Richmond
Richmond, Virginia |
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Richmond was the Capital of the Confederate States of America (CSA), an important industrial center for the South and today a stop on the NASCAR circuit. I sure know how to pick'em! WE were in Richmond with thousands of NASCAR fans for a race on 9/11. But just like in Sturgis, we were not here for the main attraction. Instead, Nick who is the tour director for this part of the trip selected HIS favorite sites: Being an engineer and NOT a fan of the CSA, he picked two main sites for our day in Richmond: The Tredegar Iron Works and the African American Museum. We drove by the Confederate White House and the Museum of the Confederacy but did not spend time there.
Tredegar Iron Works and American Civil War Center
Richmond was the heart of the confederacy - it was not only the capital of the secessionist Confederate States of America, it was also the site of the Tredegar Ironworks which, according to Nick (who kows these things) was probably responsible for keeping the war going for two more two years and an additional 200,000 deaths. Above a picture of how the factory looked in its heyday. Today the mighty factory is partially in ruins - see below
part of the equipment that powered the factory.
Inside is the American Civil War Center. In it the "war between the states" as the South refers to it is interpreted from the viewpoint of the Union (North); the CSA (South) and African Americans. It is very well done and it does help to at least see the perspectives of the three groups. Below a civil war cannon.
, built in the Tredegar factory, of course!
To make it clear that this is NOT the Museum of the Confederacy, below is a statue of Lincoln (he was assassinated five days after he visited the vanquished Richmond)
The picture below is part of a larger photo mural showing the contributions made by women to the war effort (on all sides!)
Our next stop in Richmond was the Black History Museum of Richmond
The building is in the "Jackson Ward" of Richmond; an area that was first settled by Italian and German immigrants (the house above belonged to a German baker) and later became the home of the Black community after emacipation and before desegregation. It is a well kept area with interesting houses, as can be seen above. The museum is primarily focused on the development of the Black community in Richmond and its civil rights struggles. Below the scene of the "Sit-in" at the Woolworth department store lunch counter where 34 African American students were arrested on February 22, 1960. The lunchcounter sit-ins started in Greensboro on February 1st and quickly spread to other segregated Southern cities, starting the final phase of ending legal segregation in the US, culmination in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
In the museum was an exhibition of paintings by Keith Ramsey dealing with how Black servicemen were treated after WWII. The series is called "Diluted Loss" and it is really great. Have a look at the link above.
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