven full bathrooms and central heating.The Virginia House underwent several changes and repairs over the next several decades. The house was modified in early 1932 to enlarge the master bedroom suite and install a sunroom on the second floor; the plans called for matching Briar Hill sandstone to blend with the house. Some of the original Virginia Buckingham slate roofing tiles were replaced in 1935 with Cotswold stone roofing slate ordered from England; the new slate was slightly lighter in color but thicker. Disintegration of the exterior surface of the house's sandstone walls was noted as early as 1936; the harsher climate of freeze and thaw cycles (compared to that in England) was probably to blame. Mrs. Weddell purchased antique stone columns from a Spanish duke and had them incorporated into a new loggia added to the southwest side of the house in 1945; the column bases were manufactured in Richmond by Economy Cast Stone.Noted Richmond landscape architect Charles F. Gillette prepared a Tudor-inspired landscape plan for the property in 1927. Over twelve years, the gardens were installed in three phases. First, a Tudor informal style garden was planted on the original one-acre lot; later phases extended southward toward the James River. During 1933 to 1938, Mr. Weddell served as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina; for the next four years, he was the Ambassador to Spain. On New Year's Day 1948, Alexander and Virginia Weddell were traveling by train to Arizona to spend the winter months. Their train was rammed by another train during a snowstorm in Missouri, and both, along with their English maid, Violet Andrews, were killed instantly. The Weddells bequeathed the property to the Virginia Historical Society; Mr. Weddell had served as the group's president from 1943 until his death.The Virginia Historical Society (VHS) has maintained the house as a museum, essentially as the Weddells left it. The house is not open to the public, but the group currently allows the house to be rented out for special events. The VHS also holds events in the house and garden tours. A video from a 2023 house tour day is included below.

Virginia House was assembled here from 1925 to 1928 using materials salvaged from a sixteenth-century manor house, the Thomas Hawkins Priory, in England, along with materials from other historic English homes. Dismantling the historic estate and its removal to the states was controversial in England. The new owners, Alexander and Virginia Weddell, lived in the mansion from 1929 until their deaths in a train accident on New Year's Day 1948. Mr. Weddell served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Argentina from 1933 to 1942. Mr. Weddell served as president of the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) for years; the couple bequeathed the property to the group. Virginia House became a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1990 and has been preserved largely as the Weddell family left it. Virginia House is not open to the public but is used for VHS events and special event rentals.

Virginia House

Agecroft Hall, home to the
Langley and Dauntesey families in Lancashire, England (not far from the town of
Manchester), &nbsp;was occupied by members of both families for over 300
years. The hall underwent many stages of remodeling and expansion throughout the years, with the most extreme additions taking place at the command of William Dauntesey in the mid-16th century. By the end of that century, the hall was a&nbsp;20-room mansion that even included a private chapel. Once Ann Langley married Dauntesey just prior to 1570, the home remained under Dauntesey ownership until 1811. After that point, all subsequent owners simply took the Dauntesey name, as was customary.The latter half of the 19th century brought much deterioration to the hall. &nbsp;Coal mining near the home and the placement of railroad tracks close to the property led to damage of the hall, and later attempts to modernize the structure after a bad fire&nbsp;caused its further destruction.&nbsp;It then sat unoccupied from 1904 to1925 when it
was put up for auction.

It was
purchased by Thomas C. Williams, Jr., an&nbsp;entrepreneur&nbsp;who sought to recreate the English estate in the "fashionable" Windsor Farms neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia.&nbsp; The mansion was
carefully disassembled, crated and shipped to the U.S. in 1925.&nbsp; While not rebuilt to the exact specifications
of the original, the reconstruction was completed in 1928.&nbsp; Mr. Williams, sadly, died the next year, and
the estate was tended to by his wife until, as Williams wished, it opened as a
house museum in 1969.

The hall
contains over 4,000 historical artifacts from both Tudor England and late 19th- to&nbsp;early 20th-century America.&nbsp; The collection consists primarily of
furnishings, textiles, documents, and ceramics.&nbsp;
Agecroft also hosts its annual Richmond Shakespeare Festival every
summer in which one can view a play by the bard under the stars.&nbsp; It also features an educational center that
offers programs such as Voyage to Virginia and Life on the Manor.&nbsp; Finally, the hall contains a gift shop that
offers gifts and books that focus on British history, especially the Tudor
Era.&nbsp;

This Elizabethan home, built during the latter portion of the 15th century, once stood on the banks of the River Irwell in Lancashire, England. For hundreds of years it belonged to the Langley and Dauntesey families, until it was bought, dismantled, and shipped to the United States in the mid-1920s by businessman T.C. Williams Jr. Once in the States, the home was relocated to the banks of the James River, named after one of England's many medieval rulers.  It is now a house museum that reveals what daily life was like for a wealthy, landed gentry living in Tudor England.  

Agecroft Hall and Gardens

World renowned, American architect Philip Johnson
designed ChildSavers’ WRVA Building as a radio station. WRVA, founded in 1925,
was known as the “Voice of Virginia.” Just two blocks from St. John’s Church
where the American Revolution found its voice, the building was dedicated on
Patrick Henry’s 232nd birthday, 29 May 1968. Prior to the complettion of this building, the station broadcast from&nbsp;Hotel Richmond.

The poured in-place concrete demonstrates a modern
identity, and the scattered rounded glass windows simulate punches made by a
machine, the pinnacle of technology during mid-century. The accompanying
75-foot square tower is designed with the same concrete and skip-stop holes and
rises to the top of the Church Hill cityscape with the steeple of nearby St.
John’s Church. 

Philip Johnson said, “We decided on the most
radical material with which to build… concrete! It is also one of the ugliest
materials in the world. But just because it was ugly was not a reason not to
use it! We wanted to use something typical of our day… make concrete beautiful…
make the building low enough to be a good neighbor… create a landmark that
could be said, “There is WRVA-Radio!”

In 2003, ChildSavers accepted the building as a
generous gift. ChildSavers committed to the adaptive reuse of the building for
delivering mental health and child development services. One year prior to WRVA’s
founding, ChildSavers was founded in 1924 as Children’s Memorial Clinic.
Established by Martha Patteson Bowie Branch in memory of Dr. McGuire Newton,
ChildSavers provided “physical and mental examinations, free of charge to all
children who may need the same.” 

L. Robert Bolling, Chief Executive Officer of
ChildSavers, said, “From this building, the radio station connected
people with information, important news, and resources to help them live their
lives from day to day. We continue this intent for children, and all those who
care for and educate them – their parents, their child care providers, our
staff and volunteers, and other community partners. The intentional renovation
of this building was to add to it our work to guide, heal, teach, and empower.”

Designed as a radio station by world-renowned, American architect Philip Johnson in the late 1960s, the WRVA Building is now the home of ChildSavers Memorial Child Guidance Clinic. WVRA was one of the first radio stations in Virginia and this building is considered among many of the city's important mid-20th-century architectural landmarks. The building was completed in 1968 featuring a modern construction aesthetic and windows architect Johnson called “punched holes” because they appeared like rounded-corner rectangles in the otherwise solid concrete of the building. The free-standing concrete tower stands above the one-story building which was designed to match the scale of neighboring homes and buildings while the modern style and lines of this building stood out significantly.  ChildSavers is a non-profit dedicated to guiding local children through critical moments with trauma-informed mental health and child development services. 

WRVA Building, Richmond

Being the center of Henrico Parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church and its congregation stretches back to the very beginnings of Virginia in 1611, being an offshoot of the first church in Jamestown. Throughout the rest of the 1600s, Henrico Parish moved up the James River where it eventually settled in the newly founded settlement of Richmond. William Byrd II is credited with establishing Richmond with land he donated in 1733, and in 1740 he donated land for the construction of a church for Henrico Parish. Completed in 1741, St. John’s Episcopal Church is not only the oldest church in Richmond, it is the oldest wooden church in Virginia. The next 30 years witnessed the church grow and support the surrounding community, which came to be known as Church Hill. Not only did these early colonial churches act as houses of worship, they served as community meeting spaces.&nbsp;By the 1770s, political tension between the colonies and Great Britain grew rapidly. Because the situation deteriorated so severely in Virginia, the House of Burgesses, the colony’s legislative body, was dismissed by the royal governor. Not to be deterred, the Patriotic members of the Burgesses met as the First Virginia Convention in Williamsburg, but due to close proximity to the governor’s forces, the members vacated Williamsburg and reassembled in Richmond. In March 1775, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Peyton Randolph, and over 100 other prominent Virginians met in St. John’s Church to hold the Second Virginia Convention. It was during this meeting in the church that Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, cementing the church in American history.St. John’s Church continued to thrive, surviving two domestic wars and the financial fluctuations of the 19th-Century. However, the urban flight and racial segregation of the mid-20th-Century greatly reduced the number of church members and residents within the Church Hill neighborhood. In the recent decades, St. John’s Church and its surrounding neighborhood have experienced a resurgence in prominence.&nbsp;There have been a few alterations made to St. John’s Church during its lifetime. The original 1741 building is found in the building’s southernmost section, oriented to the East in the tradition of the Anglican Church; and in 1773, construction of the nave changed the footprint of the church to its current footprint. Then, during the late 19th-Century, the current tower and steeple replaced an earlier version of each. The churchyard for St. John’s Church contains a small, brick building previously used as one of the first schoolhouses for African-American children in the city. The church’s giftshop is now housed in the old school building.St. John’s Church offered the first public burial ground in Richmond, and now spans an entire city block around the church. Several of Richmond’s and Virginia’s prominent citizens are buried here, such as George Wythe, the first law professor in the United States, delegate at the Continental Congress, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Of particular interest is one unmarked grave along the east wall of the churchyard. In 1811, Elizabeth “Eliza” Arnold Poe, actress mother to Edgar Allan Poe, died from consumption. Having been abandoned by her husband David Poe, Jr. in 1810, she relied on community assistance to support herself and her children. At that time, acting was still considered a dishonorable profession, but Eliza managed to find enough support and compassion from the Church Hill ladies that she was honored with a burial inside the St. John’s Church burial ground, albeit in an unmarked paupers grave. The young Edgar was taken in by wealthy Richmond family, the Allans, and lived nearby. It is undoubtable that Edgar visited his mother’s grave during his youth. In 1927, the Raven Society and the Poe Foundation placed a formal marker on Eliza’s gravesite.&nbsp;St. John’s Episcopal Church was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 1961, designated a Virginia Landmark on June 2, 1970, and added to the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing member of the St. John’s Church Historic District on September 15, 1970.

Being the center of Henrico Parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church and its congregation stretches back to the very beginnings of Virginia in 1611, being an offshoot of the first church in Jamestown. William Byrd II is credited with establishing Richmond with land he donated in 1733, and in 1740 he donated land for the construction of a church for Henrico Parish. Completed in 1741, St. John’s Episcopal Church is not only the oldest church in Richmond, it is the oldest wooden church in Virginia. In March 1775, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Peyton Randolph, and over 100 other prominent Virginians met in St. John’s Church to hold the Second Virginia Convention. It was during this meeting in the church that Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, cementing the church in American history. St. John’s Church continued to thrive, surviving two domestic wars and the financial fluctuations of the 19th-Century. However, the urban flight and racial segregation of the mid-20th-Century greatly reduced the number of church members and residents within the Church Hill neighborhood. In the recent decades, St. John’s Church and its surrounding neighborhood have experienced a resurgence in prominence. St. John’s Episcopal Church was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 1961, designated a Virginia Landmark on June 2, 1970, and added to the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing member of the St. John’s Church Historic District on September 15, 1970.

St. John's Episcopal Church 

The park
provides an informational kiosk, numerous interpretive signs and commemorative
markers all detailing the lock, Trigg Shipyard and natural aspects of the park.&nbsp; The granite canal lock was once part of the
James River and Kanawha Canal that permitted ships to bypass seven miles of
rapids and falls along the river and connected the James to the Richmond
Dock.&nbsp; The canal used the lock, and
others like it, to raise ships many feet above sea level as they made their way
to the interior of Virginia or to Richmond.&nbsp;
The Trigg Shipyard, while only in operation for a short time, produced
several vessels utilized by the U.S. Navy and its ship launching facility still
remains.

The park
provides access to Chapel Island via a small bridge as well as access to a
small, if somewhat muddy beach area.&nbsp; In
turn, the small beach area provides an ideal place to launch kayaks and paddle
boards.&nbsp; The park also gives access to
the Virginia Capital Trail that connects Richmond to Williamsburg and is used
by both hikers, joggers, and cyclists.&nbsp; Finally,
the park is also known as a good fishing spot by local residents.

The Great Shiplock Park is as small riverfront park that provides a quiet place to watch the tidal James River as well as a place to learn a little about Richmond’s transportation history.  The park, which serves as the western trailhead to the 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail, is part of the James River Park system.  It contains an operational canal lock that was built from 1850-1854.  It also is home to the remnants of the Trigg Shipyard that was in operation from 1898 through 1903.  A small lift bridge, owned by the Norfolk Southern Railroad, is also contained within the park.  

Great Shiplock Park

The original part of Fairmount School was built around 1895 in Fairmount, in the Fairfield District of Henrico County, as a two-story brick building over a high basement with a south-facing, three-story mansard-roofed tower. The original architect of the Gothic Revival style building is unknown. Fairmount was established as a suburban development in 1890 on a hill just east of Richmond and was incorporated as a town in 1902. The school's principal, Mr. W. A. Crenshaw, retired in 1902. After the expansion of the City of Richmond in 1906, the Town of Fairmount became part of the city. Enrollment was nearly 700 students in 1907 in grades one to seven; Fairmount was one of the city schools reserved for Whites. The Richmond School Board hired A. F. Huntt to design an addition to the school; the April 1907 budget included $2,000 for an additional lot to enlarge Fairmount School; $25,000 for the additions; $4,000 for steam heating; and $1.500 for furniture. An office, assembly room, and eight more classrooms were built in 1908. The principal of Fairmount School from 1906 to 1924 was Helen Dickinson, a former teacher in the Fairfield District. Dickinson was one of the only female principals in the city in 1909; all fifteen teachers in the school were unmarried women.The school building was expanded several more times, with fourteen more rooms added in 1916, designed by Charles M. Robinson; the school lost its garden space for the new addition. The school property expanded to the north in 1924. Miss Dickinson passed away on April 26th, 1924. The school was renamed after Dickinson in 1925. Her successor, C. B. Givens, served as principal until 1947. A new auditorium was built in 1950, plus a cafeteria, library, and office; architects Baskervill &amp; Son drew up the plans. The name changed back to Fairmount in September 1958, when the school became an African-American public school. White students were transferred to Highland Park and Nathaniel Bacon Schools, retaining segregation of the races in defiance of federal law. Fairmount enrollment neared 800 by 1959, and four more classrooms were formed in 1961 within the former auditorium. Harvey O'Neil Freeman was the principal from 1958 to 1971, followed by Tanner Anthony Collins until 1979.Fairmount School closed in 1979. The building served as George Mason School temporarily from 1979-1980 while the Mason building was under renovation. The city declared Fairmount as surplus property in January 1981. The 1916 and 1950 additions were removed in the 1980s. Churchill-Fairmount Limited Partnership bought the property and rehabilitated the building in 1994 into apartments for the elderly or the handicapped; each classroom space became one apartment. A second, six-story apartment building was constructed to the north of the school for additional apartments. Fairmount House Apartments contain studio and one-bedroom rental units.

This school was built around 1895, and at that time, it served the town of Fairmount in Henrico County. In 1906, Fairmount was annexed into the City of Richmond, and the school had an enrollment over 500 students at that time along with 15 teachers. Until 1958, school enrollment was restricted to white students. The building was enlarged several times between 1908 and 1950. The school was renamed Helen Dickinson in 1925 to honor a former principal. In 1958, the school was converted into a school for African Americans, and at that time, the Fairmount name was reinstated. The school closed in 1979, and the city later sold the building to Churchill-Fairmount Limited Partnership. Fairmount School was renovated in 1994 into apartments known as Fairmount House to house the handicapped or the elderly. In 2005, the Empire/ Gothic Revival style Fairmount School was added to the National Register of Historic Places; it is in the center of the 99-acre Fairmount Historic District, listed in 2008.

Fairmount School (Fairmount House Apartments)

During the Civil War thousands of&nbsp;men died of injury. It was common for men who made it off the battlefield injured to die later on due to overcrowded and under-equipped&nbsp;medical facilities and a lack of the medical standards that exist today. Confederate Surgeon General Samuel Moore recognized this problem and decided to convert military barracks into a hospital. He put Dr. Jame McCaw in charge of this process and made him surgeon-in-chief. By the end of he conversion process, the hospital included almost 150 buildings. The facilities&nbsp;included kitchens, bathhouses, an apothecary, a carpenter, and much more aside from the ninety hospital ward buildings. Each ward could hold approximately forty patients. the buildings were built with many windows and doors which allowed for the rooms to be aired regularly.&nbsp; This hospital was famous in its time for being the best hospital of the Civil War. With mortality rates around nine percent, a lot contributed to its success. One thing that is greatly attributed towards the hospitals success is that it was aired out and kept clean. It was also well staffed and never overly crowded. The Chief Surgeon, Dr. James Brown McCaw, was a graduate of &nbsp;the Medical College of Virginia, now the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)&nbsp;Medical Center.&nbsp; After the war, the hospital was no longer necessary and the buildings were torn down for firewood. There is a medical museum that stands on the ground of the old Confederate hospital that contains artifacts from the hospital as well as a diorama of what&nbsp;the hospital looked like.

Chimborazo Hospital served as a very important Confederate hospital during the Civil War. Although the hospital no longer stands, a museum stands in its place to commemorate the Confederate hospital and its superior work for its time. While in operation, the hospital was often referred to as, "The Hospital on the Hill." The museum in its stead serves as part of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. 

Chimborazo Hospital Historical Marker 

The
two-story, symmetrical, Georgian style home was originally the centerpiece of a
2,000-acre tobacco plantation owned by the Randolph family.&nbsp; It entertained many members of Virginia’s
colonial elite, to include George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.&nbsp; It also served as the Marquis de Lafayette’s
headquarters during the Revolutionary War.&nbsp;
It remained in the Randolph family until 1859 when it was sold to
Colonel William Knight to pay off the family’s growing debt.

The home
survived the Civil War relatively unscathed and changed owners four times
before falling into foreclosure at the start of the Great Depression.&nbsp; It was saved in 1932 by the Colonial Dames of
America in the Commonwealth of Virginia.&nbsp;
The Dames raised funds to save the house, but were unable to retain the
land it stood on.&nbsp; Thus, it was
disassembled, moved and reconstructed 15 miles west of its original location on
a bluff overlooking the James River in 1934.&nbsp;
It has been the headquarters of the Dames ever since.

The museum
now features rotating exhibits and past ones have included a furniture exhibit
entitled, “Collecting Neoclassical Maryland and Virginia, 1790-1820,” a
domestic art exhibit called “Anywhere But Now,” and a holiday display known as “Silver
Belles: Celebrating the Holidays in Style.”&nbsp;
The museum also hosts special events such as Jammin’ on the James, its free
summer concert series, Family Days, a Colonial Kids Camp and its annual
1920s-style Gatsby Afternoon Picnic.&nbsp;
Please visit their website of call for dates, times and details.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Built in 1753 for William Randolph III and moved and reconstructed during the Great Depression, the Wilton House Museum is now Richmond’s only 18th century plantation manor house and home to the area’s premier decorative arts collection.  The museum, which opened in 1952, now displays over 1,400 historical items to include furniture, paintings, silvers, ceramics, textiles and documents and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1976.

Wilton House Museum

Gabriel Prosser, a 24 year old enslaved Blacksmith from the Brookfield Plantation in Henrico County, Virginia, was considered to be of above-average intellect and was very literate. This would lead to him and other slaves holding their own rebellion in order to escape their current lives. Virginia was one of the states where slave ownership was very high and became a hotspot for plantation owners. Gabriel and his fellow slaves met in the area that would once be Spring Park as they chose him to lead their rebellion. They would then detail the plans for their escape.Prosser proposed that the slaves, armed with pikes made by slave Blacksmiths like himself and swords, should overtake the capitol, Richmond, to get their message across. After successfully seizing control of Richmond, Prosser planned to convince then-governor James Monroe to support political, economic, and social rights on equal footing with white people. The attendees of this meeting decided to implement their plan on August 30, 1800. Unfortunately, the weather that day did not permit anything and severe thunderstorms prevented participants in the ‘Rebel Army’ from being able to march on Richmond. Prosser rescheduled for the next day, but it was too late as two slaves involved, Tom and Pharaoh, informed their master at Meadow Farm, Mosby Sheppard, of the proposed plan. Sheppard in turn informed Governor Monroe as the governor mobilized armed troops in preparation.Governor Monroe had the Virginia militia secure the capital to prevent a full-on assault. Hearing of this, Gabriel Prosser and some of his compatriots fled down the Chickahominy River. However, the State of Virginia had placed a $300 bounty on Gabriel’s head and for his capture. On September 14, 1800, Prosser swam through the James River to board the schooner Mary. Once on board, he was recognized by the captain, Richardson Taylor, and a slave named Billy. Upon the docking of the ship, Billy reported Prosser to authorities in order to receive the $300 reward to buy his own freedom, but only received $30. Regardless, Gabriel was arrested and set to stand trial.Gabriel Prosser, upon his capture, was tried along with more than 20 other rebels for conspiracy in the Henrico County Court. They would be indicted with treason against the capital and be declared guilty as a result. Gabriel and his fellow rebels were hung at the Gallows on October 10, 1800. Following the years after the Civil War, slavery would become less common especially with President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and the ratification of the 13th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution. Spring Park would be established in 1890 becoming the oldest park in Henrico County and tells the history of the very meeting held by Gabriel in order to pursue a mission of freedom.

Established in the 1890s, Spring Park is the oldest park in Henrico County, Virginia. Formerly known as Young's Springs, it was the site of a slave rebellion in 1800, also known as Gabriel's Rebellion. This rebellion was organized by a slave named Gabriel that belonged to owner Thomas Prosser. On August 10, 1800, slaves from neighboring towns and cities like Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Caroline met to plan an organized slave revolt to escape from their statuses. At this meeting, the enslaved men voted Gabriel Prosser as the “General of the Rebel Army.” Gabriel was a literate Blacksmith slave on the Brookfield Plantation in Henrico County, Virginia. History of the slave revolt can be found on memorial stones around the park.

Spring Park

Before the Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital was established, the property was included in a one-hundred-sixty-seven-acre wooded tract of land that was once the city farm. The farm was in the elevated countryside north of Richmond’s city center. A wooded tract of land at the Northern end of the city farm was granted to the Richmond Tuberculosis Camp Society for the development of a tuberculosis sanatorium which opened in 1910.  During the mid-twentieth century, tuberculosis was one of the world’s most feared and difficult to manage diseases. In 1865, the deadly nature of the disease became fully known to doctors during the period. Tuberculosis attacked the white blood cells; the lungs began to dissolve, and death was painful and protracted. The tubercle bacillus bacterium was isolated in 1882. Since the disease was highly contagious, isolation in pleasant surroundings was one of the first steps towards treatment. Doctors prescribed long bouts of rest for sufferers of tuberculosis, as restful lungs would also the tubercle bacillus to isolate and the infection would be confined. Fresh air was thought to be an effective treatment method as well. A system of public and private sanatoriums was developed across the country where patients often lived for years under a strict regimen of isolation and complete or moderate inactivity.  The beginnings of the Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital can be dated to a request by Richmond’s public health officer for $10,000 from the city to combat what was known as the “White Plague”. No money was appropriated, so private citizens took up the cause for themselves. The Tuberculosis Camp Society was founded in 1909 to discuss the founding of a charity hospital for urban victims of the disease. Frances Scott, the president of the Sheltering Arms Hospital, Richmond’s premier charity hospital, was concerned about the lack of treatment available for tuberculosis patients at that institution. She and her brothers, Frederick W. and Thomas B. Scott were the first officers of the Tuberculosis Camp Society.   The first buildings were an administration building and a pavilion where patients lived largely in the open-air year-round and received other medical treatments. The surviving buildings on the property represent the secondary period of development at Pine Camp from 1917 to 1952. In 1916, control of the camp was turned over to the city of Richmond, and the initial structures were augmented by more substantial and medically sophisticated buildings. In 1932, the surviving Central Building was put into service.

Dating back to 1910, this well-preserved complex serves as a reminder of the efforts to treat tuberculosis during the early-to-mid-twentieth-century. The remnants of Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital consist of a group of three buildings that survive from a larger historic tuberculosis hospital complex. The three structures are the Central Building, the Administration Building, and a laundry and garage building. 

Pine Camp Tuberculosis Hospital

The Dabbs House Museum was known as
the High Meadow before the Civil War. The house was first built in 1820 and&nbsp;Josiah
and Mary Dabbs moved into the home in 1859. During the next century-and-a-half, the building&nbsp;was used for many different purposes.&nbsp;The house was used as a
headquarters for Robert E. Lee during the Civil War, an Almshouse for the poor
from 1883 until 1924 and a police station from 1940 to 2005. 

In 1862, Robert E. Lee used the Dabbs
House as a headquarters from June until August with the&nbsp;permission of Mary Dabbs, a widow at that time as&nbsp;her husband Josiah had&nbsp;passed away. The arrangement served Ms.&nbsp;Dabbs, as she&nbsp;had moved to the Confederate capital of&nbsp;Richmond in hopes of better safety during the war. Lee was a new commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia at that time and&nbsp;opened his headquarters on June 1st. &nbsp;

The home held several important&nbsp;conferences&nbsp;of Confederate leaders. The&nbsp;first of these two meetings was on June 11th.
This meeting brought cavalryman General J.E.B. Stuart to plan with Lee, the
famous ride around the Union Army. This famous ride covered a hundred miles in
three days. The second, of the two meetings was twelve days later on June the
23rd. It is known as the “Dabbs House Meeting”. A marker outside of
the Dabbs House displays the five commanders who were present at this meeting,
with the following caption, “Robert E.
Lee was new to the Army of Northern Virginia, but he recognized his most able
generals from the start. These five men shaped a new course for the war when
they gathered at the Dabbs House on June 23 (Left to Right): A.P. Hill; D.H.
Hill; Robert E. Lee; James Longstreet; and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.” This
marker is also included in the Virginia Civil War Trails marker series. This was
the first step in the series known as the Seven Days Battles, which allowed
people to see Lee as talented general. 

The Dabbs House was bought by Henrico
County in 1883 and was turned into an Almshouse for the poor, the old and
mentally ill up until 1924. Almshouse’s didn’t last long people were moved to
state institutions. The Dabbs house was rented out for a number of years until
the Henrico Police Division bought the building in 1940. The police force used
the building up until 2005, where it was turned over to the Division of
Recreation and Parks. The building became a museum in 2008. In 2010 the
building was converted into both a museum and the Henrico County Tourist Information Center. 

The museum has exhibit galleries from
its use as a residence for the Dabbs family to its occupancy as Henrico’s
Police headquarters. One of the displays in the museum are letters from Robert
E. Lee. One specific letter on loan to the Museum was written by Robert E. Lee,
during his stay at the Dabbs House. The letter is addressed to G.W. Randolph, Secretary
of War on June 21st 1862.
In the letter, Lee writes regarding one of his division commanders, Gen.
John B. Magruder. He expresses surprise that Gen. Magruder has received orders
to remain in Virginia, and dismay that he learned about these orders from
Magruder himself instead of from the War Department. Asking Randolph to confirm
the orders, Lee indicates that future orders for Magruder (and, it is assumed,
for other commanding officers) should be communicated directly to him.&nbsp;This
letter is even signed by Lee with his famous trade mark closing “Your Obedient Servant”.&nbsp;

The Dabbs House has served as both a historic home,  a police station, a home for the poor, and a headquarters for Confederate General Robert E. Lee during two critical months of the Civil War. Today, the home is a house museum with exhibit galleries and a research library. The museum and home are open to the public, with daily tours of the home and the museums exhibits and gift shop. Visitors can start their tour with a video on the history of the Dabbs House. For those interested in a more in-depth study of the history of the area, the Research Library houses books and many other resources related to the the Civil War in Henrico County. 

Dabbs House Museum 

Sidney L. Shannon, Jr. founded his own Air Museum in Fredericksburg, VA&nbsp;in the 1970s, when in 1981, upon his death, his large collection was gathered to the central Virginia region, as per his will, until something could be done with it by the estate in charge. Cary Gresham, of the Shannon estate&nbsp;and Ray Tyson of the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society (VAHS) that&nbsp;the society should take charge of the collection, find a more suitable location and that a museum should be constructed to hold the Shannon Collection. The Virginia Aviation museum was opened to the public in 1986 in Richmond, Virginia. &nbsp;It houses many different attractions that people can view or interact with. &nbsp;All of the planes and miscellaneous flight materials have stories behind it, such as the Wright Brother's kite and gliders. &nbsp;The Virginia Aviation Museum honors those that helped develop planes and those who flew them in the Aviation Hall of Fame. &nbsp;The current director of the museum is Edward Andrews. &nbsp; &nbsp;Many exhibits are interactive. &nbsp;The audience will be able to change altitude, weight, and thrust to see how it affects an aircraft. &nbsp;While this is the main interactive exhibit, others include the wind resistance factor. &nbsp;The final interactive exhibit allows you to climb into an actual piper cub. &nbsp;People who partake in the interactive exhibits will also learn about Bernoulli's Principle (hydrodynamics that an increase in the velocity of a stream of fluid results in a decrease in pressure). &nbsp;While there, visitors can also view an actual flight from the cockpit in the J.D. Benn theater.&nbsp; The museum also offers educational presentations to children. &nbsp;Most presentation are 30 minutes, and followed by a tour of the museum. &nbsp;Presentations include: Black Wings, Women in Aviation, and the Wright Path. &nbsp;Other things children can participate in are the paper airplane design or the "Just Plane Fun" which features special crafts daily. &nbsp;The Black Wings is a presentation where one can learn about African Americans involved in aviation. &nbsp;The Women of Aviation teaches the audience about different women of aviation, such as: Amelia Earhart, Harriet Quimbey, and other famous women aviators of the past and present. &nbsp;The Wright Path focuses mainly on the Wright Brothers exploration of trials to fly a plane. &nbsp;It takes you on a three year journey of different experiments leading up to the first manned flight in history. The museum has an admission charge of $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for children. &nbsp;Seniors citizens can access the museum for the same price as children. &nbsp;Active military can get in for free. &nbsp;The museum also offers a membership plan that allows you to become a member and have free access.

The Virginia Aviation museum was established in 1986 in Richmond, Virginia.  This museum has exhibits that are dated to WWII and earlier.  It features an exhibit to the Wright Brothers, WWI, WWII, and the golden age of aviation(1920s and early 30s).  Included in the exhibits, is a local Virginia Hall of Fame.  The museum currently has 32 exhibits, some are owned, while others are on lease.  The museum features an interactive center, as well as displays.  The museum has a fee to view exhibits, but active military can access the museum free of charge.

Virginia Aviation Museum

Prior to the skirmishes that occurred at Darbytown Road between Union and Confederate forces, the Army of the James captured portions of Richmond’s outer defenses as well as Fort Harrison during the Battles of New Market Heights and Chaffins Farm. Fitting into the larger plan by Union General Ulysses S. Grant to cut off the Confederate’s supply lines into Richmond/Petersburg to drain General Lee and his forces. Angered over the Union having gained a strategic foothold near Richmond, Lee ordered an initial counterattack the day after the battle at New Markets, which failed. Later, on October 7, Lee ordered another counterattack against the Union position, the first of a series of conflicts’ at Darbytown Road.	The first conflict occurred on October 7, when Lee ordered Confederate Generals Charles W. Field and Robert F. Hooke to recapture the position along Darbytown Road and Fort Harrison. This conflict was the final advance of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia north of the James River. The battle was initially a Confederate success, as the combined assault of Fields and Hoke broke through Union General August V. Kautz’s calvary forces, forcing a Union retreat and the capture of 8 cannons. However, as the Confederate forces pursued the fleeing Union troops, they were slowed by nearby thickets and difficult terrain, which allowed Union General Alfred Terry time to call for reinforcements and fortify his position. The retreating Union forces were now resupplied and armed with valuable Spencer repeating rifles. Holding advantageous artillery and fortified positions, Union forces destroyed the advancing Confederate brigades and succeeded in stopping Field’s forces. Field’s advance failed, in part, due to not receiving aid as Lee planned by fellow General Hoke. Thus, Terry’s forces recaptured the Union position at Darbytown Road. During the Confederate retreat, Confederate General John Gregg was killed. This first conflict along Darbytown Road resulted in the Confederates losing defensive ground, and now pushed back to Richmond.	The second conflict along Darbytown Road occurred on October 13. Lee, having failed to recapture the defensive position the Union now firmly held near Darbytown Road, ordered the construction of further fortifications outside of Richmond’s defensive line on October 11. Lee ordered Field and Hoke to build this new defensive line between Richmond’s inner line and the Union position, with the goal of connecting nearby Fort Gilmer to Charles City Road, leading to Darbytown. When Union pickets detected this construction, it was reported to General Kautz who moved it up the chain of command, leading to General Grant advising General Butler, head of the Army of the James, to send a reconnaissance force to test the Confederate defenses. Union forces would attack the new Confederate defensive position; however it proved unsuccessful as the Confederates repelled Union forces and finished the construction of their new fortifications.	The final conflict that occurred on Darbytown Road took place on October 27. Union forces, again led by General Butler, would test the Confederate defensive lines near Darbytown Road. This conflict, commonly known as the 2nd Battle of Fair Oaks, saw the joint offense of Union Generals Terry, Weitzel, and Kautz defeated. This final conflict on Darbytown road was the last attempt by the Union to capture Richmond in 1864 and helped set the stage of the siege of Richmond.

­­After the Army of the James captured Fort Harrison and Richmond’s outer defenses following the Battles of Chaffins Farm and New Market Heights, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered multiple failing counterattacks. In a failed attempt to recapture their former fortifications near Fort Harrison, The Battle of Darbytown Road would be the last offensive action by Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia north of the James River. This battle, a series of skirmishes, occurred between October 7 – 13, a part of the Richmond-Petersburg campaign. This Battle ended with the Confederate force’s briefly recapturing but failing to hold their former position as they ultimately fell back to fortify closer to Richmond.

The Battle of Darbytown Road (October 7th - 13th, 1864)

In 1862, as
part of the Union’s Peninsula Campaign, a small flotilla of Union ships, to
include the ironclads Naugatuck, Galena and the famous Monitor, steamed up the James in an attempt to reach Richmond.&nbsp; However, their efforts were thwarted when
they encountered sunken debris and took heavy fire from Ft. Darling, which severely
damaged the Galena.&nbsp; After three hours of exchanging fire, the
Union ships, low on ammunition, were forced to retreat.During the shelling, the&nbsp;Galena&nbsp;suffered many&nbsp;casualties&nbsp;among her&nbsp;gun-crew. In order to get her guns back in operation, Marine Corporal, John F. Mackie, led a group of marines onboard to serve as gun-crews. While the marines served the guns, Mackie (in-between giving orders) took a rifle and would fire on the men stationed in Fort Darling. Although the Union forces had to retreat, Mackie's actions won him the Congressional Medal of Honor, the first American marine to win such a medal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The fort was
then expanded in the years 1862-1864 under the command of CPT Sydney Smith Lee,
brother of the more famous Robert E., and it became a training center for the
Confederate Naval Academy.&nbsp; It again came
under attack in May of 1864 when Union forces once again tried to reach
Richmond, by land this time.&nbsp; They managed
to capture some of the fort’s outer defenses but were pushed back by a Confederate
counterattack on May 16, 1864.

Members of
the garrison then took part in the evacuation of Richmond on 2-3 April, 1864
and many of them were with General Lee when he surrendered at Appomattox
Courthouse later that month.&nbsp; President
Lincoln then sailed past Drewry’s Bluff on his way to Richmond on April 4th,
1864.&nbsp; The park is open daily from
sunrise to sunset and admission is free.&nbsp;

Part of the National Park Service’s Richmond National Battlefield Park system, Drewry’s Bluff sits 90 feet above the James River just south of Richmond.  Named after landowner, Augustus Drewry, the bluff, Ft. Darling and the Confederate soldiers who occupied it played a significant role in protecting Richmond from Union attempts to capture the Confederate capital in 1862 and again in 1864.  Occupying 42 wooded acres, the park now boasts walking trails, an artillery piece, interpretive signs and visitors can stand on defensive earthen works that provide a stunning view of the James.

Drewry's Bluff (Ft. Darling) Battlefield

This was the home of two key slaves, named Tom and Pharaoh. On the year 1800, they were part of a rebellious plan known as Gabriel's Conspiracy. However, they fled to Meadow Farm shortly before the rebellion would take place to inform their owner named Mosby Sheppard. Sheppard was able to notify government officials about the planned rebellion in order to quickly shut it down.   

Meadow Farm

Hugh Watt and his family&nbsp;lived at this farm for several decades prior to the outbreak of the Civil War.&nbsp;On June 27, 1862, the only inhabitants of the Watt House
were the elderly widow Sarah Watt, her granddaughter, and a maid. That day, the
Union commander chose the farmhouse as his temporary headquarters and urged the
family to leave. Widow Watt, who had been severely ill for several weeks,
protested feebly; but was soon taken to safety. As the first shells blasted
into the house and the stable, the family joined a group of about 40 displaced civilians
who were fleeing the battleground. These civilian&nbsp;refugees witnessed the destruction of their lands and homes. 

At the end of the
day, the victorious Confederate army swept the area, taking the wounded to be treated
and burying the dead on the spot. The inside of the Watt House became an impromptu
war hospital. An army surgeon reported over that 400 wounded men were still in
the Watt house one week after the battle took place. Unfortunately, bad
organization had caused the supplies to dwindle and the patients were left
virtually unattended, as there were no means to do so. The nightmarish horror was such that, after
returning to the house, Widow Watt’s granddaughter noted that “from garret to
cellar there was scarcely a space of flooring as large as a man’s hand that did
not bear the dark purple stain of blood.”&nbsp;

This historic home was used by Union General Fitz John Porter as his headquarters during the Battle of Gaines's Mill. Hugh Watt's family farm was located two miles away from the field in which the battle took place, but the battle quickly spread to this farmstead. A visitor wrote that in the aftermath of the battle “the walls and roof [of the Watt home] were torn with shot and shell.” The home was surrounded by freshly-dug graves as well as damaged and abandoned artillery pieces and hastily-built defensive fortifications. Today, the Watt House serves as a reminder of the destructive nature of the Civil War. The home is part of the Gaines' Mill Battlefield Park. 

Watt House-Gaines' Mill Battlefield Park

Throughout the 17th century, the Anglican Church was the only recognized religion in the colony of Virginia. As a state-sponsored religion, Anglican churches were constructed and maintained by the colonial government. The clergymen who led these churches were also paid using money derived from taxes and were therefore beholden to the colonial government. As was the case in England at the time, attendance to an Anglican church was mandatory and skipping services often resulted in fines.  Beginning in the 1730's, however, a religious revival movement called the "Great Awakening" grew quickly in Virginia and the surrounding colonies. First mobilized by the preachings and writings of an energetic evangelist named George Whitefield, the "Great Awakening" called upon individuals to find personal meaning in religious doctrine and represented a direct challenge to the status quo of state-sponsored religion. After Whitefield preached in Williamsburg in 1739, his sermon was printed and spread like wildfire throughout Virginia. Inspired by Whitefield’s message, Samuel Morris- a brick mason from Hanover County- stopped attending the local church and began hosting meetings to read scripture. Morris was fined multiple times by a local judge before being ordered to appear alongside other dissenters before a judge in Williamsburg in 1743. There, they convinced the court to allow them to build four “reading houses”- three in Hanover and one in Henrico- where they could practice their beliefs quietly. The reading house built on Samuel Morris’s land that year was dubbed “Polegreen Church” after the former landowner, George Polegreen. In July of 1743, the first sermon was delivered at Polegreen Church by William "One Eye" Robinson, a traveling Presbyterian preacher. Robinson collected an offering there for his protegee, a young man named Samuel Davies who was studying to join the ministry. After completing his studies, a 23-year-old Davies travelled to meet the Hanover dissenters at Polegreen four years later to thank them for their gift. Upon petition by the dissenters, Davies then went to Williamsburg in order to acquire a preaching license. With this license, Davies became the first non-Anglican minister licensed to preach in Virginia. He preached in Hanover County with remarkable success, presiding over 14 congregations before he left Virginia in 1759. During this time, a young Patrick Henry worshipped at Polegreen Church with his mother, who was one of the original Hanover dissenters. Later in his life, Henry would credit Davies with “teaching me what an orator should be.” The Polegreen Church stood as a testament to religious freedom in Virginia until May of 1864 when Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to take the City of Richmond by breaking through General Robert E. Lee’s troops stationed along Totopotomoy Creek. In an effort to dispel Union sharpshooters who had occupied Polegreen Church, Confederate artillery fired upon the building, burning it down entirely. The Confederate soldier who fired the shot that destroyed the church, a Richmond Howitzers gunner named William S. White, recorded the event in his diary. In the entry, White remarks that, ironically, his own father had been baptized in Polegreen Church years prior.  Due to a lack of resources during the war, the congregation which had worshipped at Polegreen was not able to rebuild the church. The site sat empty until 1929 when the Woman’s Auxiliary East Hanover Presbytery placed a stone monument marker commemorating the historic church. This was the only marking of the church’s existence until 1990, when the Hanover Presbytery- founded in Polegreen Church in 1755- oversaw the forming of a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving the location. Thanks to the efforts of the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year.  In August of 2000, construction of an interpretive monument to honor the former Historic Polegreen Church began. The monument, consisting solely of large white steel beams, was designed by renowned architect Carlton Abbott to mirror the exact dimensions of the once-standing church. This was made possible thanks to sketches of the building drawn by an Union soldier almost exactly two years before the church was shelled. The project was completed in June of the following year. In the years since, it became known as 'The Ghost Church' and has gained popularity as an outdoors wedding venue. In 2015, musician Jason Mraz married his longtime girlfriend at Historic Polegreen Church. Today, the monument is open to the public 24/7.

Known simply as 'The Ghost Church' by many, this simple monument of white steel beams marks the location- and former structure- of what was possibly the first non-Anglican church in Virginia. The Polegreen Church was built here in 1743 as one of four licensed "reading houses" for the religious dissenters in Hanover County. Led by Reverend Samuel Davies, a congregation met regularly at the Polegreen Church until Davies left Virginia in 1759. The church building stood for over a century until it was destroyed by Confederate artillery in May of 1864 during the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek. A stone monument marker was placed near the site in 1929, and the Historic Polegreen Church was then added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Ten years later, the steel beams mirroring the exact dimensions of the once-standing Polgreen Church were erected as a public monument to religious freedom.   

Historic Polegreen Church (Hanover Meeting House)

Magnolia Grange was constructed in 1823 by William Winfree in the Federal Style. At the time, the Winfree family was one of the more prominent living in Chesterfield county. The house&nbsp;would only remain in the family for nearly twenty years before it was passed through a series of different hands. In 1861, the property would be purchased by Stephen DuVal. While DuVal did not make any additions to the house itself, he did build a tavern on the property, though it is no longer there. Like William Winfree, DuVal would not hold it for long before selling. In 1881, Magnolia Grange was bought by Emma Cogbill. Unlike her predecessors, her family would retain ownership of the property until 1969. The name "Magnolia Grange" comes from the magnolia trees and boxwood gardens&nbsp;that used to surround the property. Both were destroyed during the Civil War. Magnolia Grange is notable in that it was one of the only brick houses in the county as of the time of its construction. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Magnolia Grange, named after the magnolia trees that used to surround the property, was constructed in 1823 by William Winfree in the Federal Style and would remain in the family until 1845. After passing through several hands, the house would be acquired by Stephen DuVal in 1861. Two more people would own it before it came into the possession of Emma Cogbill in 1881. The Cogbill family would retain ownership of the house until 1969. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Magnolia Grange

<div>The settlement was named Henricus in honor of King James I’s eldest son, Prince Henry, and was located upriver from Jamestown. &nbsp;Like Jamestown, Henricus was built primarily for defensive reasons as the settlement was protected by a wooden palisade wall for protection against hostile Native Americans. &nbsp;Many of the buildings were made with a wooden frame that was filled in with wattle and daub, and then topped by a straw roof. </div><div>In September of 1611, Dale sailed up the James River and made alliances with the Powhatan tribe. &nbsp;At first, the natives were friendly to the English settlers and Dale hoped they would enjoy a partnership in trading. &nbsp;Late that same month though, Powhatan launched a raid in response to Dale’s expedition. &nbsp;Although they lacked the armor and weapons of the English, the Natives were eager to defend their homeland from these new arrivals. The English won the conflict and founded the colony of Henricus, named in honor of Prince Henry, King James I’s oldest son. &nbsp;</div><div>	Once the colony was established Dale started the first hospital within Virginia, Mt. Malado (aka Malady). Henricus was also where Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas was baptized and converted to Christianity. &nbsp;In 1614, Henricus used the land around the walls for growing tobacco; around that same time John Rolfe wrote Dale a letter asking permission to marry Pocahontas. </div><div>	Henricus also was also the site where the first college in the United States that was designed to teach both Native and English children. &nbsp;However in 1622, the Powhatan tribe launched a raid on Henricus after years of feigning peace. &nbsp;Led by Chief Powhatan’s younger brother, this uprising resulted in the destruction of Henricus, but the English would not be driven from the area. &nbsp;Many attempts to rebuild the fort failed, and the following year, King James dissolved the Virginia Company and placed the colony under his authority. &nbsp;&nbsp; </div><div>	In 1972, the current living history museum was started on the site of the original fort. &nbsp;It hosts a variety of activities for both adults and children. &nbsp;	</div><div> </div>

The Henricus settlement is located on the border between both Chesterfield and Henrico County, Virginia near the city of Dutch Gap.  Virginians come here to learn more about their state’s early history, and are given a hands-on look at what life was like during the early days of English colonization in the New World.  The settlement itself was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in September of 1611 as a second seat of the Virginia Colony, after the failure of nearby Jamestown. Henricus is also famous for having the first constructed hospital in what is now the United States.


Henricus Historical Park 

The Battles
of Glendale (or Frayser’s Farm) and Malvern Hill were both part of the larger
Seven Days Battle which was a series of six battles that took place over seven
days from 25 June through 1 July 1862.&nbsp;
Likewise, the Seven Days Battle was part of the larger Union Army of the
Potomac’s Peninsula Campaign, during which Union forces attempted to capture the
Confederate capital of Richmond.&nbsp; After their
attempts failed, and face with a constant barrage of Confederate attacks and maneuvers,&nbsp;the Union army retreated back down the Peninsula formed by the
James and York River. General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia attempted
to prevent that retreat.

The Battles
of Glendale and the culminating battle of Malvern Hill were the last two of the
Seven Days Battle.&nbsp; The Battle of Glendale (June 30)&nbsp;was probably Lee’s best chance to prevent the Union army from reaching the
James.&nbsp; However, a series of
communication and tactical errors allowed the Union forces to escape and establish
a defensive position on Malvern Hill (July 1).

On 1 July
1862, the entrenched Union forces on Malvern Hill were able to repel multiple
Confederate assaults due largely to the effectiveness of their artillery.&nbsp; After the battle, Lee allowed his exhausted
army to rest while Union General George McClellan continued his retreat to
Harrison’s Landing, where he was protected by the Union navy and Union-controlled Fortress Monroe, essentially
ending the Peninsula Campaign.&nbsp;

This modest visitor center, located within Glendale Cemetery, provides historical information and orientation for two major Civil War battles that took place in 1862 just to the southeast of Richmond, Virginia.  The Center and Park interpret the final battles of the Seven Days Battle, which concluded the Peninsula Campaign. The latter was the Union's attempt, under George B. McClellan, to capture the Confederate capitol of Richmond. The former was the South's counterattack which started at the gates of the capitol city and drove the Union back to the Virginia coast to their base of operations. The Confederate victory was due to the Army of Northern Virginia's leadership under Robert E. Lee, who had replaced Joseph Johnston. Johnston was severely wounded during an assault against Union lines outside Richmond. Lee then commenced massive, brilliant, yet costly assaults to drive the Union out. The Center also includes a five-minute electronic battlefield map display that traces the progress of each battle.  Additionally,  interpretive displays and historical artifacts to include artillery shells and other weapons.  Park rangers are present to answer questions while the center is open during the months of June, July and August.  

Glendale/Malvern HIll Battlefields Visitor Center

In 1858, the Henry Clay Inn was originally built and named the Ashland Hotel.1 Richmond City locals often took a break from their busy city life and traveled by train to the old Ashland Hotel for a restful, remote weekend stay.1 During the Civil War, the Ashland Hotel was temporarily closed; however, the hotel was soon bought by Randolph-Macon College (RMC) in 1868.2 RMC used the hotel for student housing as well as on-site student activities and events.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the hotel burned down in 1905.2 However, in 1906, the hotel was rebuilt and renamed as the Henry Clay Inn.1 The hotel was renamed in honor of Henry Clay, the statesmen and presidential candidate of 1824, 1832, and 1844. He was born in 1777 and a native to Hanover County, Virginia.2 From 1906-1946, the Henry Clay Inn was enjoyed by RMC students for balls and dinner parties.&nbsp;On February 27th, 1946, the inn was once again destroyed in a fire.1 The entire town of Ashland helped to extinguish the flames, and, fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries.1<div> The hotel remained in ashes until April 10th, 1992.2 The present-day inn is an exterior clone of the original Henry Clay Inn. The inn&nbsp;has thirteen bedrooms and parlor for guests and RMC students to relax and enjoy.3 The front porch of the Henry Clay Inn oversees the&nbsp;Ashland Train Station and the Randolph-Macon College campus. The inn&nbsp;is only a minute walk from the classic, historic town of Ashland.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

This is the Henry Clay Inn of Ashland, Virginia. The Henry Clay Inn sits on the edge of Center St in the Town of Ashland. The yellow, colonial style inn is directly located behind the Ashland Train Station. A peaceful, historical residence that celebrates it's small, local community.



Henry Clay Inn

The original
350-acre Hanover Tavern complex was purchased by the editor of the Virginia
Gazette, William Parks, in 1743 and hosted such historical figures as George
Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Lord Cornwallis.&nbsp; It was later owned by John and Eleanor Parks
Shelton, the parents of Patrick Henry’s wife, Sarah.&nbsp; Henry himself lived in the tavern for several
years.&nbsp; The tavern complex was also
involved in Gabriel’s Rebellion, an 1800 slave revolt.&nbsp; In addition, the tavern was utilized by both
Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War.

Hanover
Tavern also provided food and lodging for those conducting business with the
Hanover County courts and served as a community meeting center for almost 200
years as it served as a post office from the 1790s to 1911.&nbsp; In 1953, it was purchased by six New York
City actors who then used it as home for the Barksdale Theatre.&nbsp; It was the first dinner theatre in the
country and the first in Virginia to permit integrated seating.

The tavern
was then sold to the Hanover Tavern Foundation in 1990 as the venerable
building was quite difficult to maintain.&nbsp;
The first phase of renovations began in 1996 and the second in 2003
which included the theatre.&nbsp; The
restaurant then opened in 2005 and the Barksdale Theatre re-opened in 2006.&nbsp; It has sinced merged with Theatre IV.&nbsp; The tavern now hosts educational field trips
and various special events, such as its Heritage Music Series the first
Wednesday of each month and its Speaker Series the third Tuesday of the
month.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Located just north of Richmond, the Hanover Tavern is one of the oldest taverns in the nation.  Once part of a larger complex, a license for the first tavern was issued in 1733.  The original tavern was built sometime around 1750 and its fate is unknown, but fire is probably the most likely culprit.  The current 12,000 square feet, 27-room tavern was built in stages with the oldest section dating back to 1791.  The Hanover Tavern is now home to a pub, restaurant and the intimate Barksdale Theatre.

Hanover Tavern

Gabriel planned the insurrection for the night of August 30, 1800. Gabriel, a Blacksmith by trade, had sold his services to other plantations throughout Richmond and had spent time in Norfolk, Petersburg, and Albemarle Virginia. On those trips he had both earned money and acquired new acquaintances. These would later become an intimate part of his planned rebellion. On the night of the August 30 there was a terrible storm. It left bridges and roads impassable so that many members of the revolution could not meet at the agreed location. Gabriel knew that the attack could not occur with the circumstances and rescheduled the rebellion for the next night. In the meantime there had been rumor that a slave rebellion was in the planning. At first James Monroe ignored the warnings, but after he received word that two slaves had corroborated the report Monroe mobilized the state militia. Two slaves that were part of the insurrection surrendered information about the plans in exchange for a full pardon. It caused Gabriel to flee to Norfolk where he was later capture and forced to stand trial. Gabriel’s trial was the court of “Oyer and Terminer”, a juryless court made specifically for slaves. It handed down a guilty verdict and Gabriel was hanged to death just two months after the foiled rebellion. His rebellion prodded the state of Virginia to enact laws that prohibited the gathering of slaves, the co-mingling of slave and free Black, and the hiring of free Blacks to reduce the chances of another incident.

A marker on Route 301 just north of Richmond, VA in Henrico County marks the spot of Gabriel's Rebellion, one of the largest and most far-reaching rebellions in American history. The rebellion occurred in 1800 and put down by violent force and factors such as inclement weather and saboteurs inside the insurrection. Gabriel (sometimes attributed with the surname Prosser), was born in slavery in 1776 at Thomas Prosser's tobacco plantation. He organized and led a massive slave rebellion at the age of 24, including both white works and free African Americans in addition to enslaved people to kidnap then-Governor of Virginia James Monroe. The group planned on holding Monroe to negotiate with Richmond officials for a more equitable society. The rebellion ended in the trial and hanging of at least 25 members of the rebellion.

Gabriel's Rebellion Marker

Shirley Plantation was first established as a tract of land
in 1613. This makes one of the oldest landmarks in the state of Virginia, and
placing it shortly after the settlement of Jamestown. The farming operations,
however, did not begin until 1638, with Edward Hill I. The mansion that is
found on the property was built at a later date, a century later to be exact,
when Edward Hill’s great granddaughter, Elizabeth married John Carter. Since
then the Plantation has been in the hands of the Hill-Carter family. 

Through its
long history, Shirley Plantation has seen some major events of Virginia/America
history visit it’s doorstep. During the American Revolution, American and
French troops under Lafayette, it was a stopping point to acquire goods during
battle of Malvern Hill where it was afforded protection from destruction. In
addition it was also the birthplace of Anne Hill-Carter, the wife of Henry “Lighthorse
Harry” Lee and mother of Robert E. Lee. During the Civil War, in fact, it would
witness the Peninsula Campaign but would not be touched by fire from either
sides. Even after, the Civil War, the plantation would still remain. 

Today
Shirley Plantation has remained Private Property but has since become a Museum.
Tours are held usually about seven days a week. The property features many of
the original buildings including the mansion, kitchen, laundry house, barns,
smokehouse, stable, and the dove cote. In addition to this, the property can be
rented out for certain events. Shirley Plantation has much to offer its
visitors. 

For a
young state (and a young nation) Shirley Plantation would be considered an
Ancient Landmark by those standards. Shirley Plantation is a place not only
dates back to the very beginnings of American history, it is one of the few
that still remains in the family that originally occupied it. There is almost
no other historic site in the United States that can claim such. It has due to
it’s age and location been put through many historical events, mainly wars.
Shirley Plantation remains to this day an iconic symbol of the early United
States.&nbsp;

Shirley Plantation is the site of colonial property on the shore of Eastern Virginia. The property dates back to the 17th century. It was remained in the same family for several generations that had remained even after the American Civil War. Today, the house has been converted into a museum that gives a glimpse to both a prominent Virginia family as well as life in Colonial and Antebellum Virginia. Shirley is one of Virginia’s most well-known plantations on its Eastern side. 

Shirley Plantation 

In 1677, the property was purchased by Richard Kennon. Kennon was a representative of Henrico County in the House of Burgesses as well as a successful merchant. In 1675 he married Elizabeth Worsham. Their first child died at age four and was buried on the property, there is still a headstone to this day. Elizabeth Kennon deeded the property to her son William in 1711, which in turn he passed down to his son named Richard. In the late eighteenth century the property left the ownership of the Kennon family and was divided amongst eight farms. There is also an aspect of maritime history associated with the Brick House as it was a landmark for sailors and was even featured on many navigational charts. In 1880, Robert Henry Batte purchased the Brick House after a fire had started in the kitchen. It was quite destructive because using water proved to be difficult as the tide was low in the river and the well was too close to the home. After the fire the house underwent reparations and two of the exterior walls were replaced. In 1885 Batte sold the Brick House. After having numerous owners, the Brick House was purchased by Willis Comstock in 1909. In 1988 it was used as a real estate office shortly before it was deeded to the Conjurers Neck Homeowners Association in 1990. In 2001 the property was delegated to the Old Brick House Foundation. The house and the property it sits on, making up the Conjurers Neck Archaeological District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Today, The Old Brick House Foundation preserves this historic property. Tours of the Old Brick House are by appointment, and it is also available to rent for special occasions.

The Old Brick House, also known as the Kennon House, is one of the oldest standing brick homes in the state of Virginia. Archeologists have discovered many artifacts that date back to the Middle and Late Woodland periods, indicating a long standing presence of Native Americans. One of the oldest homes in the state, the Old Brick House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003. Today the property is owned and preserved by the Old Brick House Foundation.

The Old Brick (Kennon) House

City Point owed its existence to its site overlooking the James and Appomattox Rivers. City Point was established in 1613 by Sir Thomas Dale. It was first known as "Charles City Point" and located in Charles City Shire when it was formed in 1634. Charles City Shire soon became known as Charles City County in 1637. City Point was included in the porttion subdevided in 1703 to form Prince George County.

City Point Early History Museum displays exhibitions
highlighting the rich history of the area. It is housed in the St. Dennis
Chapel in the National Historic District of Hopewell. This district contains a
number of historic structures, including Appomattox Plantation, the
headquarters of General Grant during the latter stages of the Civil War.

During
the American Civil War, City Point was the headquarters of General Ulysses S.
Grant during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 and 1865. To serve the Union army,
two huge military installations were built—a supply depot and the Depot Field
Hospital. During that siege, City Point was one of the busiest ports in the
world.

On March 27 or 28,
1865, President Abraham Lincoln met at City Point with Generals Grant and
William Tecumseh Sherman along with Admiral David Porter aboard the River
Queen, as depicted by G.P.A Healy's 1868 painting The Peacemakers.

The City Point
Railroad, built in 1838 between City Point and Petersburg, became part of the
South Side Railroad in 1854, and played an important role in the Civil War. It
later became the oldest portion of the Norfolk and Western Railway, itself now
a part of Norfolk Southern.

Grant's Headquarters at Appomattox Manor form part of the
National Park Service's Petersburg National Battlefield Park. The adjacent City
Point Historical District is a registered National Historical Landmark.

On May 5, 1864, United States Colored Troops regiments
(abbreviated as U.S.C.T.) in Brigadier general Edward Hincks’ division seized
City Point (now Hopewell), where the James and Appomattox Rivers meet. One
regiment, the 37th U.S.C.T. used the time they occupied City Point
to recruit men who fled into the occupied town.

City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. The city is famous for serving as the headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.

City Point, Virginia

Patrick Henry acquired this property and 960 acres in 1770. Patrick Henry, his wife Sarah, and their six children lived at the home. Sarah&nbsp;began showing signs of severe mental illness and died at Scotchtown in 1775.&nbsp;During his years at Scotchtown, Henry was busy with civic activities. It was from Scotchtown that he rode in 1775 to journey to St. John's Church in Richmond to deliver his famous "Liberty or Death" speech and again in 1776 to be elected the first governor of Virginia. In 1777, Henry married his second wife Dorothea Dandridge and relocated to the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg. Scotchtown was offered for sale that year and again in 1778.&nbsp;Around 1801, Scotchtown was purchased by John Mosby Sheppard, whose descendants lived in the property until the property was sold at auction in 1958 and purchased and later transferred to Preservation Virginia for $17,000. The Hanover County Branch of Preservation Virginia oversaw the initial restoration and furnishing of the site. The house was extensively restored in the late 1950s to return it to its appearance during the late 18th century.&nbsp;Thanks&nbsp;to archaeological excavations and historical research, several of the early 19th century outbuildings were constructed in their original locations including the icehouse outdoor kitchen, and law office. The Garden Club of Virginia oversaw landscaping of the property. Further restoration to the property took place in 1971 and again in 1987.

Home to Patrick Henry and the place where he conceived his most influential revolutionary ideas, Scotchtown is maintained by Preservation Virginia and open for tours. Henry lived here from 1771-1778, and it was here that he formulated his ideas in support of the revolution that led to the separation of the colonies and the creation of the United States. At this location, Henry formulated the ideas of his famous speech where he declared “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” in this home and rode to St. John’s Church in Richmond on March 23, 1775 where he delivered what would become one of the most famous and influential speeches in the history of the country he helped create. 

Patrick Henry's Scotchtown

The elegantly
detailed Colonial Revival structure was designed by the office of the Norfolk
&amp; Western Chief Engineer in Roanoke. Among its more striking features are
the pedimented windows with oak-leaf pulvinated friezes.

The station
remained in use as a railroad terminal until the formation of Amtrak in 1971,
when passenger service on the Norfolk and Western's tracks ended.&nbsp; Petersburg railway passengers are now served
at a station in Ettrick, Virginia, near Virginia State University.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Built in 1909-1910, the structure replaced an earlier structure that was damaged by a flood.  During its time as a train station, it was a central hub in Virginia up until 1971.  Located along the northeastern edge of the Petersburg Old Towne Historic District, Union Station is now owned by the City of Petersburg and serves as a venue for meetings and events.  


Union Station

The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, also known as the Siege of Petersburg, began June 9th of 1864. The initial assault was lead by Benjamin Butler because many Confederate soldiers had recently left Petersburg to reinforce Lee who was stationed to the north. When Butler's campaign failed, one more attempt was made to take Petersburg. From June 15th to the 18th, the Union worked to break down Confederate defenses. After four days little was gained. The order was then given to create trenches and begin a siege to cut off reinforcements for the city, forcing a surrender or retreat.&nbsp; Numerous attempts to cut off railroads were thwarted. The Wilson-Krautz raid from June 22nd through July 1st. This raid was able to destroy 60 miles of railroad but it was quickly repaired by the Confederates. The Second Battle of Ream Station was able to destroy 16 miles of track north of Stony Creek. Grant began to launch small attacks to draw more forces out of Petersburg to weaken the Confederate hold on the city.&nbsp; The final battle of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was the Battle of Fort Stedman. Lee's forces were slowly waning and he decided to make a strategic move; Lee sought to cut off reinforcements coming from Shenandoah. The Battle was poorly planned and caused very little damage to Union lines. The Union took the opportunity to break into the lines of the Confederate soldiers.There were 1,044 Union casualties and a staggering 4,000 casualties for the Confederates.&nbsp;This left the Confederate Army considerably weakened.&nbsp; Today the battlefields serve as a national park with various historical buildings. The Visitor's Center is found just east of Petersburg on Route 36. The center includes some information about the battle. The 33 mile driving tour continues all the way to Poplar Grove Cemetery, a cemetery where nearly 5,000 Union soldiers are buried.&nbsp;

The Petersburg National Battlefield commemorates the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of the Civil War. This nine month siege cut the Confederate Army off from their supplies by creating a 30 mile trench and forced General Robert E. Lee to fall back to Appomattox. It is estimated that there were 28,000 Confederate and 42,000 Union casualties during the period of the siege. The National Battlefield now includes restored buildings and a small museum. The park is best viewed in a 33 mile, 16 stop driving tour. 

Petersburg National Battlefield

In the 1870s,&nbsp;Esek Steere moved from&nbsp;Oswego County, New York, to Petersburg, Virginia, to&nbsp;establish an iron foundry that would serve the area's thriving agriculture.&nbsp;&nbsp;His small foundry and machine shop opened&nbsp;across the street from its present location. In 1899, Steere and his son, Albert, purchased more spacious properties across the street to house the&nbsp;ironworks. They&nbsp;specialized in manufacturing sawmill and farm machinery, plows, and hand tools. The family also received patents for peanut harvesting machines in 1913 and 1934, which were manufactured at the Appomattox Iron Works and&nbsp;sold throughout the South. A 1958 newspaper article highlighting the Appomattox Iron Works&nbsp;noted the business "never missed a payroll" even in hard times and advertised "stove-castings, hand irons, cemetery vases, skillets, fireplace ovens, and dumbbells" in its storefront window.1 The nine buildings of the&nbsp;Appomattox Iron Works&nbsp;consist of a&nbsp;machine shop, mill store, supply room, pipe shop, the carpenter's shop and pattern shop, core room, foundry building, Blacksmith's shop, and ruins of a stable.2 According to the National Register nomination, these structures provide&nbsp;"an outstanding record of antebellum iron&nbsp;manufacturing in the South."3&nbsp; The foundry, in a large brick building from 1850, was where workers&nbsp;extracted&nbsp;raw metals and formed them into&nbsp;something new. Although non-ferrous metals like brass could be melted in an indoor furnace, iron smelting took place in a coke-fueled&nbsp;cupola&nbsp;outdoors, due to the high level of&nbsp;heat released in the smelting&nbsp;process. Neighboring buildings, such as the Blacksmith shop,&nbsp;helped customize and finish&nbsp;metal products, or ensured that the machines, equipment, and processes were running smoothly.4&nbsp;&nbsp; The most eye-catching structure may be the machine shop, which still bears the faded painted sign on its brick facade. Built in 1815, it was both a commercial building and a residence. Interestingly, however, it is not built in the usual way. While it was common for residents to live on the floor above the shop, the Appomattox machine shop residents lived in apartments attached to&nbsp;the rear of the building. On the street side, the first floor contained machines to drill, press, grind, and shape materials from the foundry,&nbsp;while&nbsp;the upper two floors contained offices and storage. The machine shop&nbsp;is also a notable example of Federal architecture used in an early American&nbsp;commercial property. It is square and symmetrical, with tall, double-hung windows topped with a wooden cornice.5&nbsp;&nbsp; The Appomattox Iron Works remained in the Steere family for multiple generations, which contributed to its preservation. It is now part of the Old Towne Historic District in Petersburg and sits among a variety of commercial buildings.&nbsp;The company records&nbsp;of the Appomattox Iron Works are held by the Library of Virginia in Richmond.6

Appomattox Iron Works is a complex of nine structures that produced agricultural and industrial products in downtown Petersburg, Virginia. The foundry business opened in 1872 and moved to the current location in 1899. The foundry operated until 1946, the machine shop until 1952, and the mill and supply store until 1972. In 1976, the Appomattox Iron Works complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

Appomattox Iron Works

<div>The Berkeley Plantation is considered one of the greatest estates in America, comprising of about 1,000 acres on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. The Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred and was named after the Berkeley Company of England. The property is said to be the home of two United States presidents. The property is said to be the first to host an official Thanksgiving, which occurred on December 4th 1619. The Berkeley Plantation was also the site of the first distilled whiskey.&nbsp;</div><div>	The Berkeley Plantation has a unique history as well. On December 4th 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred. The Berkeley Plantation is located about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, where the first settle of the Virginia Colony was established in 1607. The Indian Massacre of 1622 where nine settlers at the Berkeley Hundred were killed, along with a third of the entire population of the Virginia Colony settlers were compelled to leave the property. After a few years of abandonment, the location became the home of the Harrison family. The Harrison family was one of the first families of Virginia.&nbsp; During the Civil War, Union forces occupied the plantation in 1862 and Abraham Lincoln visited twice. The Harrison family was not able to regain possession of their home after the war. It fell into disrepair for many years as it was passed on to a number of various owners before the state of Virginia stepped in.&nbsp; </div><div>	The Berkeley Plantation is truly a unique experience. Visitors will be given the opportunity to get a glimpse of old Virginia, and will be captivated by the majestic setting of the property. The Berkeley Plantation is a fixture in American history. Regarded as one of the largest plantations in United States history, the property gives visitors a unique experience that is unlike any other. If you want to gain a unique experience of American history and want to step foot on a landmark of America's origins come to the Berkeley Plantation</div>

The Berkeley Plantation holds over 1,000 acres along the banks of the James River. The Georgian manor that sits on the estate was built by the Harrison family in 1726. The home is currently filled with period furniture and antiques. Also found on the grounds are elaborate gardens and paths available to visitors. Tours are conducted by guides in period costumes to give visitors a better feel for the history of the building and grounds.

The Berkeley Plantation

The facade of St. Paul's Church faces east. It is dominated
by a three-story entrance tower. The first stage of the tower. The first stage
of the tower contains the main entrance which consists of a double-door, equilateral-arch opening executed in stone.
Above the door is a lancet-arch opening with a stained-glass window. The
tower's first story has corner buttresses. The second stage of the tower is marked by arch openings containing twin
lancet windows. The third stage consists
of a spire covered with slate shingles.The tower is flanked on the first story by crenelated brick
wings each pierced by lancet-arch openings containing stained glass. Each wing
has a side entrance. The building's north and south elevations have a single
free-standing buttress off each of the side entrance wings. Each elevation has
five lancet-arch openings with stained-glass windows.&nbsp; The openings are flanked by clasping
buttresses. The rear (west) elevation has a large equilateral-arch opening
containing a stained-glass window. The rear elevation has five-course
American-bond brick. The gable roof is covered with slate shingles.The interior of St. Paul's Church is richly decorated, the
scheme largely dating to renovations completed in 1903. At this time the
chancel was enlarged and a baptistry added to the space south of the altar.
Before the 1903 enlargement the chancel contained tromp l'oeil painting which
framed the space with columnns and created the illusion of an apse. As a result
of the remodeling the chancel was extended to the west and a wood and painted
reredos installed on the west wall together with a large arched opening
containing a stained-glass window. Carved wood paneling further embellished the
space. Exposed timber trusses found in the original interior were extended into
the chancel. Most of the present furniture dates to the 1903 remodeling.A gallery runs along the south, east, and north walls
supported by composite capitals on slender posts. The pews date to the late 19th century. The present
stained-glass windows date from the late 19th to the early 20th century and
most probably replaced leaded-glass lights.&nbsp;The parish of
St. Paul's Church descended from Bristol Parish. Formed in 1662, the original parish
was located on either side of the Appomattox River and encompassed what is
today the City of Petersburg and Dinwiddie County. According to Bishop William Meade's,
Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia, St. Paul's Church was founded
in 1802 to serve, "the increasing prosperity and numbers of
Petersburg." Its first edifice stood near the courthouse and served the
growing congregation until 1839 when a larger church was erected on a new site. This second building burned in
February,1854.&nbsp; The cornerstone of this
third edifice was laid in full masonic ceremony on June 20th, 1855. The
church was dedicated on May 19, 1857 with Bishop William Meade presiding.&nbsp;

St. Paul's Church was constructed between 1855-57 in the Gothic style after the plans and supervision of the Baltimore architects Niernsee and Neilson. Modifications were made to the building in 1903 when the chancel was enlarged and in 1922 when a Parish House was built adjacent to the structure. The Rectory, built in ca. 1860, stands to the north of the church. One of the most famous communicants of St. Paul's was General Robert E. Lee who worshiped at the church during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864-65. Lee's son, W.H.F. Lee was married in the church in 1867. 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

The Parish of Westover is one of the oldest in the country, being recognized in colonial records as early as 1625 - no church building was known to have existed at this time, however. The first church of the Westover Parish stood approximately one hundred yards away from the Westover Planation house, which is upriver from the present church. This first church's graveyard still remains and contains, among others, a tombstone with the date 1637 (now obliterated), which is said to be the oldest existing stone in Virginia. The present building was constructed in 1731. The Westover Church owns several pieces of fine silver including a paten, a chalice, and a cover made in London between 1694-1695, which was donated to the church by Sarah Braine, and a paten and chalice made in London between 1731-1732, which was possibly crafted by George Jones. The Westover Church was abandoned for nearly thirty years after the year 1805 as a result of the Disestablishment, during which time the building often served as a barn. It is also said the church was utilized as a stable by Federal Troops during the United States Civil War. Beginning in 1867, the church underwent numerous restoration projects including the majority of the interior. The latest restoration was undertaken by Orin M. Bullock, Jr., of Baltimore. Bullock oversaw the replacement of the roof, the cornice, and the segmentally arched ceiling. In 1956, the west brick doorway and gallery window were restored. Presidents William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, and John Tyler, as well as the families of such well-known nearby plantations such as Westover, Shirley, and Belle Air have all once held worship within the Westover Church.

The Westover Church is located approximately five miles west of Charles City, Virginia, off Virginia State Route 5. The church was built in 1731 and encompasses forty acres of surrounding land. Westover Church is significant not only for its historical associations, but also because it is an excellent example of the rectilinear form of colonial Virginia church architecture. The structure is quite picturesque and has long been a familiar landmark along Virginia's historic Route 5. 

Westover Church

The
building, a Federal structure, is located in the Centre Hill Historic District
and is significant historically because of its association with the Bolling
family. In 1809 Robert Bolling of Centre Hill laid out 80 half-acre lots
between Franklin and Tulip Alley, and between Walnut (now Sycamore) and Madison
Streets. Washington Street east of Jefferson Street remained vacant until after
Bolling’s death and the transfer of the lots in that block to Bolling’s son and
heir, Robert Buckner Bolling occurred in 1840. The younger Bolling constructed
the house at 318-320 East Washington on Lot #115 in 1844. The house was
originally a single family dwelling, centrally planned, one room deep. It
appears to have been the first building constructed in this section of
Washington Street. In 1902 the house was sold and subsequently divided into a
double house.&nbsp;

This is the headquarters of Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc. (HPF), an organization whose mission is "to lead the preservation and restoration of Petersburg's historic architecture and neighborhoods and to tell their story."  HPF purchased the building in 2000 and has overseen extensive renovation to the structure.    

Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc.

Because of its preserved condition and intricate structure, Eppington is architecturally significant. It is also unique because it was built in perfect proportions. The two-and-a-half-story center portion of Eppington was built first in 1768, and the one-story wings were added around 1790. The practice of combining several varying sections developed in the third quarter of the 18th century, to break down the dominance of the central block of earlier Virginia houses. After the death of his wife Martha, Jefferson left his daughters at Eppington when he went to France during the French Revolution. His youngest daughter Lucy Elizabeth (age 2) died there of whooping cough and was the first burial in the Epps family cemetery. Her 2-year-old cousin Lucy Epps was buried beside her within 2 weeks. A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey of the graveyard at Eppington revealed 10 adult graves, 16 infant graves, and two vaults.After the Civil War, the house was brought by Henry Cox, but he sold it a few years later the Hinds family in 1876. This family owned the property until 1989 when they gifted it to the Chesterfield County Historical Society. Currently there is a need for donations to purchase the land surrounding the plantation today, for archaeological research of the graveyard. There are also efforts to raise funding to restore the original slave quarters as well. Therefore, the plantation is a significant site relative to African-American history as well.

Eppington is a Georgian-style plantation home that was built in 1768 by Frances Eppes and is situated along the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County. Eppington is historically significant because Francis Eppes, was a cousin of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, Wife of Thomas Jefferson. Eppes grandson John Wayles Eppes married his cousin Mary Jefferson Eppes in 1797. The plantation then became their home and the holding place for slaves that Wayles was selling South (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities,2010). Following Martha Jefferson’s death in 1782, two of Thomas Jefferson's daughters, Maria (Polly) and Lucy, lived at Eppington with the Eppes family while Jefferson served as minister to France. Jefferson visited Eppington on several occasions and was at this location when he received a letter from George Washington offering him the position of secretary of state. He was also there when George Washington sent word for him to come to France during the French Revolution. While Jefferson was away, tragically, Lucy died at age two in 1784 and was buried at Eppington.

Eppington Plantation

Located within the Confederate siege lines that existed from 1864-1865, the National Museum of the Civil War Solider was established honor the over 3 million men who served during the Civil War. The museum holds hundreds of thousands of artifacts to show people today what the average Civil War soldier went through during the war. It showcases camp life, marching and warfare. The museum also contains a Remembrance Wall containing the names of all 3 million men. Another function is to help promote the preservation of buildings and lands were the Civil War came through for people to enjoy and learn about this war.&nbsp; The location of the museum is where Union forces broke through Confederate lines on April 2, 1865. Dr. Robert Pamplin, Jr. was instrumental in preserving this portion of Petersburg Battlefield and getting the museum started. The park on which the museum sits was named in his honor.&nbsp; The museum has been recognized and awarded by many national and international organizations.&nbsp;

One of the highlights of Pamplin Historical Park is the the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, which contains 25,000-square-feet of exhibits. The highlight of the museum is a seven-gallery exhibit called "Duty Called Me Here" that shows the war from the perspective of numerous individual soldiers and includes a battlefield simulation. The museum sits in Pamplin Park and is some times referred to by the park's name. 

My version of Ric & surrounding areas tour

Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield at Rural Plains

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information