Category Archives: history

Robert Pleasants

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This is a copy of the constitution of the Virginia Abolition Society that is on microfiche at the Library of Virginia. Robert Pleasants, a prominent Quaker is shown as the president. His story is remarkable, and so is part of his legacy, Gravel Hill in Henrico.

The connection with Oregon Hill is that the mother of John Miller was freed from slavery by actions of Robert Pleasants. John Miller’s house in Oregon Hill is the only known surviving house in Richmond that was built, owned and occupied by free blacks before and during the Civil War. (Editor’s note: this is a correction from an earlier version of this post, which erroneously suggested that Robert Pleasants lived in Oregon Hill.)

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association successfully petitioned the Richmond City Council in 2003 to name Pleasants Park at 401 South Laurel Street for Robert Pleasants.

Of course, this is not to say that Oregon Hill has been a place of racial harmony either. There is an uglier past.

Foundry Series: Politics and the Supreme Court This Thursday

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The American Civil War Museum and the John Marshall Foundation are holding an event at Historic Tredegar this Thursday at 6 pm.

Even during the Civil War era, political parties attempted to influence the makeup of the Supreme Court to further political agendas. Uncover how Lincoln and the Republicans reshaped the Court to advance the twin causes of liberty and union.

Featuring:

Dr. Timothy Huebner, Rhodes College, Memphis
Moderated by Dr. Henry L. Chambers, University of Richmond School of Law

Cost:
$10; $8 for Members

Click here for tickets.

Lew’s Laundry

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This ‘Throwback Thursday’, check out this eBay sale for an early 1900`s Chinese hand laundry advertising blotter for W. Lew’s, which was on Beverley Street. The seller gave me permission to post this photograph:

And for those who wonder where Beverely Street was, it was between Cumberland and Albemarle. Here is a screenshot from the Baist Atlas of the City of Richmond, published in 1889, available from VCU Libraries’ Digital Collections.

RVA Archeology: Video On Penitentiary Burials

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RVA Archeology has released a new video on YouTube and elsewhere about burials at the old Virginia State Penitentiary, close to Oregon Hill.

The Virginia State Penitentiary was a notorious Richmond prison — where many prisoners died. This video introduces the human skeletons that were found there, and who they represent. If this story interests you, please take our survey about how we should proceed next to investigate and memorialize the site: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RZMCHK8

A few quick notes-

Some of these burials are probably related to the building of the James River and Kanawha Canal, a history that the neighborhood has tried to bring forward.

If you are looking for a good history of the old prison, you may to want to pick up Dale Brumfield’s book Virginia State Penitentiary: A Notorious History, which was released just last year.

Of course, Oregon Hill’s history has often intertwined with the Penitentiary’s, but a lot of history, including these burials, is still coming to light.

Pine Street Baptist Church Is Selling 2019 Historic Oregon Hill Calendars

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Pine Street Baptist Church is selling 2019 Historic Oregon Hill Calendars. The calendar is composed of black and white photos from years gone by in the Oregon Hill community. The calendars are $15 and may be purchased at the church. Money raised will be used for Pine Street’s ongoing ministries. Call 644-0339 for more information. The calendars make a great Christmas gift.

Bowties At Benny’s

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Here’s a ‘Throwback Thursday’ for ya…The Bowties appearing at Benny’s…

From Throttle Magazine, May, 1985–

Keith MacPhee has left the Bowties, so that band is in the market for a bass player to join forces with Lloyd Huckstep, 800 and Earl Smith and Michael Pritchard. Together since November 1979, the Bowties are one of Richmond’s most enduring groups.

Tredegar Circa World War I

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Stealing from Dogtown Dish’s FaceBook feed for this ‘Throwback Thursday’ post:

Tredegar Ironworks During World War I, Richmond, VA. Date: Circa 1914-1918. “An interior photograph of the machine shop at the Tredegar ironworks shows production taking place during World War I. Though by late in the nineteenth century Tredegar had lost its position as one of the premier southern industrial enterprises, the company survived as a manufacturing entity into the 1980s.” Credit: Encyclopedia Virginia

‘Ethyl Is Lethal To It’s Neighbors’

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A recent article in the The Nation magazine opened with this provocative statement- ‘Today, thanks in part to the efforts of a single Virginia family, as many as 97 percent of Americans have toxic flame retardants in their blood.” While it goes on to look at the insidious chemical industry and in particular Richmond’s Gottwald family and what was the Ethyl Corporation, it prompted some old Oregon Hill memories to resurface.

Besides its questionable international trade practices, the Ethyl Corporation bought a large swath of Oregon Hill overlooking the river and tore down many of the old houses.

While there are many important aspects to the history- here’s one to remember:

Around this time pubic radio station WCVE broadcasted a national environmental issues show called ‘Living On Earth‘. Worried about offending their main corporate sponsors, local NPR WCVE balked at broadcasting a show that was critical of Ethyl. When Chris Maxwell (an Oregon Hill resident at that time) complained to their board about it, one of them obnoxiously told him to go ahead and start his own radio station then. So Maxwell started Radio Free Richmond Project which eventually lead to WRIR 97.3 fm Richmond Independent Radio. And that is the true story about how WRIR got started- but don’t expect the local corporate media to repeat it. This is an important lesson for Richmond to remember- do NOT always trust large entities to tell the true stories and nonprofits should NOT become dependent on large corporate entities.