history archive
May 28, 2008
Jackson Ward walking tour this Sunday
The Valentine Richmond History Center will be leading a walking tour of Jackson Ward on June 1.
Known as the “birthplace of Black Capitalism,” Jackson Ward is rich in African American history and culture and boasts a large number of pre-Civil War homes. Tour includes the Maggie L. Walker Historic Site, the A.D. Price Funeral Home, the Dill House and rehabilitated businesses and town homes.
May 17, 2008
Cast and Wrought
From Robert P.Winthrop’s Cast and Wrought - The Architectural Metalwork of Richmond, Virginia:
Richmond’s architectural cast iron is second only to that of New Orleans, yet it is hardly recognized. Over 130 porches and balconies, hundreds of yards of elaborate fencing, as well as scores of cast iron front buildings remain in the city today and make up the bulk of the city’s architectural metalwork.
May 5, 2008
Black America Series - Richmond, VA
I picked up a copy of Elvatrice Belsches’ 2002 book Richmond Virginia (Black America Series) this weekend at the East End library. While the 120-page book has photos from around Richmond, it seems as that a good half or more of the book is from Jackson Ward.
April 28, 2008
Historic Photos of Richmond
There are more than a few great books covering specific facets of Richmond’s history. The recent Historic Photos of Richmond “captures this city’s journey through still photography selected from the finest archives” with a well-selected set of photos from the 1860s to the 1960s.
April 12, 2008
valuable properties for sale on long term payments
April 6, 2008
Rosa B.J. Brown gone at 86
The April 3-5 issue of the Richmond Free Press reports the passing of Rosa B.J. Brown who, with her husband, operated Brown’s Lunchroom in Jackson Ward in the 1940s and 1950s until “they were forced to close in the late 1950s when the new Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike was constructed through Jackson Ward, ripping up the community and displacing several thousand residents along with churches and businesses.”
April 5, 2008
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was a pioneer and pre-eminent African-American tap dance performer. A notorious gambler with a big heart, he was a soft touch for anyone down on their luck or with a good story. During his lifetime Robinson spent a fortune but his generosity was not totally wasted and his haunting memories of surviving on the streets as a child never left him. In 1933, while in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, he saw two children risk speeding traffic to cross a street because there was no stoplight at the intersection. Robinson went to the city and provided the money to have a safety traffic light installed. In 1973, a statue of “Bojangles” was erected in a small park at that intersection. [via]
March 31, 2008
Richmond’s first housing urban renewal program was…
From the Valentine Richmond History Center’s I Know Richmond:
Q: WHAT WAS THE FIRST HOUSING URBAN RENEWAL PROGRAM IN RICHMOND?
(A) Jackson Ward (B) Gilpin Court (C) Carver (D) Mosby Court
March 22, 2008
map of Richmond (1888)
This map from 1888, scanned from Chesson’s Richmond After the War 1865-1890, shows just how much impact the interstate has had on the geography of the area.
March 19, 2008
Maggie Walker house tour 3/29
A special tour of the Maggie L. Walker home in Richmond will be conducted on March 29 at 2PM in celebration of Women’s History Month. The event is sponsored by the National Park Service. [via]
March 14, 2008
Lucy Goode Brooks to be honored Saturday
Lucy Goode Brooks, the former slave who founded the Friends Asylum for Colored Orphans in 1871 will be honored tomorrow with a new historical marker at Charity and St. Paul Streets. [via]
