Water, Water Everywhere
On June 19, 1972, a weak Category One hurricane hit the gulf coast of Florida. By the time it reached Virginia a few days later, Hurricane Agnes was just a tropical storm, although its fourteen inches of rain combined with…
Crash Course in RVA Music
Through the 1980s, Richmond was home to a thriving punk music scene. In general, East Coast punk bands toured from New York to the Carolinas, getting regular gigs. Situated on I-95, Richmond was a natural and profitable stop on the…
Flour Capital of the World
Though tobacco is widely credited as Richmond’s founding industry, a second and lesser-known industry proved to be just as important to the city’s development and success. The first flour milling operation – belonging to William Byrd – was established here…
Richmond’s Secret Garden
In the 1920s, a prominent Richmond businessman, C.F. Sauer, Sr., started a Japanese garden on the 4300 block of Monument Avenue. The two-and-a-half acre parcel was a private garden, meant for use by residents of a new subdivision the prominent businessman had…
Take That to the Bank!
In 1975, Sylvia Clute, a former attorney for Reynolds Metals, decided to open a solo law practice. But despite her reputation as a successful attorney, five banks turned her down for a business loan. If they did return her calls, they…
An American Hero’s Story
On the day after Christmas in 1811, an enslaved African American blacksmith named Gilbert Hunt was visiting his wife downtown at a home where she was a servant. While there, news reached them that the nearby Richmond Theater had caught…
Over the Hills We Go!
In August 1908, 387 stock-holding members organized a private club called the Old Dominion Country Club before realizing that the name was already taken. Under a new name, they raised money to buy 110 rolling, wooded acres that lay four…
The SCOTUS Case that Never Was
It was September 1965. Three male college students went to register for classes in Richmond, only to be denied. The administration informed them that in order to register, they needed to cut their long hair and shave their beards. Not…
Lindbergh’s Historic Layover
In May of 1927, Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo flight across the ocean. The 3,500-mile trip from Long Island to Paris – made without radar or radio – took him thirty-three and a half hours. Later that year, on…
Unearthing a Church Hill Disaster
By 1872, the narrow strip of land between the James River and Church Hill was too crowded with development to allow easy passage for goods. That’s when work began on a tunnel so cargo could be moved quickly between Shockoe…
