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HISTORIC RICHMOND

ARRANGED FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF GUESTS IN RICHMOND BY

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COPYRIGHT 19J7
WHITTET AND SHEPPERSON

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RICHMOND — capital of the Cavaliers — a city that is mellow and
.yet modern, where the rustle of the past may still be heard amid
the bustle of the present.
To appreciate Richmond one must, before all else, remember that
this old town has roots planted deep in the history of our country.
Richmond was founded in 1737 by William Byrd II, of Westover
on the James, forefather of two of Virginia's illustrious sons of today,
Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd and Senator Harry Flood Byrd. But
even before Father Byrd laid off his lots and established Richmond,
this site at the falls of the James River had held a certain degree of
importance. Just a few weeks after the Virginia settlers landed at
Jamestown on May 13, 1607, to found the first permanent English
settlement in America, Captain Newport pushed off up the James
to find the route to the gold of the Indies. The barrier of rocks, known
as the falls of the James, must have been an unwelcome sight to the
eyes of that little band of intrepid explorers as it shattered their dream
of easy passage to their expected El Dorado. Captain Newport, how
ever, was the first of the Virginians to believe that no hoped-for golden
future should stop a man from doing the sensible, practical thing of the
moment. Before very long, Captain Francis West had established a
frontier post at the point where the falls interrupted further navigation
of the river. It is hard to realize that Richmond was once on the
western frontier of our country, but such was the case until about
1660, when settlers began that westward push that only ended when
the Pacific was reached.
Richmond has seen much of the thrilling history of our country
unfold. She was a promising village when George Washington and the
son of her founder, Colonel Byrd, successfully led Virginia's two regi
ments, with the troops of her sister colonies and the British regulars in
the French and Indian war. She was the hostess to that brilliant group
of patriots who gathered in St. John's Church in 1775 to discuss what
methods could be taken 'to avert war with England, only7 to have
Patrick Henry, grown sick of futile measures which obtained no jus
tice for the colonists, rise to advocate the arming of the Virginia militia
and utter those words which made him the embodiment of man's
immortal will to freedom: "Give me liberty or give me death." She
was the capital of the State from which Thomas Jefferson, Governor

of Virginia, had to flee to prevent capture when Benedict Arnold
swooped down on Richmond in 1781 and occupied the city for the
British in America's war for independence. Cornwallis visited it later
in the same year. She was a thriving center of commerce in 1 8 1 2 when
the city was often alarmed by the news that the British were coming
again, and in 1846 when her "Grays" were accepted for service in the
Mexican War. She was the capital of the Confederate States of America
from 1861-65, the hope of the South and the despair of the North for
those four long, bloody, heart-breaking years. The best commanders,
the most immense armies the Federal government could furnish, ham
mered, hammered at Richmond, while the South's bravest hearts and
keenest minds stood with their backs often at the very walls of the city,
but would not let them pass. No city in America ever has or ever will be
again so completely the goal of the whole American people. Those years
and the ones that followed taught Richmond something that as a city
she will never forget- — that courage can rise above everything. The in
credible sacrifices of Richmond people in that time knit the citizens to
gether with bonds that even time cannot sunder. She was again
prompt to the call of duty in 1898 when the country was challenged
with outside danger, and once more poured forth her sons and funds
in the World War.
Those wars through which Richmond has lived are but distressing
landmarks on the long trail our country has traveled. Her contribu
tion has been equally as great in times of peace. In fact, probably her
greatest contribution has been her way of life — a way based on the belief
that the best of the old must be kept and adapted to fit in with the
best of the new. The city has grown steadily; has been rebuilt after
three destructions by fire. Today Richmond is the commercial, indus
trial, financial, medical, and educational center of the section lying
between Washington and Atlanta, and one of the wealthiest cities per
capita in the United States.
Cities, after all, are but larger patterns of individual people. People
who have been tested by time and tribulation and yet come out smiling,
full of faith and courage, never fail to command our admiration. That
Richmond has done this, we submit as our plea for your appreciation
of our old city.
The people of Richmond have made the city and in turn been made
by it. No one can long live in the mellowness of Richmond without
feeling that here is a calm that is not dead but gay, an ease and a friend
liness that is real and not assumed, a determination to build always for
the future but never to forget the heritage of the past which is our
inspiration, a will to be of such a quality that we cannot fail to give
strength to the nation, going always forward up the middle of the road
that leads to right and justice.

' 4

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HISTORIC RICHMOND

DISTRESSING as it is to those who love the old — and who
doesn't, as a firm foundation for the future? — the fire
which in 1865 destroyed so much of ante bellum Richmond
is a helping friend to the visitors who must see the city in
an all too brief time. As so much was destroyed then and
since, through the natural process of progress, Richmond
has not the wealth of old buildings that she might have. In
all the old parts of the town, however, are quaint bits out
of the past still in existence in addition to the better-known
points of historical interest.
• The tour has been planned on a geographic basis to per
mit as much as possible to be seen. It is almost impossible
to sightsee chronologically in Richmond, as our forefathers
built where they wished and not according to a city plan. The
result is that the old buildings of Richmond are scattered
quite widely. Leaving the hotel we drive to the intersection
of Third and Main streets and proceed south on Third to
the end of the street, where we come to Gamble's Hill Park.
• Gamble* s Hill Park
Below you rolls "the mighty James," the father of Virginia's history
and reason for Richmond. In 1645 Fort Charles was erected here at
the falls of the James to protect the Tidewater settlers from the in
cursions of the Indians. The cross, planted on rugged boulders or
river- jacks from the James, was erected here by the Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities in memory of the valiant little
group of explorers; who landed on an island below this point on June
10, 1607.
Across the ravine on the extreme right is the State penitentiary, ably
run along modern lines.
Bringing your eyes along the crest of the same hill sloping down
towards the river, you will see Hollywood Cemetery, where lie buried
two presidents of the United States, James Monroe and John Tyler ;
* 5 *

the President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis;
General J. E. B. Stuart, Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, "the
pathfinder of the seas"; Fitzhugh Lee (General R. E. Lee is buried in
Lexington, Virginia) ; George E. Pickett and some 1 8,000 Confederate
soldiers, including the Virginians who fell in Pickett's charge at Gettys
burg. Immediately beneath Gamble's Hill curve the remains of the once
vital James River and Kanawha Canal, Virginia's earliest great west
ward transportation system, of which George Washington was the first
president in 1785.
Across the canal are the Tredegar Iron Works, which recently
rounded out a century of service, having furnished munitions in the
country's last four wars. Here was rolled the armor-plate for the
"Merrimac," which, with the "Monitor," made history in Hampton
Roads in the first battle between iron-clads.
Leaving the park we pass on our left a remarkable structure, known
as Pratt's castle, constructed in the 1850's and awarded as the prize in
a photographic lottery.
Proceed on Fourth Street to Cary, right on Cart/ to Fifth,
left on Fifth to Main.

• Old Homes
Here on Fifth Street, between Cary and Main, are several examples of
the stately houses which made life in Richmond in the nineteenth
century the gracious thing that it was. On your right are two old
homes which have passed from the hands of the families that built and
loved them. At the southeast corner of Main and Fifth Streets used to
stand the Allan home where Edgar Allan Poe lived to young manhood
with his foster parents. On your left is the garden of the handsome old
Nolting home. Feast your eyes on the beautiful design of that back
porch. Across Main Street from the Nolting residence is an interesting
octagonal house, built prior to 1 8 14 by an early mayor of Richmond.
Proceed on Fifth to Franklin, right on Franklin to 707 East
Franklin.

• General Lee's Home
This upright house, typical of many built by the wealthier Richmond-
ers in the early nineteenth century, was lent to General Robert E. Lee
as a home for himself when he could be in Richmond and for his
family during the War Between the States, 1861-1865. It is now the
home of the Virginia Historical Society, which has built a fireproof
structure in the rear for its priceless collection of papers. Many inter
esting things on view here merit a visit.
Proceed east on Franklin to Ninth Street.

• Federal Reserve Bank
On your left, from Eight to Ninth on Franklin Street, is situated the
Federal Reserve Bank for the Fifth District, which embraces Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, the District of Columbia,
and part of West Virginia.
Intersection of Franklin and Ninth.

Old Bell Tower

• Old Bell Tower
Here you get your first view of the State Capitol and its grounds, but
at this time confine your interest to the quaint structure on your left.
It is the old Bell Tower. It was built in 1824 to replace the wood
tower from which had pealed forth the call to colors for the regular
and volunteer troops to defend Richmond from expected attacks.
Right on Ninth to Main Street, left on Main.
• 7 •

• Financial District
You are now in the heart of Richmond's financial district. Several bank
ing houses, however, are situated in other parts of the city.
Main from Tenth to Eleventh.
• Post Office
On your left is the Federal building in which are located the United
States Postoffice and customs house. A part of this building was
erected before the War Between the States and housed the executive
offices of President Jefferson Davis and several members of his cabinet.
Next in order is the city's new parcel post building.
Proceed east on Main to Fourteenth, right on Fourteenth to
Bridge, halt and make U turn.
• Dunlop Mills
Before you stretches one of the four vehicular bridges that connect
Richmond with South Richmond, across the James. At the south end
of the bridge may be seen the rather severe but architecturally arresting
buildings of the Dunlop Mills, a flour mill which has been supplying
Richmond since its early days.
Back on Fourteenth to Main and right on Main to Fifteenth.
• Southern Literary Messenger
The southeast corner on your right is the site of the Southern Literary
Messenger Building, where Edgar Allan Poe edited that magazine to
enduring fame. Across the street is the site of Bell Tavern, one of the
famous places of rendezvous in early Richmond and recruiting station
during the War of 1 8 1 2.
Continue east on Main to Seventeenth.

• Old First Market
Passing the Chesapeake H Ohio Railroad Station on your left, you come
to the recently remodeled Old Market. On this site, from the earliest
days, the farmers would gather to sell their produce to the city folk.
To the left of the market, Negro washerwomen used to spread their
wash on the grassy banks of Shockoe Creek, the frequent floods of
which were the chief excitement of the old town. The women chatted
and lightened their work by singing. The darkies' melodious voices,
blending with the cries of the food hawkers, must have made the
market the gayest spot in Richmond.
Continue on Main, halting three-fourths of the way between
Nineteenth and Twentieth.

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Poe Shrine
• Poe Shrine
On your left is the oldest house in Richmond, erected about 1 686. On
the front wall may be seen the letters "J. R.," supposed to signify
"Jacobus Rex," James II, who was then King of England. The
building is now a part of the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation, which
includes also the small buildings on the left and right, in the three of
which are housed much Poe material and many articles relating to his
residence in Richmond. In the rear is an "enchanted garden" which
leads to a classical loggia, built chiefly of material from the former
Southern Literary Messenger Building.
Turn right on Twentieth to Cary.

• Libby Prison
On the southeast corner of Cary stood Libby Prison, where thousands
of Federal prisoners were confined during the War Between the States.
The old warehouse-prison building was torn down and taken to Chi
cago to be rebuilt for the World's Fair of 1893.
You are now in the heart of the tobacco district of Richmond. For
blocks may be seen Richmond's famous "Tobacco Row."
Turn left on Cary to Twenty-first, left on Twenty-first to
Main, and right on Main to Twenty-third.

• Where Poe's Mother Died
Through the narrow runway between the house on the northwest
corner and the one next to it, you could pass, if you had time, to see the
pathetic little outhouse where Edgar Allan Poe's mother coughed out
her last tubercular breath in 1 8 1 1 . She had lodged, on first coming to
Richmond that autumn, along with her fellow-actresses, in the Indian
Queen tavern on the corner, but poverty had forced her removal.
Make a U turn on Main here and proceed west on Main back
to Eighteenth, turn right on Eighteenth, proceeding to
Franklin, halt between Eighteenth and Nineteenth.

• Oldest Masonic Hall
The wooden building on the right is the oldest Masonic hall in con
tinuous use in the United States. Governor Edmund Randolph was

, ¦

St. John's Church
' 10 •

among the many prominent Virginia Masons who participated in the
corner-stone laying in 1785. Lafayette was given a reception here in
1824 on his triumphal return visit to the scenes where he had served
in the American Revolution.
Proceed east on Franklin, halting briefly between Twenty-
first and Twenty-second.
At the top of the hill to your left, you can see a typical old galleried
home of early Richmond, now incorporated in the modern buildings
of Monte Maria Roman Catholic Convent.
Turn left on Franklin at Twenty-third, proceed uphill to
Grace, right on Grace to Twenty-fourth.
You are now passing some of the oldest homes in Richmond here on
Church Hill. Turn left on Twenty-fourth to Broad, right on Broad to
center of block.

• St. John's Church
St. John's Episcopal Church, built in 1741, the oldest in the city, wijl
forever be famous as the place where Patrick Henry uttered his ringing
challenge for "liberty or death" to the American colonists. The
second Virginia convention met in St. John's, because it was the largest
hall in Richmond, in March, 1775, and even at that, the original was
not half the size of the enlarged present-day structure. It is worth your
while to get out here and let the sexton show you the church and tell
you briefly of its story. On the left, as you face the church, you will
see the grave of Elizabeth Arnold Poe, the tiny actress-mother of
America's great imaginative writer. Little Edgar Poe is said to have
been found more than once lying sobbing on his mother's grave.
Make a U turn at Twenty-fifth and proceed westward on
Broad halt between Thirteenth and Twelfth.

• Monumental Church
This unusual-looking church structure was built in 1 8 1 2 as a memorial
to more than seventy people, including the Governor of Virginia, who
lost their lives in a fire which destroyed a theatre on this site on Decem
ber 26, 181 1. In this theatre Edgar Allan Poe's mother had acted a
few short months before, and in this same theatre the Virginia Con
vention of 1788 had ratified the Federal Constitution.
Proceed to Twelfth, turn right on Twelfth to Marshall,
turn right on Marshall to center of block.
' • 1 1 •

• Medical College of Virginia
On your right are St. Philip's Negro Hospital and the Dooley Crippled
Children's Hospital, both units of the Medical College of Virginia, of
which the Egyptian building adjoining them is the earliest. This un
usual structure is said to be an almost perfect example of Egyptian
architecture. The other buildings of the Medical College of Virginia,
the oldest medical school in the South, are found in this particular
section of the city.
Make a U turn here and proceed west on Marshall to
Twelfth, turn right on Twelfth to Clay and turn right on
Clay.

Confederate Museum

This building, now the Confederate Museum, was the White House of
the Confederacy from 1861-65. Here lived President Jefferson Davis.
Here came the generals to confer, the couriers bearing news of the
various battles. Most fittingly, the women of the South have made
this a treasure-house of things Confederate. In the museum you may
now see the uniforms, swords, camp chest and multitudinous relics of
Generals Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, Joseph E.
Johnston, J. E. B. Stuart and most of the other Confederate heroes.
The student of that phase of our history finds here invaluable historical
papers and files.
Make a U turn and proceed west on Clay to Eleventh.
• 12 •

Confederate Museum (The White House of the Confederacy)

• Valentine Museum
This charming old residence, built in 1 8 12 by John Wickham, leading
attorney for Aaron Burr, was the center of that gay and witty "court
circle" made up of the brilliant lawyers of Richmond of the early
nineteenth century, which amazed and delighted the Irish poet, Tom
Moore, on a visit to the city in 1803. The Wickham house has been
restored and preserved by the Valentine family as an example of an old
Richmond home and garden. The two buildings next door have been
joined to serve as a museum to house a rare American Indian collection,
the plaster model of the recumbent statue of General Robert E. Lee (the
original of which is above his crypt in Lexington, Virginia) , the death
mask of "Stonewall" Jackson and other objects of art.
Proceed west on Clay to Ninth, turn left on Ninth to Mar
shall.

• John Marshall House
This house, severely simple on the exterior, boasts a classic dignity in
side which proves that John Marshall, as well as his politically different
cousin, Thomas Jefferson, could design homes. The eminent jurist
himself designed this home. The house is now the property of the
' 13 '

John Marshall House

Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, the first of
such societies in America. It is furnished with some of Marshall's
original furniture. You may see here the robe which Marshall wore as
Chief Justice of the United States.
Continue north on Ninth Street two blocks to Grace Street,
turn left and enter the Capitol Square.

• Capitol Square
Commanding the driveway stands the equestrian statue of Washing
ton, executed by Thomas Crawford and cast in Munich at a cost of
$100,000. Chief Justice John Marshall headed the committee to raise
the subscriptions, beginning the work in 1 8 1 7 when the city boasted
less than 6,000 white inhabitants. The monument was unveiled in
1858. Around the central figure of Washington are statues of some of
Virginia's famous sons, builders of the nation as well as of their state.
Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Nelson,
John Marshall, and Andrew Lewis. * 14 '

• Capitol Building
The central part of the Capitol was designed after the Maison Carree
at Nimes by Thomas Jefferson while minister to France from the
United States. The original part was commenced in 1 785 and finished
about 1792, and the wings were added, to give the legislators much-
needed space, in 1905. In the rotunda in the old central part you will
see the most celebrated work of the great French sculptor, Houdon —
the life-sized statue of Washington, the only one posed from life which
is in existence today. It was placed here in 1788. Here also is a head
of Lafayette by Houdon. Virginia has recently made this rotunda her
Hall of Presidents by placing here busts of her eight native sons who
hame become chief executives of the United States.
' 15 "

State Capitol Building

Opening off the rotunda is the old hall of delegates, where Aaron
Burr, in 1807, was tried for treason before Chief Justice Marshall. In
this hall occurred a great tragedy in 1870, when the balcony gave way
because too large a crowd of people had packed every inch to hear a
trial of deep local interest. Sixty-three were killed and two hundred and
sixty injured. The hall has been restored to its original appearance.
Where the statue now stands, Robert E. Lee, on April 23, 1861, ac
cepted the command of Virginia's forces. Here met the Confederate
House of Representatives from 1861-65. The present Virginia Senate
and House of Delegates meet in modern chambers in the two wings.

• State Buildings
Leaving the Capitol by the main door, you see on the right the modern
State office building and the State Library on the terrace. The State's
priceless manuscripts are housed in the Archives building to the rear
of the Library. • 16 ¦

ml II

Governor's Mansion

• Governor's Mansion
Swinging around the Capitol, you come to the Federal-style Governor's
Mansion, erected in 1811-13. From 1788 to 1811 the governors of
Virginia had had to live in a two-story wooden structure, ironically
called "The Palace," located on the same site as the present building.

• City Hall
As you leave the Capitol Square, you can see on your right a large gray
stone structure, the City Hall. This building contains the offices of
the mayor and various municipal departments.
Drive westward from Capitol Square, stopping on Grace
just across Ninth.

17

St. Paul's Church

• St. Paul's Church
Situated here at Ninth and Grace is St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located
spiritually, as well as geographically, in the heart of the city. General
Robert E. Lee worshipped here whenever he was in Richmond during
the War between the States, as did President Jefferson Davis regularly.
Up an aisle to this church on Sunday, April 2, 1865, strode a mes
senger to President Davis' pew. Davis quietly left the church. The
message told him that Petersburg had fallen, that Richmond must
be evacuated. The church is filled with memorials of many kinds, and
is referred to by some as "The Westminster of Richmond."
Proceed westward on Grace to Sixth Street.

The house on your left, on the corner of Sixth and Grace, is now
the Westmoreland Club, a men's club, the front part of which was
formerly a private residence where Thackeray was entertained in 1853
during one of his visits to Richmond.
Turn right on Sixth to Marshall, left on Marshall.
• 18 •

• Market
Country wagons and Negro flower-sellers combine to make this a
colorful sight. Turn left at Fifth, right at Franklin. Proceed west on Frank
lin, halting briefly between Third and Second.

• Woman's Club
The Woman's Club has preserved this comfortable nineteenth century
home by adding a large auditorium at the back and making it their
clubhouse, where are heard many of the distinguished lecturers and
artists of today.

City Library

• City Library
The modern building on the left hand corner is the main City Library,
a gift to the city of the late James H. Dooley.
Proceed westward on Franklin, halting briefly between
Madison and Henry. ¦ 19 •

• Commonwealth Club
Here at "The Commonwealth," the mid-town men's club of the city,
the Richmond German Club gives the "Germans," which are the most
formal and unusual features of Richmond's social life, somewhat com
parable to the Philadelphia Assemblies and Charleston's St. Cecilias.
Proceed westward on Franklin, and between Belvidere and
Laurel point out —

The Mosque

• Monroe Park
This is one of the many municipal parks, most of which are located out
side the heavily built-up part of the city. Looking through the park
you can see the Mosque, where concerts and other cultural events are
given. The Mosque contains an auditorium seating 5,000 persons.
Proceed westward on Franklin to Lombardy.

• Monument Avenue
Here begins Monument Avenue, the continuation of Franklin Street,
the newer section of the thoroughfare that has long been the main
residential street of the city. This avenue takes its name from the
following monuments to Confederate leaders:

• J. E. B. Stuart Monument
This statue shows General Stuart, the great cavalry leader, in a typically
dashing pose. Stuart was one of the most colorful men in the Confed
eracy, once riding his men eighty miles in 27 hours, another time riding
around McClellan's whole army — always courageous, always gay.

Lee Monument

• Lee Monument
Only three letters mark this monument — Lee. The South felt no more
were needed. This marvelous likeness of General Lee on "Traveller"
was sculptured by the French artist, Jean Antoine Mercie, and was
unveiled by Lee's West Point classmate and friend, General Joseph E.
Johnston, on May 30, 1890. Arrived in Richmond, the statue was
drawn to its location by school-children.
Proceed westward on Monument to Davis Avenue.

21

Jefferson Davis Monument

• Davis Monument
The monument to Jefferson Davis shows the President of the Confed
eracy in the posture of oratory. Around the monument are excerpts
from his most notable speeches.
Proceed westward on Monument to the Boulevard.
• Jackson Monument
This monument to Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson shows him
mounted on "Sorrel," facing north, because he so resolutely opposed
the Northern army. Jackson, whose brilliant strategy is studied today
by soldiers the world over, was a stern, Cromwellian type of com
mander in strange contrast to the dashing Stuart. Lee called him his
"right arm," and no one has ever been able to estimate the severity of
the blow his death dealt the Southern cause.
Continue westward on Monument to Belmont.
• 22 "

• Maury Monument
Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury is not as well known to the
average citizen as he deserves to be, but sailors on all the seas know his
work and are grateful for it. He is known as "The Pathfinder of the
Seas" because he charted the oceans with such accuracy that even today
the Pilot Charts issued by the Hydrographic Office of the Navy Depart
ment are founded on his researches. In the house which still stands
close to the present Valentine Museum, Maury, seeking ways that
would enable his pathetically small Confederate Navy to be effective
against the Union gunboats, invented the submarine electrical torpedo.
Circle around the monument; proceed eastward on Monu
ment to Sheppard; right on Sheppard to Kensington; halt
briefly.

Battle Abbey : Confederate Memorial Institute
• Battle Abbey
This is the back of the Battle Abbey, laid off as a "green garden." To
the right of the garden may be seen a handsome building, the Home for
Needy Confederate Women.
Proceed east to Boulevard, turn right.
The Battle Abbey, or Confederate Memorial Institute, houses a
large collection of portraits of Confederate officers, but is chiefly dis
tinguished for its very beautiful series of mural paintings of Confederate
scenes by the French artist, Charles Hoffbauer. The artist had done

23

much of his preliminary work when he was called back to fight for
France in 19 14. When he returned to Richmond after the war, Hoff-
bauer painted out all he had previously done and painted war as only
one who had been through it could.
Proceed on the Boulevard to Grove.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
This State institution, opened in January, 1936, houses the famous
John Barton Payne collections of paintings and prints, and equally
famous Henry P. Strause collections of fine and decorative arts, and
many other works of art belonging to Virginia. The Museum and
collections are valued (one year after its opening) at more than
$5,000,000. In addition to its collections, it conducts a regular pro
gram of specially assembled exhibitions, lectures and symphony con
certs. The present Museum is the first unit of a building which, with
wings attached, will be much larger.
^ Proceed on the Boulevard to Cary, right on Cary to central
entrance of Windsor Farms.
• Reveille
To your right, set well back off the road, you will see a white house
of simple colonial design. It was an old plantation house, far out in
the country in Richmond's early days. The garden of this home is
greatly admired because of its suitability to the house.
Proceed through Windsor Farms to Virginia House.

24

Virginia House
• Virginia House
Virginia House is built of materials brought from Warwick Priory,
Warwick, England, in 1925, by His Excellency Alexander Weddell,
Ambassador to the Argentine, and Mrs. Weddell. The central sec
tion is a reproduction of the Tudor portion of Warwick Priory,
founded by the first Earl of Warwick; the right-hand section is an
exact replica of the only portion of Sulgrave Manor which remains as
it was at the time Lawrence Washington occupied it as his manor house.
The royal coat of arms may be seen over a second-story window to
your right. The arms were conferred to show that the house had given
shelter to Queen Elizabeth in 1572. The house is eventually to be
the home of the Virginia Historical Society.
Pull up about 100 yards.
• Agecroft Hall
Agecroft was originally built in Lancashire, England, about 1393,
brought to Richmond and faithfully rebuilt here in 1925 by Mr. and
Mrs. T. C. Williams. The old plaster and timber house was the seat
of the Langleys, a branch of the royal Plantagenets. Some of its most
beautiful features are an oriel window and the great hall with gallery
for minstrels, paneled with oak and lighted by stained glass windows.
The house is eventually to go to the city as a generously endowed art

museum.

Return to Cary Street Road, turn left, proceed westward to
entrance to Paxton development, turn left, proceed to en
trance to Wilton (marked) on right, and enter.
¦ 25 •

• Wilton
This stately house was built in 1753 for William Randolph III on a
site overlooking the James about six miles below Richmond. The
Colonial Dames of America in the State of Virginia bought it several
years ago to save the beautiful paneling from being sold out of Virginia,
and had it faithfully rebuilt here on another site overlooking the James.
Return to Cary Street Road, turn left and proceed westward.

jONFj

Country Club of Virginia

• Country Club of Virginia
This is the largest country club in the city, though there are two other
private clubs and five public golf courses which have clubs attached.
The Country Club of Virginia boasts one eighteen-hole golf course
and one short course at this club, and a very fine eighteen-hole course
up the James River, where the Club has another smaller clubhouse,
skeet shooting traps and river sports.
Proceed out St. Andrew's Lane to Three Chopt Road, left on
Three Chopt to entrance gates of University of Richmond,
left to College. • 26 •

• University of Richmond
The University of Richmond includes Richmond College, a college of
liberal arts and sciences for men; Westhampton College, offering the
same courses to women ; the T. C. Williams School of Law for profes
sional study ; and the Evening School of Business Administration. The
latter two are located in the city proper. We pass first through the men's
college, and cross the lake to the women's college. The total enrollment
of the university is around 1500.
Proceed on out of Westhampton College to River Road, turn
left on River Road back to Cary Street Road, right on Cary
back to Boulevard, right on Boulevard to Columbus Monu
ment, Byrd Park.

jT

Social Center and Gymnasium, University of Richmond

• Columbus Monument
This monument was erected by the Italians of Richmond. The park
includes tennis courts, playgrounds, acres of woodland, and a small
boating lake to your left. Southeast of this point lies Shields Lake,
the mecca of Richmond swimmers in the summer and beyond that
"Maymont," the city's most beautiful park.
• 27 •

'¦ 5«»

World War Memorial : The Carillon

• World War Memorial
Virginia's memorial to her dead of the World War was, by a very
articulate vote of the people of the state, made in the form of this beau
tiful carillon. The bells were imported from England. A museum con
taining relics of the great European struggle is located in a room at the
base of the tower.

28

• Richmond Ideal for Conventions
Historic shrines of world-wide interest, excellent transportation ser
vice, splendid modern hotels, and every facility available for success
ful meetings has made Richmond one of the outstanding convention
centers of America.
Delegates attending conventions here have a wide choice of selecting
their entertainment programs. Some enjoy trips to Williamsburg,
Jamestown and Yorktown, the beautiful Skyline Drive, the battle
fields surrounding the city and the many diversified industrial plants,
while others participate in their favorite sport or seek diversions in
the many forms of entertainment to be had.
Proximity to the centers of the population, coupled with other
numerous advantages, has resulted in record-breaking attendance at
meetings here.
In Richmond, Capital of the Old South, an industrial, commer
cial and financial center of the new, nothing is left undone to make
every convention meeting in this city successful and enjoyable.
• Facts About Richmond
POPULATION Metropolitan, 220,513; corporate,
182,929.
FINANCIAL Bank resources, $208,016,212; de
posits, $187,244,750; savings ac
counts total $45,917,701; seat of the
Federal Reserve Bank of the 5th Dis
trict; estimated wealth, $600,000,-
000; postal receipts, $2,189,167; in
ternal revenue receipts, $161,440,-
502; customs collections, $4,704,-
966; home office: nine life, two fire,
four casualty, six fraternal insurance
companies.
RECREATIONAL Public and private golf courses, 20
theatres, a stadium for athletics, mu
nicipal auditorium, municipal swim
ming pool, an auditorium for opera,
large conventions, etc., seating 5,000.
CLIMATE Equitable climate with average tem
perature, 57.9 degrees F.; mean an
nual rainfall, 41.86 inches.
EDUCATIONAL University of Richmond, Medical
College of Virginia, College of William
and Mary (Richmond Division), Un
ion Theological Seminary, Presbyterian
Training School, Virginia Union Uni
versity (Colored), 16 private and 14
parochial schools, three business col
leges, 44 public school buildings, State
and Municipal libraries, numerous mu
seums, etc.
• 29

MEDICAL CENTER
Institutions and specialists of wide re
nown. Medical College of Virginia —
oldest medical college in the South —
with schools of medicine, dentistry,
pharmacy and nursing. 19 hospitals
with 1,610 beds.
INDUSTRIAL 300 manufacturing plans. Cost of
materials used, $194,658,873; value
of products, $270,257,047.
WHOLESALE Wholesale area includes large portion
of the United States and several for
eign countries. 413 wholesale estab
lishments with net sales of $ 1 81,430,-
000; employing 6,707 men and wom
en with total payroll amounting to
$9,663,000.
RETAIL Retail area comprises large section of
Virginia and adjacent states. 2,606 re
tail stores with retail sales amounting
to $79,837,000 annually. 11,363
employees with total payrol of $10,-
737,000.
TRANSPORTATION
Excellent transportation facilities via
rail, water, bus, air. 6 trunk-line rail
roads; 1 1 passenger bus lines, with 69
busses arriving and a like number de
parting each day; situated on U. S.
Highway No. 1 — main north-south
thoroughfares; and U. S. Highway
No. 60 — main east-west thorough
fare. Accommodations for coastwise
shipping.

The Capitol

• Colonial Williamsburg
Fifty miles southeast of Richmond on Route 60 lies a community
unique in America — Williamsburg, the city that is being restored to
its eighteenth century appearance. Long capital of the Virginia colony
and center of English culture in the New World, Williamsburg in
1925 had become a sleepy village, almost unknown except for the
College of William and Mary. In that year the vision of the Rev.
W. A. R. Goodwin, of Bruton Parish Church, materialized when
Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., undertook to restore the ancient portion
of the town to its colonial aspect.
In ten years — years of painstaking research, study, planning and
building — an amazing change has taken place. Today Williamsburg
is a thrilling re-creation of the past, the past that belongs to all Amer
ica. Public buildings, taverns, homes, gardens and streets have been
meticulously restored or rebuilt as they were in the period when the
great figures of the time called the town their capital.
• 30 •

The two largest units in the restoration are illustrated: the Capitol,
of notable architecture, was the successive center of colonial loyalty,
of colonial discontent, and of American independence, and finally
was the birthplace of the Virginia Commonwealth; the Governor's
Palace, with its offices and gardens, one of the most noteworthy estates
jn colonial America, was for seventy years the symbol of royal au
thority and prestige in Virginia. There lived that remarkable succes
sion of crown Governors — Spotswood, Drysdale, Gooch, Dinwiddie,
Fauquier, Botetourt and Dunmore — as well as the first two Governors
of the Commonwealth, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.
These two structures, together with the Old Court House, the
Public Gaol, the Raleigh Tavern, and the Ludwell-Paradise House,
are now open for inspection. Work proceeds on dozens more. The
town is distinctly not a museum. Citizens live in the old houses and
operate the shops, and the whole town is a lively and charming place.
The College of William and Mary, with its famed Christopher Wren
Building and beautiful grounds, is alone worth the visit.
You will want to spend at least an entire day — preferably sev
eral — in Williamsburg. Ask at the desk for information that will
facilitate your trip.

I L^S^ P^rs|[jg

The Governor's Palace

' 31

• The Jefferson Hotel has long been the
center of social and cultural life in Vir
ginia and its hospitality is tradition
throughout the South. Recently refur
bished at a cost of over $100,000, The
Jefferson affords its guests the finest and
most distinctive Hotel in Richmond.
e The magnificent Lobby, the spacious
Gold Dining Room, the Palm Court with
Valentine's famed statue of Thomas Jef
ferson, the newly decorated Ball Room,
Auditorium, and Banquet Hall, the out
door Terrace, the Flemish Room, all con
spire to welcome guests and make their
stay in Richmond pleasant and memo
rable. • Located outside of the noisy commer
cial area, The Jefferson is within walking
distance of the theatre and business dis
trict and is convenient to all forms of
transportation. Rates range from $2.00.
For further information communicate ivith
THE JEFFERSON HOTEL
WM. C. ROYER, Manager
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA