Dogtown Brewing Honors Richmond Brewing Pioneers with Peter Stumpf & Rosenegk Beers History News by Michael C. Hild - August 16, 2019August 16, 20199 If you have been to the newly opened Dogtown Brewing yet, you might have noticed some old German brewing names on the board from Richmond's former golden period of beer. Dogtown has re-launched two historic Richmond Beers, Peter Stumpf XXX Brown and the Rosenegk Tidal Wave as a nod to Richmond's
The “Struggle” Was Real: A Manchester Controversy That Consumed Richmond History News by Michael C. Hild - March 18, 2018March 26, 20184 In 1866 a young factory girl began writing letters to the Richmond Dispatch about the sorry state of the then town of Manchester. The ensuing controversy whipped the rumor mill on both sides of the river into an absolute frenzy. Perhaps the most intrigueing part of the story is that the
Ancarrow’s Landing: Former Home of the Fastest Pleasure Boats in the World History by Michael C. Hild - March 11, 2018March 11, 20188 Named for legendary James River conservationist Newton Ancarrow, Manchester's Ancarrow's Landing is a popular fishing, boating, and mountain biking spot. But did you know it was also once home to the construction of the fastest pleasure boats in the world? Centuries of imports and exports-and both pain and pleasure-passed through the old
Richmond’s Lost “Singing” 9th Street Bridge History by Michael C. Hild - March 3, 2018March 5, 201816 I am fascinated with the old bridges of Richmond. It's hard to not have nostalgia for the the old "singing" 9th street bridge that predated the Manchester Bridge. Built in 1878, the bridge was originally designed to handle horse drawn carriages. With the advancement of automobiles it was often described
Why Black Deserves to Be a Color of the Rainbow History News by Michael C. Hild - November 8, 2017November 9, 20172 My wife Laura and I decided to purchase and renovate an old house on Decatur Street in Manchester. The house was listed for sale by an African-American family as part of an estate sale. At 3,176 square feet, it is a very large house for the area. To make the
Baseball on Mayo Island? History by Michael C. Hild - September 21, 2017September 21, 201724 Did you know there used to be a baseball stadium on Mayo Island? If so, have you ever wondered why it isn't still there? Fire and floods are the answer. Sterling Hundley of Virginia Living did an article on the subject with an awesome illustration of Lou Gehrig hitting a home
Did you know the first Ukrop’s Grocery Store was On Hull Street? History News by Michael C. Hild - August 26, 2017June 7, 201868 When I tell folks the first Ukrop's grocery store was on Hull Street, they look at me like I am crazy. But it's true. Located at 3111 Hull Street, the first Ukrop's was opened in 1937 and was the beginning of what became a Richmond success story. According to the Chesterfield Observer's
The Old Churches of Manchester History News by Michael C. Hild - August 21, 201717 Manchester has some grand old churches. And for a fairly compact area, the architectural diversity of these houses of worship is quite impressive. Here are a few worth mentioning: Sacred Heart Catholic Church Community Bainbridge Street Baptist Church Central United Methodist Church Church of God of Prophecy First Baptist Church of
Why Did Richmond Annex Manchester? History News by Michael C. Hild - August 20, 2017August 22, 201729 Did you know that Manchester was an independent city until it was annexed by the City of Richmond in 1910? If so, did you ever wonder why Manchester agreed to consolidate? As you could probably guess, it all came down to money. There were two arguments on the matter, and public
Hull Street: Then and Now History by Michael C. Hild - August 15, 2017August 15, 201738 Hull Street is experiencing a bit of a rebirth lately. It is fascinating to see how things have changed over the last 100 years. Some of the old buildings haven't survived. Many have. It will be interesting to see if some of the blank parcels and parking lots where buildings once
A Trolley for Manchester? History News by Michael C. Hild - July 20, 2017July 20, 201765 There is talk of bringing back the trolley that used to connect Manchester to Chesterfield County along the Jefferson Davis Highway. Or at least Chesterfield is talking about it. And while it might seem like a bit of a pipe dream, how cool would it be to see trolleys running
What’s the Story with the Egyptian Pump House in Swansboro? History by Michael C. Hild - June 25, 2017July 6, 201742 Buried on an otherwise humble street, the Egyptian pump house located at 2313 Wise Street stands out. Owned by the City of Richmond's Department of Public Works, the mausoleum-like structure is a surprising find in the austere area. The exact spot where the pump house is located is a bit of a
A Look Back at 1972-“Hurricane Agnes…..the Richmond Flood” History by Michael C. Hild - May 9, 2017May 9, 201749 Given the high water on the James River this past weekend, I was scouring various historical photographs of Richmond floods for the sake of comparison. I couldn't find any cooler historical image than the cover photograph of the paperback picture magazine "Hurricane Agnes.....the Richmond Flood" by C.F. Boone in 1972. The photo
Eyes to the Sky on Hull Street History News by Michael C. Hild - May 2, 201715 Construction is really picking up at the 1200 block of Hull Street. The crane in the image was installing HVAC units on the roof of 1213 Hull Street just this morning. This particualr building was originally the Jones-Green Shoe Company in the early 1900s. It also converted to Singer sewing machine store as evidenced
Haunting Images of 1865 Richmond Evacuation Fire History by Michael C. Hild - April 27, 2017April 27, 201737 A friend shared the following movie short by Ken Hendricksen with me and I felt compelled to share it with our readers. Published on Jan 20, 2013, the movie short is a compilation of photographs illustrating the extent of the destruction of Richmond caused by the 1865 evacuation fire. The images are nothing
Did You Know Richmond’s Only Remaining Slave Cottage Was in Manchester? History by Michael C. Hild - January 14, 201712 Did you know Richmond's last remaining slave cottage was once located in Manchester at the block bounded by Porter and Commerce Rd? After reading a fascinating post by Seldan Richardson in the The Shockoe Examiner about the Emily Winfree Cottage (it is worth the read), I decided to take a hike down to the Lumpkins jail site
City of Richmond Continues to Allow Raw Sewage to Dump Into James River from Mayo’s Island History by Michael C. Hild - January 5, 2017January 5, 201716 In 1972 the floodwaters from Hurricane Agnes completely submerged Mayo's Island and The Mayo Bridge. To gain a perspective on just how bad it was, check out the current day Google Street View image from approximately the same angle looking southwest from the I-95 bridge. Hurricane Agnes also wasn't kind to large
Manchester Has a Long History with Grain History News by Michael C. Hild - December 31, 2016December 23, 201818 There is apparently a long history of grain in Manchester. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in reference to the above picture: "In June 1952, trucks loaded with wheat during the harvest season had a long wait – including along the Mayo Bridge – to reach the Cargill Inc. grain elevator at
Mark Holmberg does Story on “The Missing and Massive RVA ‘Manchester Diamond'” History by Michael C. Hild - November 24, 2016November 24, 201623 Did you know the largest diamond found in North America at the time was unearthed in 1854 on the corner lot of 9th and Perry Streets in Manchester? Mark Holmberg did a story just this week on the massive 23.75 carat walnut-sized diamond. The gem was a greenish-white color and the
Austin Healy on Hull History by Michael C. Hild - September 18, 201624 This March 18th, 1959 photograph of an Austin Healy on Hull Street is pretty darn cool! The building shown in the 1959 photograph at 1200-1202 Hull Street no longer remains, but all of the other structures in the photograph have survived. The furniture store building at 1204-1206 Hull Street is unrecognizable given the
