The Dogtown Dish is dedicated to serving up the latest news on Richmond, Virginia’s historic Manchester & Swansboro neighborhoods.

Why Dogtown you ask? Well Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood was once referred to as Dogtown. And Manchester at that time included much of the area we today call Swansboro. In an 1887 Richmond Times newspaper article Benjamin Weisiger wrote that there have been a lot of theories but the most common explanation by old-timers refers to the large number of dogs in Manchester: “Everybody had a dog.” The late Major John Wright said that the name originated among students at old John Marshall High School just before World War I, when the school received an influx of Manchester students after consolidation. Wright felt that it was not intended as a compliment but the term has stuck to the area.

Regardless of whether Dogtown was considered an insult or not, we think it’s kind of catchy. Plus, who doesn’t like a friendly dog? So Manchester & Swansboro newshounds, The Dogtown Dish it is.

Michael C. Hild & Laura Dyer Hild are the The Dogtown Dish’s Founders and Publishers. You may contact us on our Contact Page.

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