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71-416: The Mary Willis Library was the first free public library in the state of Georgia when it opened in 1889. The free library was a revolutionary concept in a day when all the state's earlier libraries charged users a subscription fee. The library was founded the previous year by Dr. Francis T. Willis in memory of his daughter, Mary. Dr. Willis, a local by birth who had moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1867, left

142-425: A cloverleaf interchange with SR 10 (Iron Bridge Road) then crosses Falling Creek again and follows Pocoshock Creek through a partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 651 (Belmont Road) near Belmont . North of SR 651, SR 150 forms the boundary between the independent city of Richmond and Chesterfield County. The state highway heads north through a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 360 (Hull Street Road) and

213-469: A cloverleaf interchange with US 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) as the highway passes along the eastern edge of the suburb of Bon Air . SR 150 has partial cloverleaf interchanges with SR 686 (Jahnke Road) and SR 76 (Powhite Parkway), a toll radial freeway, next to Powhite Park . There is no direct access from northbound SR 150 to southbound SR 76 or from northbound SR 76 to southbound SR 150; those movements require using SR 686. The state highway continues north as

284-572: A four-lane freeway that enters the city of Richmond at its crossing of Norfolk Southern Railway 's Richmond District . SR 150 has a partial cloverleaf interchange with Forest Hill Avenue, then veers west and passes through several at-grade intersections in the Southampton Hills neighborhood of Richmond. SR 150 becomes a freeway again at its partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 147 (Huguenot Road). The state highway's next two interchanges are with Stony Point Parkway and provide access to

355-670: A general advance. When the Union Sixth Corps broke through Confederate lines on the Boydton Plank Road south of Petersburg, Confederate casualties exceeded 5,000, about a tenth of Lee's defending army. Lee then informed President Jefferson Davis that he intended to evacuate Richmond. On April 2, 1865, the Confederate Army began Richmond's evacuation. Confederate President Davis and his cabinet, Confederate government archives, and its treasury's gold, left

426-462: A general retreat southwestward, and General Lee continued to reject General Grant's surrender entreaties until Sheridan's infantry and cavalry encircled the shrinking Army of Northern Virginia and cut off its ability to retreat further on April 8. Lee surrendered his remaining approximately 10,000 troops the following morning at Appomattox Court House , meeting Grant at the McLean Home. Davis

497-633: A major railroad crossroads, showcasing the world's first triple railroad crossing. Tobacco warehousing and processing continued to play a central economic role, advanced by the world's first cigarette-rolling machine that James Albert Bonsack of Roanoke invented between 1880 and 1881. Another important contributor to Richmond's resurgence was the Richmond Union Passenger Railway , a trolley system developed by electric power pioneer Frank J. Sprague . The system opened its first Richmond line in 1888, using an overhead wire and

568-466: A more centralized location for Virginia's increasing western population and theoretically isolating the capital from a British attack from the coast. In 1781, Loyalist troops led by Benedict Arnold led a raid on Richmond and burnt it, leading Governor Thomas Jefferson to flee while the Virginia militia , led by Sampson Mathews , unsuccessfully defended the city. Richmond recovered quickly from

639-483: A multimillion-dollar flood wall was completed, protecting the city's low-lying areas from the oft-rising James River. Consequently, the River District businesses grew rapidly, bolstered by the creation of a Canal Walk along the city's former industrial canals. Today the area is home to much of Richmond's entertainment, dining, and nightlife activity. In 1996, racial tensions grew amid controversy about adding

710-478: A number of rare books on local and state history, books by authors native to the Washington-Wilkes County area, genealogical archives, and historic memorabilia and newspapers from Washington's past. The library's private endowment continued to fund operations until 1967, when Mary Willis Library joined with the library in neighboring Taliaferro County to form a regional library system. Today,

781-672: A railroad hub, and one of the largest slave markets. It also had the largest Confederate arms factory, the Tredegar Iron Works . The factory produced artillery and other munitions, including heavy ordnance machinery and the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS Virginia , the world's first ironclad ship used in war. The Confederate States Congress shared quarters in the Jefferson-designed Virginia State Capitol with

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852-558: A standard semi-directional three-way interchange with I-95. West of where the ramps from I-95 come together, the center four lanes of SR 150 continue east as SR 895, which crosses the James River on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge . SR 895 has three ramps of its own with I-95, all of them long and towering due to the bridge's height, necessary because the river is just east of I-95 at this point and

923-418: A steeply gabled roof and a dome-capped tower. The library interior is lit by stained glass windows, including the central memorial window which was crafted by Tiffany Studios . The historic original 1889 construction covered a size of 2,655 ft (246.7 m). By 1977, the facility had outgrown its original space, and an addition was needed. Architects Kuhlkhe and Wade of Augusta designed an annex which

994-495: A suburban character as part of Chesterfield County before being annexed by Richmond, most notably in 1970. Richmond has a humid subtropical ( Köppen : Cfa ) or oceanic ( Trewartha : Do ) climate, with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. The mountains to the west act as a partial barrier to outbreaks of cold, continental air in winter. Arctic air is delayed long enough to be modified and further warmed as it subsides in its approach to Richmond. The open waters of

1065-453: A trolley pole to connect to the current and electric motors on the car's trucks. The success led to electric streetcar lines rapidly spreading to other cities. A post-World War II transition to buses from streetcars began in May 1947 and was completed on November 25, 1949. By the beginning of the 20th century, the city's population had reached 85,050 in 5 sq mi (13 km ), making it

1136-498: Is 11 °F (−12 °C), set on February 11 and 12, 1899 . The record warm minimum is 81 °F (27 °C), set on July 12, 2011. The warmest months recorded were July 2020 and August 1900, both averaging 82.9°F (28.3 °C). The coldest, January 1940, averaged 24.2 °F (-4.3 °C). Precipitation is rather uniformly distributed throughout the year. Dry periods lasting several weeks sometimes occur, especially in autumn, when long periods of pleasant, mild weather are most common. There

1207-610: Is a freeway except for a short stretch east of SR 147 in Richmond. SR 150 has junctions with all of the radial highways south of the James River , including I-95, U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 301 , US 360 , US 60 , and SR 76 . SR 150 begins at an interchange with I-95 (Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike) and SR 895 (Pocahontas Parkway) in Bensley in eastern Chesterfield County. The interchange has two parts: SR 150 proper has

1278-684: Is a state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia . Known as Chippenham Parkway , the state highway runs 15.19 miles (24.45 km) from Interstate 95 (I-95) and SR 895 in Bensley north to Parham Road and River Road near Tuckahoe in Henrico County . SR 150 is a four- to six-lane circumferential highway that connects the Chesterfield County suburbs of Richmond with western Henrico County and, via SR 895, eastern Henrico County and Richmond International Airport . The highway

1349-697: Is considerable variability in total monthly precipitation amounts from year to year, so no one month can be depended to be normal. Snow has been recorded during seven of the 12 months. Falls of 4 in (10 cm) or more within 24 hours occur once a year on average. Annual snowfall is usually moderate, averaging 10.5 in (27 cm) per season. Snow typically remains on the ground for only one or two days, but it remained for 16 days in 2010 (January 30 to February 14). Ice storms (freezing rain or glaze) are not uncommon, but they are seldom severe enough to cause considerable damage. The James River reaches tidewater at Richmond, where flooding may occur in any month of

1420-623: Is home to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and a Federal Reserve Bank (one of 13 such courts and one of 12 such banks ). After the first permanent English-speaking settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia , in April 1607, Captain Christopher Newport led explorers northwest up the James River to an inhabited area in the Powhatan Nation. Richmond was Arrohattoc territory where Arrohateck village

1491-502: Is located at the James River's fall line , 44 mi (71 km) west of Williamsburg , 66 mi (106 km) east of Charlottesville , 91 mi (146 km) east of Lynchburg and 92 mi (148 km) south of Washington, D.C. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, Richmond is at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64 and encircled by Interstate 295 , Virginia State Route 150 and Virginia State Route 288 . Major suburbs include Midlothian to

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1562-458: Is navigable. The ramps between I-95 and SR 150 and SR 895 merge as the freeway crosses CSX 's Bellwood Subdivision . SR 150 heads west as a six-lane freeway that has a cloverleaf interchange with US 1 and US 301, which follow Jefferson Davis Highway. West of the U.S. Highways, SR 150 crosses Falling Creek and has a pair of right-in/right-out interchanges with SR 1607 (Strathmore Road), which leads to Defense Supply Center, Richmond and

1633-529: Is surrounded by Henrico County , which has a population of about 334,000. The Greater Richmond region has an estimated population of about 1.3 million. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 204,214 people living in the city. 50.6% were Black or African American , 40.8% White , 2.3% Asian , 0.3% Native American , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 3.6% of some other race and 2.3% of two or more races . 6.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Virginia State Route 150 State Route 150 ( SR 150 )

1704-593: Is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city since 1871. The city's population in the 2020 census was 226,610, up from 204,214 in 2010, making it Virginia's fourth-most populous city . The Richmond metropolitan area , with over 1.3 million residents, is the Commonwealth's third-most populous . Richmond

1775-732: Is the city's traditional hub of African American commerce and culture, once known as the "Black Wall Street of America" and the "Harlem of the South." At the beginning of the 20th century, Richmond had one of the world's first successful electric streetcar systems. Law, finance, and government primarily drive Richmond's economy. The downtown area is home to federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as notable legal and banking firms. The greater metropolitan area includes several Fortune 500 companies: Performance Food Group , Altria , CarMax , Dominion Energy , Markel , Owens and Minor , Genworth Financial , and ARKO Corp . The city

1846-720: The Blue Ridge Mountains . Significant bodies of water in the region include the James River , the Appomattox River , and the Chickahominy River . The Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 44th largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights , Hopewell , and Petersburg , and the counties of Charles City , Chesterfield , Dinwiddie , Goochland , Hanover , Henrico , New Kent , Powhatan , and Prince George . On July 1, 2009,

1917-610: The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean contribute to the humid summers and cool winters. The coldest weather normally occurs from late December to early February, and the January daily mean temperature is 37.9 °F (3.3 °C), with an average of 6.0 days with highs at or below the freezing mark. Richmond's Downtown and areas south and east of downtown are in USDA Hardiness zones 7b. Surrounding suburbs and areas to

1988-784: The Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the Revolutionary War period, several notable events occurred in the city, including Patrick Henry 's " Give me liberty, or give me death! " speech in 1775 at St. John's Church and the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson . During the American Civil War , Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America . The Jackson Ward neighborhood

2059-627: The River Thames . In 1742, the settlement was incorporated as a town. In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous " Give me liberty, or give me death " speech in Richmond's St. John's Church , greatly influencing Virginia's participation in the First Continental Congress and the course of the American Revolution . On April 18, 1780, the state capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, providing

2130-707: The Stony Point Fashion Park shopping center. The first interchange is a partial cloverleaf interchange; the second is a right-in/right-out interchange for southbound traffic. North of the Stony Point complex, SR 150 crosses the James River, CSX's Rivanna Subdivision , and the defunct James River and Kanawha Canal on a gradual S-curve via the Edward E. Willey Bridge just east of Bosher Dam . The state highway passes under River Road before reaching its northern terminus at an at-grade intersection with

2201-562: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 62 sq mi (160 km ), of which 60 sq mi (160 km ) is land and 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km ) (4.3%) is water. The city is in the Piedmont region of Virginia , at the James River's highest navigable point. The Piedmont region is characterized by relatively low, rolling hills, and lies between the low, flat Tidewater region and

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2272-647: The Virginia General Assembly . The Confederacy's executive mansion, known as the " White House of the Confederacy ," was two blocks away on Clay Street. Located about 100 mi (160 km) from the national capital in Washington, D.C. , Richmond was at the end of a long supply line and difficult to defend. For four years, its defense required the bulk of the Army of Northern Virginia and

2343-793: The Virginia Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts . South of the Downtown Expressway are Byrd Park , Maymont , Hollywood Cemetery , the predominantly black working-class Randolph neighborhood, and white working-class Oregon Hill . Cary Street between Interstate 195 and the Boulevard is a popular commercial area called Carytown . Richmond's Northside is home to numerous listed historic districts. Neighborhoods such as Chestnut Hill-Plateau and Barton Heights began to be developed at

2414-503: The 25th Corps of the United States Colored Troops , accepted Richmond's surrender from the mayor and a group of leading citizens who did not evacuate. Union troops eventually contained the fires, but about 25% of the city's buildings were destroyed. On April 3, President Abraham Lincoln visited Grant at Petersburg and took a launch up the James River to Richmond on April 4. While Davis attempted to organize

2485-613: The Aviation branch of the Defense Logistics Agency . The state highway crosses over SR 1607 and CSX's North End Subdivision and has another pair of right-in/right-out interchanges with SR 1601 (Dalebrook Drive), a discontinuous street within a pair of residential subdivisions. SR 150 curves northwest as it passes through its diamond interchange with SR 637 (Hopkins Road) in Meadowbrook . The state highway has

2556-930: The Bartram Trail Regional Library System is headquartered at Mary Willis Library. The Bartram Trail system services Wilkes County, where Mary Willis Library is located, Taliaferro County, and McDuffie County . Mary Willis is joined in the Bartram Trail system by two branch libraries, the Taliaferro County Library in Crawfordville and the Thomson-McDuffie County Library in Thomson . Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( / ˈ r ɪ tʃ m ə n d / RITCH -mənd )

2627-705: The Carver and Newtowne West neighborhoods are demographically similar to neighboring Jackson Ward .Carver has seen some gentrification due to its proximity to VCU. The affluent area between the Boulevard , Main Street, Broad Street, and VCU, known as the Fan , is home to Monument Avenue , an outstanding collection of Victorian architecture , and many students. West of the Boulevard is the Museum District, which contains

2698-614: The Confederacy's best troops and commanders. The Union army made Richmond a main target in the campaigns of 1862 and 1864–65. In late June and early July 1862, Union General-in-Chief George B. McClellan threatened but failed to take Richmond in the Seven Days Battles of the Peninsula campaign . Three years later, Richmond became indefensible in March 1865 after nearby Petersburg fell and several remaining rail supply lines to

2769-517: The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter , the Virginia legislature voted to secede from the United States and join the newly created Confederate States of America on April 17, 1861. The action became official in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its national capital to Richmond from Montgomery, Alabama . Richmond held local, state and national Confederate government offices, hospitals,

2840-697: The Confederate government in Danville , Lincoln met Confederate Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell , handing him a note inviting Virginia's state legislature to end their rebellion. After Campbell spun the note to Confederate legislators as a possible end to the Emancipation Proclamation , Lincoln rescinded his offer and ordered General Weitzel to prevent the state legislature from meeting. On April 6, Union forces killed, wounded, or captured 8,000 Confederate troops at Sayler's Creek , southwest of Petersburg. The Confederate Army continued

2911-600: The North. Nonetheless, the James Falls area saw more White settlement in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In early 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid, completed in April. Byrd named the city after the English town of Richmond near (and now part of) London, because the view of the James River's bend at the fall line reminded him of his home at Richmond Hill on

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2982-442: The Richmond area. Downtown Richmond averages 84 days of nighttime frost annually. Nighttime frost is more common in areas north and west of Downtown and less common south and east of downtown. From 1981 to 2010, the average first temperature at or below freezing was on October 30 and the average last one on April 10. See or edit raw graph data . Richmond's population is approximately 226,000. As an independent city, Richmond

3053-542: The Richmond—Petersburg MSA 's population was 1,258,251. Richmond is located 21.69 mi (34.91 km) north of Petersburg, Virginia , 66.1 mi (106.4 km) southeast of Charlottesville, Virginia , 79.24 mi (127.52 km) northwest of Norfolk, Virginia , 96.87 mi (155.90 km) south of Washington, D.C. , and 138.72 mi (223.25 km) northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina . Richmond's original street grid, laid out in 1737, included

3124-579: The South and the country. By 1850, Richmond was connected by the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad to Port Walthall , where ships carrying over 200 tons of cargo could connect to Baltimore or Philadelphia . Passenger liners could reach Norfolk, Virginia , through the Hampton Roads harbor. In the 19th century, Richmond was connected to the North by the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad , later replaced by CSXT . The railroad also

3195-506: The affluent and middle-class suburban Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Southampton, Stratford Hills, Oxford, Huguenot Hills, Hobby Hill, and Woodland Heights to the impoverished Manchester and Blackwell areas, the Hillside Court housing projects, and the ailing Jefferson Davis Highway commercial corridor. Other Southside neighborhoods include Fawnbrook, Broad Rock, Cherry Gardens, Cullenwood, and Beaufont Hills. Much of Southside developed

3266-466: The area between what are now Broad, 17th, and 25th Streets and the James River. Modern Downtown Richmond is slightly farther west, on the slopes of Shockoe Hill. Nearby neighborhoods include Shockoe Bottom , the historically significant and low-lying area between Shockoe Hill and Church Hill , and Monroe Ward, which contains the Jefferson Hotel . Richmond's East End includes neighborhoods like

3337-663: The areas around the Regency Mall. More affluent areas include Glen Allen, Short Pump, and the areas of Tuckahoe away from Regency Mall, all north and northwest of the city. The University of Richmond and the Country Club of Virginia are located on this side of town near the Richmond-Henrico border. The portion of the city south of the James River is known as the Southside. Southside neighborhoods range from

3408-588: The city itself had declined to less than 200,000. On November 2, 2004, former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder was elected as the city's first directly elected mayor in over 60 years. Most of the statues honoring Confederate leaders such as the Robert E. Lee monument on Monument Avenue were removed during or after the George Floyd protests on June 2020 following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek M. Chauvin . The city removed

3479-468: The city that night by train. Confederate officials burned documents and troops burned tobacco and other warehouses to deny the Union any spoils. In the early morning of April 3, Confederate troops exploded the city's gunpowder magazine, killing several paupers in a temporary Almshouse and a man on 2nd St. The concussion shattered windows all over the city. Later that day, General Godfrey Weitzel , commander of

3550-431: The downtown area suffered extensive flood damage after the remnants of Hurricane Gaston dumped up to 12 in (300 mm) of rain. Damaging storms occur mainly from snow and freezing rain in winter, and from hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms in other seasons. Damage can come from wind, flooding, rain, or a combination of the three. Tornadoes are infrequent, but some notable ones have been observed in

3621-475: The end of the 19th century when the new streetcar system made it possible for people to live on the city's outskirts and commute downtown. Other prominent Northside neighborhoods include Azalea, Barton Heights, Bellevue, Chamberlayne, Ginter Park, Highland Park, and Rosedale. Farther west is the affluent, suburban West End . Windsor Farms is among its best-known sections. The West End also includes middle- to low-income neighborhoods, such as Laurel, Farmington, and

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3692-487: The fall line to the ocean-faring ships below. The canal boatmen legacy is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag. Because of the canal and the hydropower the falls generated, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center after the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). It became home to some of the largest manufacturing facilities, including iron works and flour mills, in

3763-751: The first European settlement in Central Virginia was established at Henricus , where the Falling Creek empties into the James River. In 1619, early Virginia Company settlers established the Falling Creek Ironworks there. Decades of conflicts between the Powhatan and the settlers followed, including the Battle of Bloody Run , fought near Richmond in 1656, after tensions arose from an influx of Manahoacs and Nahyssans from

3834-738: The former city of Manchester consolidated with Richmond, and in 1914 the city annexed Barton Heights, Ginter Park, and Highland Park in Henrico County . In May 1914, Richmond became the headquarters of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve Bank . Several major performing arts venues were constructed during the 1920s, including what are now the Landmark Theatre, Byrd Theatre, and Carpenter Theatre. The city's first radio station, WRVA , began broadcasting in 1925. WTVR-TV (CBS 6), Richmond's first television station,

3905-477: The last Confederate statue, honoring Confederate General General A. P. Hill , on December 12, 2022. The only statue remaining on Monument Avenue is of Arthur Ashe, the pioneering Black tennis player. The Bill "Bojangles" Robinson monument in Jackson Ward was untouched during the protests and remained in place. Richmond is located at 37°32′N 77°28′W  /  37.533°N 77.467°W  / 37.533; -77.467 (37.538, −77.462). According to

3976-399: The library as a gift to his hometown and its citizens. Dr. Willis donated his own private collection of books, plus $ 15,000 for the library's construction, $ 2,000 to purchase furnishings and more books, and another $ 10,000 as an endowment fund. Noted Atlanta architect Edmund George Lind designed the library in the Queen Anne style, with masonry construction featuring detailed brickwork,

4047-464: The most densely populated city in the Southern United States . In the 1900 Census, Richmond's population was 62.1% white and 37.9% black. Freed slaves and their descendants created a thriving African-American business community, and the city's historic Jackson Ward became known as the "Wall Street of Black America." In 1903, African-American businesswoman and financier Maggie L. Walker chartered St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, served as its president, and

4118-628: The north and west of Downtown are in Hardiness Zone 7a. Temperatures seldom fall below 0 °F (−18 °C), with the most recent subzero reading on January 7, 2018, when the temperature reached −3 °F (−19 °C). The July daily mean temperature is 79.3 °F (26.3 °C), and high temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) approximately 43 days a year; 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures are not uncommon but do not occur every year. Extremes in temperature have ranged from −12 °F (−24 °C) on January 19, 1940, to 107 °F (42 °C) on August 6, 1918. The record cold maximum

4189-461: The rapidly gentrifying Church Hill , home to St. John's Church , poorer areas like Fulton , Union Hill, and Fairmont, and public housing projects like Mosby Court , Whitcomb Court, Fairfield Court, and Creighton Court closer to Interstate 64 . The area between Belvidere Street, Interstate 195 , Interstate 95 , and the river, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University , is socioeconomically and architecturally diverse. North of Broad Street,

4260-450: The south and southwest were broken. On March 25, Confederate General John B. Gordon 's desperate attack on Fort Stedman , east of Petersburg, failed. On April 1, Union Cavalry General Philip Sheridan , assigned to interdict the Southside Railroad, met brigades commanded by Southern General George Pickett at the Five Forks Junction, defeated them, took thousands of prisoners, and advised Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant to order

4331-404: The southwest, Chesterfield to the south, Varina to the southeast, Sandston to the east, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west, and Mechanicsville to the northeast. Richmond was an important village in the Powhatan Confederacy and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown from 1609 to 1611. Founded in 1737, it replaced Williamsburg as the capital of

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4402-409: The statue of African American Richmond native and tennis star Arthur Ashe to the series of statues of Confederate figures on Monument Avenue . After several months of controversy, Ashe's bronze statue was finally completed on July 10, 1996. By the beginning of the 21st century, the population of the greater Richmond metropolitan area had reached approximately 1,100,000, although the population of

4473-404: The upper James River and provide a water route across the Appalachian Mountains to the Kanawha River , which flows westward into the Ohio River and converges with the Mississippi River , George Washington helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal . The canal started in Westham and cut east to Richmond, facilitating the transfer of cargo from flat-bottomed James River bateaux above

4544-426: The war, thriving within a year of its burning. In 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom , drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was enacted, separating church and state and advancing the legal principle for freedom of religion in the United States. In 1788, the Virginia State Capitol , designed by Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clérisseau in the Greek Revival style , was completed. To bypass Richmond's rapids on

4615-412: The year, most frequently in March and least in July. Hurricanes and tropical storms have been responsible for most flooding during the summer and early fall months. Hurricanes passing near Richmond have produced record rainfalls. In 1955, three hurricanes, including Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane , which brought heavy rains five days apart, produced record rainfall in a six-week period. In 2004,

4686-560: Was also the first TV station south of Washington, D.C. Between 1963 and 1965, there was a "downtown boom" that led to the construction of more than 700 buildings. In 1968, Virginia Commonwealth University was created by the merger of the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute . On January 1, 1970, Richmond's borders expanded south by 27 sq mi (70 km ) and its population increased by 47,000 after several years of court cases in which Chesterfield County unsuccessfully fought annexation. In 1995,

4757-414: Was attached to Lind's historic original structure. This first annex added 4,459 ft (414.3 m) of floor space. A second, even larger addition of 5,267 ft (489.3 m) was completed in 1991, designed by architect Edmund Maddox of Savannah . Today's facility, at 12,381 ft (1150.2 m) is over four and a half times the size of the original. The collection at Mary Willis Library includes at its core

4828-421: Was captured on May 10 near Irwinville, Georgia and taken back to Virginia, where he was imprisoned two years at Fort Monroe until freed on bail. A decade after the Civil War, Richmond resumed its position as a major urban center of economic productivity with iron front buildings and massive brick factories. Canal traffic peaked in the 1860s, with railroads becoming the dominant shipping method. Richmond became

4899-430: Was located. However, as time progressed relations between the Arrohattocs and English colonists declined, and by 1609 the tribe was unwilling to trade with the settlers. As the population began to dwindle, the tribe declined and was last mentioned in a 1610 report by the visiting William Strachey. By 1611 the tribe's Henrico town was found to be deserted when Sir Thomas Dale went to use the land to found Henricus. In 1611,

4970-439: Was the first black female bank president in the United States. Charles Thaddeus Russell was Richmond's first black architect, and he designed the bank's office. Today, the bank is called the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company and is the country's oldest surviving African-American bank. Another prominent African-American from this time was John Mitchell Jr. , a newspaper editor, civil rights activist, and politician. In 1910,

5041-429: Was used by some to escape slavery in the mid-19th century. In 1849, Henry "Box" Brown had himself nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to abolitionists in Philadelphia through Baltimore 's President Street Station on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad , often used by the Underground Railroad to assist escaping disguised slaves reach the free state of Pennsylvania . Five days after

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