RVA Then & Now

Last week I received an email from RvaNews and it was a great article showing scenes around Richmond, then & now. For those from Richmond, these places will be familiar, and for those that aren't from Richmond, it'll give you an idea of some cool sites to visit if you ever come into town!

I love Richmond for many reasons, but one of them is the rich history and culture within the city limits. My whole family history is in Richmond, and once I got started looking back at old pictures, I couldn't help but get carried away. It was so neat getting lost for awhile looking back at the history of my hometown. I love comparing these images of Richmond back then & today {and spoiler alert: I found a great classic picture of my grandfather at his old grocery store}...

Tredegar Iron Works - Then

Tredegar Iron Works - Now

Tredegar Iron Works was founded in the 1800's during the height of antebellum industry in Virginia. Some things manufactured there included locomotives, spikes, trains wheels, cabels, ships & naval hardware, boilers, iron machines, canons, etc. It was a huge part of the Confederate War machine and also cast munitions for later war efforst in the Spanish-American War, World War I & II, and the Korean War. The building was restored in the 1970's and is now home to the Civil War Center.




St.John's Church - Then

St.John's Church - Now

St. John's Church became the symbol of American Liberty back in 1775. Colonial leaders gathered here including Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and George Washington, during the American Revolution. Patrick Henry delivered his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech here on March 23, 1775, and the American Revolution began the next month in Lexington and Concord. Today they do reenactments of the famous speech and it is also an active Episcopal Church in the heart of Richmond city.

Virginia Science Museum - Then

Virginia Science Museum - Now

Back then, the Virginia Science Museum was actually Broad Street Station which was one of the biggest transporation hubs in Richmond. It was put into service in 1919 by the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railway (RF&P). They were taken over by Amtrak in 1971 and they moved the passenger train service to Staples Mill. The station was sold to the State who later turned it into the Virginia Science Museum.

Cary Court - Then

Cary Court - Now

Cary Court was opened in 1938 as Richmond's first shopping center. It was designed in the Art Deco style and was restored in 2003. It was a consumer's paradise then, and still is today along with the rest of Carytown - full of local boutiques, restaurants, and home to many Richmond festivals including the Carytown Watermelon Festival held every summer.



My Pappy in his grocery store - Grubb's Supermarket

While I was looking through old Richmond photos, I found a great one online of my grandfather, Clay Grubbs, at his old supermarket in Fulton Hill {on the outskirts of the city}. It was the local, neighborhood grocery store and he had it through the 1980's before closing it down. I couldn't find a picture, but my other grandfather, Richard Gary, also owned his own business in the city - Marshalls Mens Clothing Store. I come from a family of local Richmond entrepreneurs!