Featured Stories

Civil War Diary

Diary entry from an unknown woman living in Richmond during the Civil War.

A Black woman, a white girl, and a Black boy in the foreground with the Arthur Ashe Monument in the background.

Monument Avenue: Arthur Ashe Monument

The Arthur Ashe Monument on Richmond’s Monument Avenue is now the road’s only monument. It is also the newest addition.

Exterior of Lubin and Bijou Theaters. The Lubin has bicycles out front and the Bijoy has a horse and cart out front.

Scandals in Richmond’s Theater Scene

Theater has played an important role in Richmond history. From its architecture to its scandals, there’s no lack of drama here in the archives.

Waiting room in Broad Street Train Station. Two large ionic columns and four long wooden benches. A globe hangs above and the ceiling is tall.

Broad Street Train Station

Broad Street Train Station was designed by John Russell Pope, who also created designs for the Branch House on Monument Avenue and the Jefferson Memorial, National Gallery of Art, and National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Knights of Labor

A new labor model was needed to address the changing economic landscape. That model could be found in the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor. Founded in 1869, it slowly evolved and expanded its mission and leadership so that by 1879, it was poised to harness the rising frustrations of the working class.

Portrait of a middle-aged Black man in a suit with his right hand on his typewriter.

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.

Postcard of troops entering a burning Richmond with two American flags. It reads

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?

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

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.

Children (all white) playing on a playground enclosed by brick walls.

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.