As the first, largest, and wealthiest English colony in the New World, Virginia has a rich political history reaching back to our nation’s founding. Four of the first five presidents…
Browsing: History
The oldest private club in Richmond was founded in 1876 by seven men with one six-person boat. With the addition of a coxswain in the stern, the Virginia Boat Club fit in…
On August 17, 1969, a rare category 5 hurricane hit Mississippi and tracked north as it weakened into a tropical depression. Hurricane Camille, however, took a sharp, unexpected eastward turn and…
The first African American governor in United States history, L. Douglas Wilder was born in Richmond’s Church Hill district in 1931. There, he was raised with five sisters and a…
In the days when it wasn’t considered proper to work or earn money, widowhood or other circumstances in which men weren’t in the picture might have forced women to choose…
For nearly three centuries, the James River has been vital to Richmond’s economic growth. From hydropower to shipping to beer production to recreation and tourism, the river’s waters are the foundation…
In an attempt to lure riders to their streetcar line, the Virginia Manchester Railway opened a combination terminal and amusement park just south of the James in 1890. Accessible with…
How Virginia Union college students in Richmond changed the world and lead the way in the Civil Rights movement with a sit-in at Thalhimers in 1960.
In 1944, the U.S. Army built a hospital on the south side of Richmond to serve as the first stop for injured World War II soldiers returning home from England.…
Learn about the regional history of Rosenwald Schools for Black students who were denied an education. It’s a hidden history of segregation and education.
In 1844, evangelicals in England founded an organization meant to attract young, often wayward men into Christianity through social events and Bible study groups. A decade later, in 1854, a branch…
In 1929, a fantastic Richmond holiday tradition was born: the Christmas Toy Parade. Every year, just after Thanksgiving, crowds gathered on Broad Street to watch floats, bands, clowns, and drill teams…
