Handbill announcing a party to celebrate the torch coming through Richmond on the night of June 21, 1996.
Featured Stories

Richmond and the Olympic Torch

Are you surprised that Richmond has an Olympic history? It does! In 1996, the Olympic torch passed through and even spent the night here, on its way to Atlanta. 

Older gentleman standing and helping a young woman, a man and two older women in wheelchairs play bingo.
Featured Stories

Bingo!

For much of the 20th century, Virginia has had some of the strictest anti-gambling laws in the country.

Portrait of a white woman with her hair up wearing earrings and a high neck black blouse.
Featured Stories

Jane King: The Ice Queen in the Sweltering South

Not until 1856 did regular Richmonders have access to a truly cold drink on a summer day. The luxury was brought to us by David King, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, who opened an office and ice house at 1811 East Cary Street. At his dock on the Kanawha Canal, he began to receive schooners from Maine, loaded with frozen slabs of the Kennebec River.

Portrait of a young James Monroe.
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James Monroe and the “Era of Good Feelings”

Monroe, in his 1817 inaugural address, declared that “discord does not belong in our system.” He then claimed that his main goal as president would be to foster “harmony among Americans.” He believed this harmony depended on the extinction of all political parties.

Children (all white) playing on a playground enclosed by brick walls.
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Belle Bryan Day Nursery and the Richmond Women’s Christian Association

All mothers work. But the title of “working mother” is now associated with contemporary history, tied to women’s employment. But mothers have always worked outside the home, especially mothers from poor households. Here in Richmond, major industries thrived on the exploitation of largely women workforces, both Black and white.

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Jewish Family Services

Explore the history of the Jewish faith here in Richmond and one of the premiere service organizations that grew out of this community.

Portion of map that shows Chimborazo Hill where the battle took place.
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Battle of Bloody Run

The Battle of Bloody Run was a colonial battle that took place in Richmond 364 years ago in the Church Hill area.

Postcard of troops entering a burning Richmond with two American flags. It reads
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Black Troops at New Market

Did you know that when fleeing Confederates set fire to Richmond’s warehouse district and evacuated the capital in 1865, the U.S. Colored Troops were some of the first Union soldiers to arrive?

Portrait of a middle-aged Black man in a suit with his right hand on his typewriter.
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Voting Richmond: The Lily White and the Lily Black Ticket

The 1920s was a moment in our city’s history where issues of voting, race and power converged in surprising and transformational ways.

Portrait of a middle-aged Black man with a mustache wearing a white shirt and dark coat.
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John Dabney’s Mint Juleps

John Dabney earned his freedom by making mint juleps.