WTVR has the story about a mummified cat being stolen from ‘Rest In Pieces’:
If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at http://www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smart phones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.
Local artist/musician Ed Trask having some fun.
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.
...in Indonesia...would like to get the inside scoop on this one...
Bob Raynor, a reporter/columnist for the Times Dispatch who is retiring later this month, has written a very personal piece on Hollywood Cemetery. Here is an excerpt:
Reporting is usually best when it’s about small things: verifiable, human, close to home. Humility is essential. But it’s important not to forgo the ordinary miracles hiding all around us. Just be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.
This year already: a rust-colored moon dims the heavens, if only for a moment, and reveals the shadowless light, suns reduced to sparkling pinpoints. How can we not wonder? And a rushing river, impatient for the sea, foams furiously as it crosses old stones and small dams, fueled by melting mountain snows. Does it sense the brackish muddle that awaits below the fall line? The necessary drift? It seems so. An ancient tributary, after all, wise to the ways.
Some stories are too precious to be written frequently. They require a gentle touch, like a fresh seedling, thirsty and fragile.
They must be approached obliquely, sheltered from lethal doses of certainty. But once told, unleash the soul.
***
They rest among rolling green pastures along the high banks of the James, those good souls who never escape childhood yet testify to the power of grace. The waters below are never still, crashing around boulders and pylons in an endless race to the ocean, and the eternal silence is endlessly broken. A blessing. So this is Richmond’s beating heart. This is Hollywood. No place for the fearful, with its ferocious calm and soft, seeded mounds.
Stone crosses and angels — at once static and moving — stand guard even though they are no longer needed, except as reminders to the living.
You may look away. But there is no escape.
***
There is a meeting this Thursday to discuss a future master plan for the James River Park, sponsored by Friends of The James River and City Council representatives Parker Agelasto (Oregon Hill’s Council rep) and Kristen Larson. It’s being held at 6 pm at the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (3411 Semmes Avenue, across the river).
From the meeting notice:
We want to hear from you! Attend this community meeting to share your input on the future of the James River Park. Registration is not required.
The James River Park is a crown jewel of the region, providing a unique natural wilderness for park users. As the number of visitors to the park increases each year, a Master Plan is needed to preserve, protect, and properly maintain the park for years to come. The plan will influence the future of the park within the overall framework of the park’s conservation easement.
Your input is valuable. If you can’t attend a community meeting, please take the online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JamesRiverParkMasterPlan
As Oregon Hill pretty much borders the James River Park and is a popular conduit to it, neighbors will hopefully have a lot of input that will be taken seriously.
As a bit of editorial, citizens should take a broad view of things, including protection of wildlife (and corridors for it), threats of light pollution (such as proposed signage at the high-rise at 2000 Riverside Drive across the river), and commercialization of this heavily-used park system. Nothing against the new superintendent of James River Park, Bryce Wilk, but it seems like more citizens should have been involved earlier in the hiring process. Having these master plan sessions after the hiring allows the suspicion that an agenda is already in place with a new Superintendent. That’s not necessarily the case, but…. What happened with Monroe Park should be a warning to all Richmonders.
Here’s a view of the neighborhood, looking up from the North Bank Trail beneath Hollywood Cemetery.
There was a small fire in a row house on the 200 block of S. Cherry Street a little bit about 11 pm last night. Engine 6 arrived on scene at 226 S Cherry St. with smoke present inside the home. Crews were able to locate the fire and extinguish it. The fire was quickly marked under control, with no injuries or fatalities to report.
OregonHill.net is happy to have Peddler On Pine on board as an advertiser for the new year. Please click on the side ad on the front page to get to their menu with online ordering. One good bet is their “Ultimate Special” – large 1 topping Pizza and 10 Buffalo Wings for $16 !!!
If you don’t know already, they are right here in the neighborhood, just behind the Fine Foods store on Idlewood, making it easy for carry-out.
