Historic Disasters Of Richmond

Download or read book Historic Disasters of Richmond written by Walter S. Griggs Jr. and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richmond has had its share of man-made and natural calamities throughout its illustrious history. In 1811, fire destroyed the Richmond Theatre on Broad Street, tragically claiming seventy-two lives in one of the worst urban disasters in American history. As Union forces approached Richmond in the final months of the Civil War, Confederate troops ignited the city in flames, leaving scars still visible today. The international Spanish flu epidemic did not spare the city in the early twentieth century. The worst airplane crash in Virginia history occurred near Byrd Airport in 1961. Local author Walter S. Griggs tells these stories and more as he traces the harrowing history of Richmond's most famous disasters.

Download or read book The Richmond Theater Fire written by Meredith Henne Baker and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2012-03-14 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the day after Christmas in 1811, the state of Virginia lost its governor and almost one hundred citizens in a devastating nighttime fire that consumed a Richmond playhouse. During the second act of a melodramatic tale of bandits, ghosts, and murder, a small fire kindled behind the backdrop. Within minutes, it raced to the ceiling timbers and enveloped the audience in flames. The tragic Richmond Theater fire would inspire a national commemoration and become its generation's defining disaster. A vibrant and bustling city, Richmond was synonymous with horse races, gambling, and frivolity. The gruesome fire amplified the capital's reputation for vice and led to an upsurge in antitheater criticism that spread throughout the country and across the Atlantic. Clerics in both America and abroad urged national repentance and denounced the stage, a sentiment that nearly destroyed theatrical entertainment in Richmond for decades. Local churches, by contrast, experienced a rise in attendance and became increasingly evangelical. In The Richmond Theater Fire, the first book about the event and its aftermath, Meredith Henne Baker explores a forgotten catastrophe and its wide societal impact. The story of transformation comes alive through survivor accounts of slaves, actresses, ministers, and statesmen. Investigating private letters, diaries, and sermons, among other rare or unpublished documents, Baker views the event and its outcomes through the fascinating lenses of early nineteenth-century theater, architecture, and faith, and reveals a rich and vital untold story from America's past.

Download or read book The Collapse of Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel written by Walter S. Griggs Jr. and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-18 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the facts and mysteries surrounding the history and collapse of Richmond, Virginia's Church Hill Tunnel. A must for fans of railroad and Richmond history. Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was in shambles after the Civil War. The bulk of Reconstruction became dependent on the railways, and one of the most important links in the system was the Church Hill Tunnel. The tunnel was eventually rendered obsolete by an alternative path over a viaduct, and it was closed for regular operation in 1902. However, the city still used it infrequently to transport supplies, and it was maintained with regular safety inspections. The city decided to reopen the tunnel in 1925 due to overcrowding on the viaduct, but the tunnel needed to be strengthened and enlarged. On October 2, 1925, 190 ft. of the tunnel unexpectedly caved in, trapping construction workers and an entire locomotive inside. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the tunnel and the mystery surrounding its collapse. There were cave-ins and sink holes above the surface for decades after the tunnel was sealed up, and in 1998, a reporter from the Richmond Times-Dispatch did an investigation, trying to determine the current condition of the tunnel. In 2006, the Virginia Historical Society announced its efforts to try and excavate the locomotive and remaining bodies.

Download or read book A Modern Herculaneum written by Anna P. Epley and published by . This book was released on 1900 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Story of the disastrous tornado in New Richmond, Wisconsin July 12, 1899.

Download or read book Historic Richmond Churches and Synagogues written by Walter S. Griggs Jr. and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richmond's historic houses of worship cannot be separated from the city's storied past. A young Patrick Henry sparked a revolution with his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech inside St. John's Episcopal Church on Church Hill. Congregation Beth Ahabah, with its awe-inspiring windows and adjoining museum, is one of the oldest and most revered synagogues in the country. An interstate highway was moved to save the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, where John Jasper asserted, "De Sun do move," in the most famous sermon ever preached in the city. Beloved local author Walter Griggs Jr. tells the compelling history of Richmond's most holy places.

Download or read book Transforming the James River in Richmond written by Ralph Hambrick and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2020 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The James River is the centerpiece of Richmond, but by the mid-twentieth century it had been abused and neglected. Eagles and sturgeon had nearly disappeared, water-powered industry was abandoning it and the river was a sewer. Today, the river draws visitors to its wooded shorelines, restored canal and feisty rapids. At the local level, this transformation was the result of citizen action, public-private partnerships, difficult decisions by governmental leaders and the hard work of thousands of passionate advocates and volunteers. Local author and lifelong river watcher Ralph Hambrick chronicles the events, projects and controversies that brought about the dramatic change and lends a critical eye to the results.

Download or read book A Short History of Richmond written by Jack Trammell and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-12-04 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The seven hills at the James River fall line that Captain John Smith first witnessed in 1607 became the site of a pivotal American city. Richmond was a birthplace of the American Revolution. It became the permanent capital of Virginia and served as the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. In the early twentieth century, industry expanded in the city as companies like DuPont and Philip Morris built factories. Cultural institutions expanded, with Richmond's first radio station and movie theater opening in the 1920s, before the Great Depression hit the city hard. The city rose from financial struggle to a highly industrialized center for manufacturing and vital transportation hub. Join authors Jack Trammell and Guy Terrell as they narrate the rich history of the River City.