Tredegar Plans To Add New Building

From the Times Dispatch article:

The new American Civil War Museum will create a contemporary L-shaped building in the courtyard at Historic Tredegar to unite the site and the Civil War experience.
Renderings for the stone and brick building were released Monday by the museum, which unites the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar.
The new building will wrap around the Foundry building, home to the American Civil War Center, and replace a much smaller brick-and-glass entry. The current exhibit in that building, “In the Cause of Liberty,” will close after Thanksgiving. In the new setup, the Foundry building will become a multipurpose space for conferences or events.
The main entrance of the new building will face the plaza and be at a right angle to the entrance of the Pattern Building, where the Richmond National Battlefield Park visitor center is located. The visitor center will remain open throughout the construction.

Registation Closes Today For James River Splash & Dash Event

The James River Splash and Dash is this Saturday, but advanced registration for it closes today.

A fundraiser for the James River Association, the James River Splash and Dash is a trail run and flat water tube event. Participants run a trail course, grab a tube, paddle (with their hands) across a stretch of the James, and run their tube to the finish line. After the race, JRA will be hosting an after party which will include live music, beverages from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and the RVA Street Foodies featuring Richmond food trucks.

The Richmond event is located near Belle Isle with the after party located at Historic Tredegar.

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National Park Service to present “Voices from the Storm: The 1864 Overland Campaign” at Historic Tredegar

From the press release:

RICHMOND, Va.– On Sunday, June 29, 2014, as part of the nationwide Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration, the National Park Service will present Voices from the Storm: The 1864 Overland Campaign. This special outdoor multimedia program will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Tredegar Iron Works (500 Tredegar Street in Richmond) and will feature images, voices, and music of the people who lived 150 years ago.

I found him in front of the altar… He had been shot through the chest, was breathing loud and in gasps, worn out for want of support… His words led several men near to draw their sleeves across their eyes; but they all knew he was dying… He reached toward the floor, and the man next handed up a daguerreotype case… I took it and opened it; found the picture of a young, handsome woman and held it and a candle so that he could see it. His tears fell on it, as he looked… “Is that your wife?” and he replied, “No! But she would have been.”

(Jane Swisshelm, hospital nurse)

This story is one of hundreds from churches turned to hospitals, from farm fields that became battlefields, and homes that would never again be seen by their sons, fathers, and brothers. These stories illustrate how the massive 1864 Overland Campaign reverberated throughout the nation that summer 150 years ago, and for years afterward.

The National Park Service will share some of these stories in Voices from the Storm: The 1864 Overland Campaign, presented by park rangers and volunteers from Richmond National Battlefield Park, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, and Petersburg National Battlefield. The free program is a partnership event cosponsored by the three parks and the American Civil War Museum. A reception will precede the program at 8:00 p.m.

The Overland Campaign

In five weeks of fighting between May and June 1864, tens of thousands of American soldiers were casualties of what became known as the Overland Campaign, a series of battles fought across a broad swath of central Virginia, from Fredericksburg to Richmond to Petersburg. That summer, the families and loved ones of almost 100,000 American servicemen received news that their husbands, sons, fathers, and friends were casualties of the fighting in Virginia—killed, wounded, or missing—captured or maybe one of the countless unidentified dead hastily buried on the battlefield. As the siege of Petersburg and Richmond began in June 1864, the outcome of the war was far from certain—for the future of the Union, the Confederacy, and four million enslaved African Americans. Since early May, thousands of visitors have followed in the footsteps of Union and Confederate armies as the three parks and partner sites throughout central Virginia have been commemorating the 1864 Overland Campaign.

Voices

Riverfront Railroad History

Andrew McRoberts has written an interesting article in Richmond.com on the “Reasons Richmond Should Love the CSX Railroad Viaduct”.

Excerpts:

The C&O (now CSX) Viaduct is enormously long (about three miles in length). It starts beneath the Robert E. Lee Bridge near Oregon Hill Overlook, and stretches all the way to Nicholson Street and the former Fulton Yard (across Route 5 from Rockett’s Landing in far eastern city of Richmond). It allows a nearly at-grade (level) train crossing of downtown Richmond along the James River and the Great Shiplock for much of its length.

In 2014, the viaduct is celebrating 113 years in its existence. And, as you know if you ever visit the riverfront downtown, the viaduct is still in active use by CSX Corporation

Like much of Phil Riggan’s articles in Richmond.com on the James River, this deserves reading.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a bit of public relations on CSX’s part, given recent concerns stemming from the Lynchburg explosion.

But, getting back to the history…The C&O Railroad Viaduct is a treasure, and Richmond residents should be aware of other important railroad history that is now threatened within sight of the Viaduct. A remnant of the Tredegar Branch railroad connecting the iron works on Belle Isle with Tredegar is slated to be destroyed by Venture Richmond for yet another amphitheater. These tracks sit on the towpath of the historic James River and Kanawha Canal. Venture Richmond’s plan is to lower the towpath below the historical level of water in the canal and in the process of irreparably damaging the canal, the old railroad line will also be scrapped. Alternatives, such as putting Venture Richmond’s largest stage on Brown’s Island, already leased to Venture Richmond, were ignored. It is unbelieveable that Venture Richmond is destroying the Tredegar Branch railroad remnant that is within the Tredegar Historic Site.

Quick Weekend Reminders

Get ready for VCU’s Project Clean Move. In addition to trash cleanups, volunteers will load reusable items to give to nonprofits this Saturday, May 31, from 8 a.m – 12 p.m. Separate your trash and reusable items and leave them out before 8 a.m. The Randolph/Oregon Hill truck will likely handle Randolph from 8-10 and Oregon Hill from 10-12. Speaking of which, we need volunteers in Oregon Hill. Please get in touch ASAP if you can help out tomorrow.

The Tredegar American Civil War Center has a full weekend of events, including gunfire exhibitions and actors portraying figures from Tredegar’s history.

Expect some gunfire sounds from Hollywood Cemetery at some point tomorrow afternoon/evening. The cemetery is hosting a ceremony in the Soldiers Section at the speakers stand, with rifle fire. The ceremony should begin about 3PM and last about 2 hours.

Hollywood Cemetery is also hosting a special Civil War Walking Tour tomorrow from 2 to 4 pm.

From the Pyramid to the gravesite of Jefferson Davis, high above the James River, Hollywood Cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of Confederates. Come visit the graves of such notables as J.E.B. Stuart, George Pickett, Fitzhugh Lee, Jefferson Davis and many others whose stories continue to capture our imagination 150 years after the Civil War began. Meet at the cemetery entrance at Cherry and Albemarle streets. $15 per person $5 for History Center Members and children under 12 Walk-ups welcome. Cash or check, or purchase online at richmondhistorytours.com. On-street parking. This tour is presented as part of the Richmond History Tours program, a service of the Valentine Richmond History Center.

‘Tredegar Green’ Yesterday Afternoon

While City Council was busy figuring out how to give away Richmond’s oldest PUBLIC park, I was doing some walking down at the riverfront. I was disgusted by what I saw:

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Cars are parked right next to the historic Kanawha Canal. Trash everywhere. Venture Richmond, the property holder, has allowed this very important historical site to become a trashy parking lot! Will there be any repercussions this time?
It is outrageous that the City government wants to give them tax exemptions on the land and let them build an unneeded amphitheater.

This is what happens when you have a corporate government that is not accountable to the public.

Riverfront Development ‘Community Conversation’ Tuesday

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V.45.28.229a
Richmond, VA and Its Vicinity engraving
1863

The Valentine Richmond History Center collaborates with Richmond Magazine, TMI Consulting Inc. and the Future of Richmond’s Past to present this year’s Community Conversations series, conceived to engage the community in a dialogue about the region’s past and how that past can positively shape our collective future. Featured are a series of monthly discussions about various Richmond localities, from Shockoe Bottom to the Boulevard. A Richmond Magazine moderator will lead each discussion, illuminating historical and current-day perspectives that shape our understanding and experience of each location.

Riverfront Development with Jack Cooksey
Tuesday, March 4, 6-8 pm
F.W. Sullivan’s Canal Bar & Grill (Plaza Room), 1001 Haxall Point

Will Mayor Jones Destroy History?

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From C. Wayne Taylor’s website, City Hall Review:

January 27, 2014
VIA EMAIL TO:
Ms. Lou Brown Ali, Chief of Staff, lou.ali@richmondgov.com
The Honorable Mr. Baliles and Honorable City Council
City of Richmond
900 E. Broad St., Suite 200
Richmond, VA 23219 USA
Re: George Washington’s Canal at Tredegar Green
Dear Mr. Baliles and Members of Council,
Mr. Dwight Jones, Mayor of Richmond and President of Venture Richmond, wants to drastically reshape George Washington’s canal at Tredegar Green. Only a portion of the channel bottom would remain authentic.
Mr. Jones claims the canal berm interferes with visibility from the northern portion of Tredegar Green to the southern portion. Mr. Jones knows that raising the ground level of the northern portion of Tredegar Green would increase visibility to the southern portion.
Why is Mr. Jones proposing to lower the ground level of the northern portion of Tredegar Green?
Sincerely yours,
C. Wayne Taylor, Publisher
City Hall Review LLC
CityHallReview.com
Copy: City Clerk, Better Government Richmond, News media, Interested parties

Tredegar Takes In Museum of Confederacy To Form New Civil War Museum

It was alluded to earlier, but now it has been announced. From NBC12:

Now the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center are joining forces to build a $30 million museum in Richmond with the goal of creating the top Civil War museum in the nation 150 years after the deadliest conflict fought on U.S. soil.

The marriage of museums, announced to The Associated Press, will meld the collection of Confederate battle flags, uniforms, weapons and other historic relics with a narrative-based museum that uses bold, interactive exhibits and living history events to relate its 360-degree telling of the war.

In a joint announcement, the museums said the new historic attraction in the former capital of the Confederacy has yet to be named, but $20 million has been committed to its construction. Ground will be broken in 2014, with an expected opening the following year.

The new museum will be located along the James River, at the Tredegar Ironworks, where much of the South’s cannons were forged during the war. It’s also the home of the Civil War Center. The museums said bringing together both institutions will “further establish Richmond as the foremost Civil War destination in the United States.”

While other news sites are just reporting the announcement, many are still digesting what this means. A more nuanced reflection from an unnamed Oregon Hill neighbor:

Hmmm … no comment on the fate of the authentic White House of the Confederacy, coveted by VCU. And the $20 million pledged for this new museum would have gone a long way toward building a slavery museum in the authentic location in Shockoe Bottom. I wonder what proportion of that $20 million is being pledged by VCU foundations and their donors.

Between turning the canal location into an amphitheater, turning the slave market location into a ball park, and ceding the White House of the Confederacy to VCU, we are really at risk of losing the city’s authentic history.

Times Dispatch Editorial Offers Compromise in Theater Controversy

The ‘top opinion’ in today’s Times Dispatch contained this:

The alternative of confining the amphitheater to space below the canal has considerable appeal, and we endorse it. It is our choice.

Todd Woodson, a longtime officer of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, made this comment in response:

Thoughtful and equitable. If Venture Richmond made the concessions of restricting the amphitheater to BELOW the canal with use of the facility to only the Folk Festival and River Rocks, not disturbing the canal’s infrastructure and leaving the upper area as a considerate buffer to the war memorial and the residents of Oregon Hill, I believe progress could be made. The attitude that its “your plan or this here Folk Festival gets it!” has caused extensive loss of trust in VR amongst city community and fosters fears that the plan as you envision it establishes the facility as a cash cow- renting to all comers- not good. It’s the upper part that is not zoned for an amphitheater anyway. It’s in EVERYBODY’S best interest to be good neighbors and to do what’s right. The Tredegar wall gets rebuilt, the discussion can begin in earnest on restoring this wonderful canal. VR saves money by not butchering the canal infrastructure. There are some smart people in the city that can help make the grand canal renovation happen. Venture Richmond?